Refinding yourself in Manhattan's Meatpacking District

WNYC's Community Partnerships desk regularly teams up with the nonprofit, Street Lab, to highlight stories from neighborhoods across New York City. We recently stationed ourselves in Manhattan's Meatpacking District . Here's some of what we heard.

The transcript of the voices we collected have been lightly edited for clarity.

Jo Lucas: "I'm from North London, and I'm here with my husband. And it's the first time we've ever flown across the pond. So, New York, here we came. We landed on Monday, and it's got progressively colder. But not so cold that it's cold cold because coming from kind of near Wales where we live, cold is really cold. We went to see Times Square yesterday, and it was like oh, no, it was awful. I'm really sorry and and we asked somebody in just on the local corner shop up just where we were staying and she said, "Oh, go do the High Line." And it was great. The High Line was really impressive. So you were out of the buzz, but you could see everything. You just look to one side and there's skyscrapers, and you look to the other side, and there's the Hudson. And it was re-finding your headspace. After having yonked around the Met and, been to MoMA and, gone on the subway, and walked Central Park. You were suddenly in a space where you could just be yourselves, kind of cleared your head, and you connect with yourself again. I think that was what was brilliant about it."

Jimmy Dong: "I work at Two Minds. We're located at 34 Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District. I've been here since 2021 during the pandemic, when there are very few people or businesses moving in the area. The 1st 4th of July, we were here. A couple from Philadelphia pulled up in front of the store. They came in shop, and the husband stood outside with me. And for a second, we looked at each other and said, it looked like the rapture happened. Because there was like four or five people walking around on the 4th of July in this area, and nobody else was here. So, the past couple years, I've been lucky to watch this place grow and become something. Give you a small example: Halloween trick or treat, treats in the streets. The first year Meatpacking and, Two Minds and maybe one or two others were passing out candy to kids. Now, we had over 26 vendors passing out candy to kids, becoming part of this community and, most importantly, part of the meatpacking district. I'll never forget how we believe that we are not here to work against each other but for each other."

Vincent Inconiglios: "I'm over on Gainesville Street since 1969. I'm an artist, and very special opportunity to be one of the last working artists in this area. But I remember most when it was the real meat on the street. And it was all the street workers, and the clubs, and the S&M bars. You know, it fascinates me when I walk down Washington Street now, and I see people having dinner and thinking what really went on in those buildings in the 70s and the 60s all the way into the 80s and the 90s. There's all sorts of thoughts I have about the progress that some people would say has happened and the things we've lost. I feel mixed. Sometimes, aesthetically, I think it's pleasant to walk around, but it doesn't have the character that it used to have. And there was such character with the people that lived in the neighborhood more. We're all a lot older now, the ones that are left. I guess this happens with every generation."

Symone Wilson: "I'm located in New York City. Every holiday season, I always find myself walking alone. Around some sort of lighting structure, and it just reminded me of years of living D. C. and walking to see the Christmas lights. I used to find different exhibitions in the city that featured lights around Christmas time. And it was just a really peaceful experience for me to walk around and look at the lights by myself. The holidays are kind of difficult for me because of family issues and West Indian trauma. So, um, and I've always been a loner and had to find my own happiness and joy. Because sometimes the family time can be awkward or difficult. And the lights is kind of the magical movie Christmas part that I can hold on to for myself."