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- Hell's Kitchen neighborhood guide - Best restaurants, bars & more!
Hell's Kitchen neighborhood guide - Best restaurants, bars & more!
+ FREE concert in Central Park, no ticket required 🎻
Ashley & Devin from Better Together Here
May 28th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
Hello,
“The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.” -John Updike
In this week’s newsletter:
🐕 Balto Statue in Central Park - Because dogs should be the only statues we build
🚇 New York Know-How: OMNY - You do NOT need to buy a Metro Card
🧑🍳 Hell’s Kitchen Guide - A plethora of cuisines and bars await you
🎫 Events We Love This Week: May 28 - June 4 - Free concert + National Olive Day celebration
🍝 You’ll Have to Check It Out - The coziest, friendliest Italian spot (also in Hell’s Kitchen)
Come on, you’ll love what you see!👇
Note: As always, this email was written by an actual human who lives in NYC, not artificial intelligence. 🥸
Balto Statue in Central Park 🐕
In the winter of 1925, the remote town of Nome, Alaska, was facing a diphtheria outbreak, and the only available serum to treat the disease was in Anchorage, nearly 1,000 miles away. With the town cut off from transportation due to harsh weather conditions, a relay of dog sled teams was organized to deliver the life-saving medicine.
Balto, a Siberian Husky, was the lead dog of the final team that completed the grueling journey, traversing treacherous terrain and braving blizzard conditions.
If that description transports you back to watching the Balto cartoon movie as a kid, you won’t want to miss the Balto Statue in Central Park.
The Balto Statue, one of our favorite statues in the entire park, is located on the eastern side of Central Park, about even with 67th Street. You can enter the park from 5th Avenue between 66th and 67th Street!
It’s incredibly close to the Literary Walk & The Mall. You can see a few of the most popular spots in Central Park in a short time!
New York Know-How: OMNY Tap to Pay
We all want to save time, get places more quickly, and not look foolish.
Accomplish all three by using Tap to Pay to enter the subway!
Previously, a physical Metro Card was required. You’d have to load it up, keep track of the amount remaining, the whole deal.
Now, just tap with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a tap-to-pay-enabled credit card and voilà, you’re through the turnstile! 🙌 Those square screens on the front of the turnstiles (see picture above) are where you tap your card or device.
And that even covers the unlimited weekly pass for subway rides. Pay for 12 rides in a 7-day period and any additional rides are free. And, unlike with MetroCard, you don’t have to pay upfront. Ensure you use the same card or device to pay for all rides to activate the free rides.
Congrats, by tapping to pay, you’ll save time, get on the train more quickly, and look smart as hell. 😎
PS- We cover more transportation topics like this in the Free Transportation Guide, which you can access as an email subscriber.
Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Guide
Hell’s Kitchen is a top destination in New York City, primarily due to the vast array of bars, restaurants, and things to do.
Neighborhood boundaries are always debatable, but 34th to 58th Street between 8th Avenue and the Hudson River is considered Hell’s Kitchen.
You’ll love exploring Hell’s Kitchen because if one restaurant is at capacity, you can walk about 30 yards in either direction and find a handful of just-as-tasty (or better) spots.
The bar scene is also thriving.. including two spots with some of the cheapest drinks in all of Manhattan. 🤑
Oh, and you’ll be surprised at how many fun daytime activities are worth doing in this neighborhood!
PS- Another subscriber perk! We’ve curated all our favorite Hell’s Kitchen spots into one Google Maps list, accessible as a newsletter subscriber.
Events We Love This Week: May 28 - June 4, 2025
In the city this week? Here are some fun events we’re keeping an eye on.
NY Philharmonic Free Summer Concert Series - Starting June 4
For this one, we’ll let ‘em explain it in their own words:
“The New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, have become an iconic New York summer experience since they began in 1965, transforming parks throughout the city into a patchwork of picnickers enjoying friends, family, and music under the stars, for free! Each concert concludes with a stunning fireworks display.”
Free concert + free fireworks + being outside with thousands of your new best friends.. All in some of the city’s best parks?! Don’t miss this one!
On June 4 at 8 pm, the series starts in Central Park, with subsequent boroughs following soon after.
Free Spritz + Olive Sampler - Sunday, June 1st
Café Select in SoHo will offer free spritzes and olive samplers to celebrate National Olive Day on June 1!
“We’re popping up for one day only with a spritz cart, lots of olives, and the Select Spritz — on us! Just stop by, grab a drink, and snack the afternoon away.”
Note: Regular table service will be open at Café Select. All seated guests will receive one complimentary spritz and a Freestyle olive sampler as part of the celebration.
You’ll Have to Check It Out - Briciola
Hell’s Kitchen is packed with top-notch restaurants. And sometimes, they’re so packed into one area you accidentally go to the wrong one..
Our first foray into Briciola was a complete mistake. We thought we were pulling the door for B-Side Pizza (also delicious), but in fact, it was Briciola.
We looked around, looked at each other, shrugged, and decided to eat there, despite having mistakenly entered. And we were so glad we did!
Briciola is one of the coziest, friendliest Italian spots in Hell’s Kitchen. With a funky layout featuring bar-only seating in one room and a long, communal table in the other, it’s a great place to enjoy a meal that feels like the comfort of your grandma’s dining room.
Plus, the food is PHENOMENAL.
Every appetizer, entree, and cocktail we’ve had at Briciola has been impressive. The Maccheroni al Tartufo will change your life (see 2nd picture above).
And we’ve always felt welcomed by the staff, who are quick to provide a perfect recommendation for the table’s needs.
Enjoy the final days of May,
Ashley & Devin from Better Together Here
Weekly Dog Tax
Scout and the stunning Midtown skyline, taken near Gapstow Bridge.