When I lived in Hell’s Kitchen I lived pretty much right across the street from Worldwide Plaza. Maybe not right across the street, but when I looked out my bedroom window Worldwide Plaza is what I saw. Because the building is distinctive, with a blue copper pyramid on the top, and because it meant “home” to me for so long when I’d just moved to New York and was still trying to figure out the lay of the land and orient myself, this building has become my wayfinder. It’s only 49 stories tall, so not the tallest of buildings, but has helped me out many times when I was in Midtown and unsure of which way to go.

Last week while I was in New York for the Web 2.0 Expo, I could see Worldwide Plaza from many of the places I was walking. One day we had a long lunch break and it was warm and sunny outside so I decided to follow it “home” to my old neighborhood for lunch.

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After my corporate housing ran out, Hell’s Kitchen was my first New York neighborhood. When I lived there I was just learning so many things and going through such a trasition. This neighborhood always brings back a rush of emotions for me. It’s where I learned about living with a Craigslist roommate, how to orient myself in Midtown, what it’s like to have super who doesn’t care if both your heat and hot water don’t work at the end of November, how to eat and drink in public places by yourself, how to go a long holiday weekend without seeing one person you know (not counting the deli guy), how to eat 100 different cuisines without leaving the street I lived on. It was hard. But it was also exhilarating. Every day, every second was something new and I was constantly on the go. Just walking. Just looking.

A lot of things in the neighborhood have changed, but many have not. There’s still The Delta Grill, where I took my parents when they visited. Still Westside Sushi, the restaurant I lived above and never went to. I preferred the fast and casual Go Sushi. Zanzibar was a place I really liked to go to at night. Loungy, but later did have a lot of dance music. Great chocolate martinis. Maybe my first chocolate martini. I remember drinking one with Kelly. And I remember Match.com dates here and I remember losing my voice when I was really sick but still went out with all the girls. We were screaming over the music to talk. And the Amish Market. I was obsessed with the Amish Market. I have no idea why it’s called the Amish Market, since it’s an international gourmet supermarket, but I loved it. I couldn’t afford it, but I loved to look. And maybe buy just one thing at a time to try.

I was happy to see this was still outside of Rudy’s:

I find it hysterical that they’re officially called Rudy’s Bar and Grill since the only food item I remember them having is a hotdog that had been rotating on the warmer for what seemed like years and they were free. Maybe back when they opened (in the 30’s) they had more of a food menu, hence the “Grill.”

In the photo below, my bedroom window is the one in the red building, farthest to the right and on the second floor. Right above the sushi restaurant. My window had no screen, but I kept it open a lot and would sit and watch the world go by. 7 Brothers Famous Deli was MY deli. True story: When my parents first visited me in NY I introduced my dad to my deli guy, the most important man in my life at the time.

Across the street from my old apartment is The Coffee Pot. I used to sit and sit there and read and pass time. It was like on Friends, I thought. I remember a cute guy who worked there. He told me he was from Trinidad and Tobago. I had no idea what that was, but I think I liked it.

Finally, my destination. Go Sushi for lunch to take back to the conference center and eat before keynotes started.

It made me happy that all of these places were still around. I had fun walking down this memory lane, literally.. they are all on 9th Avenue. It made me miss it so much, at the same time knowing I’ll probably never move back. It’s nice know I’ll always enjoy every trip I take anyway.

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