West 36 St, Garment District

36th starts its run through the Garment District in a very Garment District way. There is such weird mix of little shops on this block (at 5th) and I have never had any desire to go into one of them. I always wonder how the stores in this neighborhood stay in business. I don't think they do anything for the aesthetic or energy of the neighborhood either but that's just one man's opinion.
There's a little 24 hour Korean BBQ right at 5th that looks kind of scary to me. And, there's a little bar next door to that which is a good thing for the neighborhood but I have yet to know one person who has ever been to this bar. There's also an underwear store right next to a feather store on this block (see what I mean?) And, then there's Keen's Chop House. Keens has been around since the 19th century and it's a very old, crusty steak house with over 200 varieties of Scotch. I think it's more notable now for its history than its actual food but I think it's pretty cool. There used to be all kinds of lascivious activity on this block but it just looks like there is. A big British occultist used to live here as well as the big party inviter for the Astors. There used to be another steak house on this block which was where Henry Gray and Ruth Snyder met. Their plot to kill her husband inspired the movies Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice. All I keep wondering is how so many people managed to eat at steak houses back in the day . . .
The block at Broadway is taken up by two massive buildings: The Herald and The Haier Building. So, unless you work for either of those companies, there's really no reason to pay it a visit. And, the block at 6th houses three slightly smaller buildings with a bunch of commercial spaces in them so that's pretty much a passover block as well. The block leading into Hell's Kitchen (just before 8th) is only great if you're a shopper. There's a permanent sample sale store on the north side of the street that all my friends love and a masquerade costume company across the street which I think is kind of cool to peruse through. Other than that, there's nothing to see here either.
West 36th is pretty depressing in this neighborhood. The buildings are all ugly and there's just no energy to the street. You add that to the fact that there's not much to do and no green and you're not really left with much of a reason to want to live here (or go here).