When I booked my hotel, I couldn’t tell you with any certainty that I knew the hotel would technically be falling in Hell’s Kitchen. I was choosing a hotel for (semi-)quality and proximity to what would be our Air BNB for the following two nights. Hell’s Kitchen is fun. From the bars and restaurants to the hotels and proximity to Times Square in one direction and the Hudson River in the other… this stay was made even more exciting by the fact that it was also Fleet Week. Two words: hubba hubba. Yes, sailors in their pressed Navy whites were everywhere.

Both my hotel and our Air BNB gave way to a new favorite (part gritty, part up and coming) neighborhood for me against the backdrop of the NYC skyline. I took a walk one night around the more bar-sy scene and a morning walk down 10th Avenue, over to Pier 88 and the Intrepid to see what part of the docked fleet that I could. On that walk, I discovered The Jolly Goat Coffee Shop, street art spanning the length of buildings, De Witt Clinton Park and one full block of street vendor cart storage/repair shops (fairly fascinating to see all together; think: several hot dog carts). There was also a small community garden across from where we stayed.

My lesson for this trip: I’m a Hell’s Kitchen kind of girl.