Hell's Kitchen, Residential district in Manhattan, US
Hell's Kitchen is a residential area in western Manhattan running from 34th Street to 59th Street. The streets follow a grid pattern, with avenues running north to south and the Hudson River forming the western edge of the neighborhood.
Criminal groups used the warehouses along the waterfront to produce illegal alcohol during Prohibition in the 1920s. Over the following decades, the area gradually became home to working families, small theaters, and neighborhood shops.
Restaurants serve dishes from around the world, while acting schools and theater spaces draw performers and students throughout the day. Locals gather in bars and cafés that fill up in the evening, creating a social atmosphere along the avenues.
Many buildings west of Eighth Avenue below 43rd Street rise no higher than six stories, keeping the area lower than other parts of Manhattan. Visitors can walk through the streets and reach restaurants or shops without heavy crowds most of the time.
Every May since 1974, a street festival takes place along Ninth Avenue with vendors offering food from Greece, Thailand, Italy, and the Caribbean. Thousands of people come during that weekend to taste different dishes directly on the street.
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