West 53 St, Clinton / Hells Kitchen

West 53rd starts off at the Hudson with Clinton Park. It's a pretty decent sized park but the surrounding area is so depressing that it's hardly a go-to spot as far as parks go. It doesn't help that the atrocious, windowless ATT building is directly across the street. It looks like a prison so that will really kill an afternoon picnic.
The block at 10th houses a public school, an ugly apartment building, an auto dealer, and the building where Montell Williams is taped. There's no energy on this block and really no aesthetic. And, this keeps on right up until the Hell's Kitchen border at 8th avenue. The only amusing thing about this street is that the block between 8th and 9th houses a huge church with a comedy club right next door. I know this sort of thing happens all over Manhattan but it still tickles me whenever I see it. Talk about two opposite worlds colliding. . . .
West 53rd is really not a great street to live on in my opinion. It's a few blocks away from a series of nice streets in either direction but the good times are just not happening here.