Meet 45th Street
Though it begins quietly on the East beneath the United Nations’ dignified shadow, 45th Street is an almost two mile long cross-section of Manhattan packed with theaters, steakhouses, a hobby shop, a silversmith, a book emporium and everything in between.
Home to a number of UN missions in the east, the street is flush with international dignitaries – most of whom seem to purchase their morning cup at Pennylane Coffee, a neighborhood café started by a former fashion designer. Just an avenue over, members of the Manhattan Sideways team sampled some of the freshest fish possible at Aburiya Kinnosuke, a Michelin-star Japanese restaurant, and then tried casual Asian fusion cuisine at Rawl (Lost Gem), which specializes in sushi burritos. The team was then totally captivated by the merchandise on display at the Mutual Trading Company, a Japanese kitchenware showroom and store. We also marveled at the long lines that form at lunch time outside BentOn Café, an obviously popular place for Japanese take out.
Moving west, the street began to embrace a more traditionally American and New York vibe as I came to The Roosevelt Hotel (Lost Gem), the Helmsley and the MetLife Building – or, as it was once known, the PanAm Building. New York history is ever present on these few blocks with the Beaux-Arts architecture of the 1920s Helmsley and Roosevelt juxtaposed with the 1963 commercial aesthetic of the MetLife Building. The Helmsley straddles Park Avenue with tunnels that make up the Park Avenue Viaduct, a roadway that guides traffic from 40th Street around Grand Central and the MetLife Building and out onto Park Avenue proper on 46th Street. The inside of the Helmsley Building is a reminder of glamorous Old New York with its travertine marble and magnificent chandeliers.
Crossing Fifth Avenue, I found two hidden gems with histories that reached back into the 1930s. The Red Caboose is a hobby shop in the packed basement of No. 23, where Mr. Allan Spitz, a longtime enthusiast, currently advises model and train aficionados. And a few steps west is Jean’s Silversmiths that stocks over 2,000 different silver patterns dating back as far as the seventeenth century, and where they also buy, sell, repair and polish pieces of silver.
As I approached Bond 45 (Lost Gem) – an excellent Italian restaurant crafted by a Broadway set designer – I was reminded that I was in the midst of the Theater District once again. Pausing to admire some of Broadway’s most beautiful theaters along the way, I arrived in Hell’s Kitchen where I was heartened by the community I found. After meeting the highly motivated and diverse array of students, as well as the affable staff at Broadway Dance Center, it was easy to see the impact that the theater has on the lives of Manhattanites. The students at BDC develop a sense of belonging with their fellow dancers and often head next door to Beer Culture, a craft beer hub, for a relaxing pint or to Schmackary’s, known as the cookie-mecca among the Broadway crowd.
As if nine theaters and a dance school were not enough proof that the Theater District is alive and well, the Maravel Arts Center farther west confirms that the thespian craft will continue to live on for quite some time. Home to Rosie’s Theater Kids, a program dedicated to enriching the lives of underprivileged children through the arts, Maravel hosts New York’s future actors and dancers after school. Actor Rosie O’Donnell began the program in 2003 and received the Stevenson Tony Award in 2014 for her work with the organization and for bringing theater to young people around the city.
Looking out onto the West Side Highway and the Hudson River, Gotham West Market is 45th Street’s final punctuation. Featuring an array of dining options and NYC Velo, Andrew Crooks’ high-end bike shop, the Market provided me with a respite from the summer heat, a bite to eat, and a cool drink as I ended the day’s walk.
