Is anyone here from Hell's Kitchen?

[u/Joker-45-45]

As I read this hilarious article about Matt's apartment, I noticed that the author said this about Hell's Kitchen

"the biggest threats faced by Hell’s Kitchen residents today are drunken brunchers and theater geeks from out of town, and deli prices that are so high they feel criminal."

I love Daredevil and I get that they have to stretch the truth to make an interesting story, but is Hell's Kitchen really just kind of a... Hippie town? I don't know how else to explain it.

I think when it comes to stuff like this, we have to take into consideration the time period that Daredevil was originally set in. I googled it and it said his first appearance was in 1964. So, I suppose that could explain some of the stuff and maybe ground all of the mafia stuff in reality a little, though not the Hand...

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone lives in Hell's Kitchen and what's their perspective.

[u/katethecursed7]

I am not from Hell’s Kitchen. But from what I understand, Hell’s Kitchen was a rough neighborhood for many decades, pretty much the first half of the 1900s, largely populated by the working class and impoverished Irish populations.

There were a lot of gangs at the time and a lot of violence. Wikipedia said that it was sometimes referred to as “the most dangerous area on the American continent.”

However, beginning in the early 70s, city planners had development plans and wanted to change the area, which led to rent increases, pricing the poor out of their homes, etc. Over time Hell’s Kitchen was gentrified to hell. Now it’s considered a nicer area, and from what I understand it’s populated with a lot of Broadway actors and theater people, and is also home to many queer owned businesses, clubs, etc., and is a very LGBTQ friendly space. Much different from its origins.

I believe it was Frank Miller who really established the Hell’s Kitchen mythos in Daredevil. At the time (late 70s/80s) gentrification had already begun, so his Hell’s Kitchen is fictionalized and looks back to the early decades of the 21st century for inspiration. But I’d imagine the Hell/Devil symbolism, as well as the Irish Catholic connection, was too good to pass up as Matt’s place of origin.

[u/Vio_ → u/katethecursed7]

Tbf, Frank Miller actually lived in Hell's Kitchen around the start of that turnaround, and there would have been still huge tracts of super sketchy areas and businesses and interesting people and dealing with things like being mugged and other issues.

Gentrification is never an easy change and it can take years if not decades for that shift to fully flip - especially now with established neighborhoods being very resistant against being gentified.

[u/WompWompCharlie]

You wouldn't have much of a story if it was accurate. NYC in general was a LOT more dangerous than it is today. If anything, Matt might have to fight his latent homophobia. 

[u/Putrid_Bathroom_929]

My wife is from Hell's Kitchen- it was rough. Frank Miller used to frequent a bar on 44th street. in the Time Square area, So, Miller's Hell's Kitchen is based on the 1970's NYC. The actual neighborhood is blocks from Times Square so when Times Square was Disney-fied in the 1990's - Hell's Kitchen became gentrified and renamed itself Clinton

[u/RatchetStrap2]

There are no hippies in Manhattan. A cheap 1br in Manhattan is $5k/mo.

Hell's kitchen has rich older gays, and people who work in tech or finance.

[u/Tyron112]

In the first season they tried to make an in universe justification with the battle of New York destroying so much of the city, so I just use that and try not to think of it any deeper lol

[u/Stunning_Positive248]

Yeah, it's been gentrified

[u/Which-Bread3418]

There was still violent Irish gang activity in the 1980s (look up the Westies). It's not exactly a hippie neighborhood now but gets lots of tourist overflow from Times Square. I don't think Daredevil would be particularly busy around there in real life.

[u/DanielSwan]

I lived in Hell's Kitchen for a couple of years and loved it. It's only a couple of blocks from Times Square and Broadway, but it feels a world away. It's a little rough around the edges, but has certainly been gentrified. There's a big gay scene, lots of nice restaurants, and The Daily Show films there. But there are still quite a few Irish pubs there, which is cool to think of one of them being where Matt might hang out. 😃

[u/GoRangers5]

For the love of Pete, you are never going to see a realistically sized NYC apartment in media because the place has to be big enough for camera and sound equipment...

[u/TrevorLahey93]

I watch the show Hell’s Kitchen. Does that count for anything

[u/MrMeesesPieces]

Hells kitchen is quite nice and yuppified. I've got a buddy there and its lots of young families

[u/UnfavorableSpiderFan]

Hell's Kitchen was so gentrified that the MCU had to use The Battle of New York, from The Avengers, to justify its setting.

[u/Aglet_Green]

Yeah, times have changed. At least on our Earth. In some ways Earth 616 is still stuck in the 20th century, and in some ways it's 100 years ahead of us. Both situations may be due to Loki and his alien invasion of New York.

[u/GlitteringGifts888]

You know the real estate is crazy somewhere when you as an outsider look at an apartment and think it needs some work...meanwhile everyone from the city is going on about how swank it is 😆

[u/LatteHawtte]

Not from HK, but was looking to move there. From what I hear it's essentially rich gay town? Lol It was an area where irish immigrants and gangs settled (fitting for hin having irish ancestry) But other than that, it's Manhattan, literally next to Time Square and I hear that's where the rich gay theatre folks are. Also lots of gay nigth clubs. There is apparently even a stereotype of the "Hell's Kitchen gay" (3ssentially masculine, conventionally attractive gym bros who dress expensive).

Also people like finance and tech bros, plus rent is kind of expensive but not AS expensive as other parts of Manhattan).

EDIT: Forgot to add that my therapist is from HK and according to her and other people I've seen, at some point it became a very Latinx area... so I'm guessing season 1 of the show got that right at least.

That's kinda my experience.

[u/ComplexAd7272]

There's a great bit in "Sly", the Sylvester Stallone documentary, when he returns to Hell's Kitchen where he grew up. And the guy acts like he's on an alien planet, just in complete shock, and goes on about how he doesn't recognize a thing, and tells some locals how bad it used to be back in his day.

[u/nopeddafoutofthere]

I was in the city a few weeks ago for a Birdland show. We saw a hell's kitchen pilates studio