The neighborhoods of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City and Fishtown in Philadelphia both have unique histories, gentrified over several decades, becoming preferred places to visit or live. During my return from my yearlong nomadic travels, I stayed in both these neighborhoods each for an entire month, loving every minute. Both are cultural hotspots, part of an urban evolution that has changed its architecture, culture and demographics. Here is my take on how they compare and which one you may want to visit….  

 Arriving in the US

After a year of nonstop traveling, having visited 3 continents, 8 countries, 16 major cities and two dozen-plus small towns and neighborhoods, I yearned to be back home to reconnect with family and friends. This meant that I would need to spend time both in the northern and southern parts of New Jersey. Since I no longer have a home base, I divided up my time between staying in Philadelphia (South Jersey Airbnb’s sucks) and New York City. Northern New Jersey is just as expensive, requiring me to rent a car (and not as much fun).  Between these two huge metro cities, I stayed in the neighborhoods of Fishtown and Hell’s Kitchen and to my surprise, the similarities between the two are comparable.

Fishtown vs. Hell’s Kitchen: Urban, Cultural, and Architectural Trends

Let’s Begin with Fishtown…

There are many nice walkable neighborhoods in Philadelphia that offer reasonable short-term apartments. My sister lives in the Northern Liberties neighborhood, walking distance from Fishtown.  Both are less than a 10-minute ride over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge into South Jersey where my storage unit and the rest of my family are.  The Frankford Ave corridor where I was staying offers just about any amenity you could need. But it wasn’t always this way.

Originally, Fishtown was a fishing and shipbuilding hub in the 18th and 19th centuries, mostly of German, Irish, and Polish immigrants, primarily a working-class white community with strong maritime connections that over time declined. The waterfront was no longer used for industrial purposes and so jobs disappeared along with many of its Fishtown residents.  This abandonment opened the door for gentrification. By the 2000s, artists and young professionals looking for affordable and transit accessibility places to live began to gravitate to Fishtown slowly displacing long-term residents.  The re-adaptive use of old buildings and warehouses had led to an influx of breweries, art galleries, wellness centers, music venues and fine dining, raising property values while seeking to preserve its identity. Everywhere you go, you will come across a fish of some type—signage, murals, door signs, even garbage cans shaped like a fish adding to its hipster vibe.  This is one example of gentrification where low-income whites are being displaced by upper-income whites instead of displacing minorities.

Fishtown architecture is historically characterized by mostly row-houses, small industrial buildings, and modest single-family homes.  It reminds so much of the homes and streets in Camden where I grew up. There has been so much re-adaptive construction, specifically the blending of modern design with the industrial look of the neighborhood. A walkable community with businesses busting at the seams. The neighborhood is near a major transit system essential as parking here sucks.  There is hardly no parking. My biggest challenge of the day was finding parking when I got back from my errands.   Thank god, I only got two parking tickets during my entire stay.

 I love walking the neighborhood, eating at many of its foodies’ eateries, pubs and cafes. There are wine bars as well as breweries and plenty of places with music and art and shopping.  It has a neighborly, friendly vibe with community activities, small parks and plenty of dogs.  You easily become totally immersed in Fishtown culture. Beats the suburbs any day,

Staying in Hell’s Kitchen…

I had originally planned to stay in the Soho neighborhood but could not find any Airbnb/short-term apartments. In September 2023, the city passed the local law 18 (LL18) that restricted the use of many apartments for short-term leasing, reducing the use of platforms like Airbnb for travelers.  Its intention was to combat the affordable housing crisis, a year later it has done little.  Rents continue to go up with no change on the vacancy rate, while hotel prices have significantly risen, impacting tourism.  I found a very nice unit in Hell’s Kitchen on 48th Street which was much better than my prior Airbnb in the Chelsea neighborhood and right in the center of what is truly a vibrant, gritty  evolving neighborhood.

Hell’s Kitchen was established in the mid-19th century as an Irish working-class neighborhood known for its mid-rise tenement housing with a rough reputation for organized crime and gangs. By the 1980s, the city began to crack down on crime, rezoning the area.  The last 20 years, there has been a continued influx of luxury high-rises and commercial establishments pushing out much of the city’s ethnically diverse working-class residents and artist community. The neighborhood is being slowly absorbed by the Mid-Town Manhattan commercial zone. Its proximity to Broadway and the Hudson Yards District is also speeding up its gentrification. Nevertheless, many of its streets have retained a NYC gritty-bohemian vibe as it is also a haven for LGBTQ, hipsters and tourists seeking a vibrant nightlife and theater scene. There are plenty off-Broadway theaters, ethnic restaurants and bars with way too many happy hours ads line up next to each other enticing you to come in. I found the entire area lively starting at noon.  A bit noisy as there are sirens screaming throughout the day.  There are many more bicycles riders. One can easily be run over when crossing their lane. Everywhere you see tourists with rollers headed to the train station. The smell of urine and weed can be a bit over the top. There are also more homeless people (mostly men) on this side of the city.

I took full advantage of my stay there, attending several off-Broadway shows, restaurants, attending a couple of museums and galleries, and taking long walks to the HighLine Park and Hudson Yard district.   The October weather was at its best behavior. Many of my friends came into the city to meet up. I also took a short train ride to the city of Newark to attend two events and catch up with folks. Frankly, there is no city like New York!

Final Note and My Photos  

Both Fishtown and Hell’s Kitchen are part of today’s urban renaissance. Fishtown’s transformation is more neighborly, maintaining an artistic musical trend. Hell’s Kitchen, to some extent is being slowly absorbed into the Manhattan high-rise, high-income urban landscape. Both neighborhoods have experienced strong cultural and economic shifts.  Clearly, New York is much more expensive than Fishtown.  Fishtown also operates at a slower pace than the Big Apple.  Its proximity to Philly’s Center City and historic sites makes for a great week or weekend getaway.

My photos are of both cities, starting with New York and then Fishtown.  New York photos take on more of the city and not just Hell’s Kitchen since it looks all the same. Fishtown photos have a more neighborly vibe.  Photos are of people, urban landscapes and the cultural fabric of both neighborhoods. As always, remember to click the center of the photos for a full view of each photograph.

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