West 56 St, Clinton / Hells Kitchen

West 56th starts off in Hell's Kitchen at the Hudson with two Sanitation buildings, a Mazda dealership and Terminal 5. Terminal 5 is a relatively large concert venue that always has a great lineup so it's definitely worth a visit. It is a little bit of a damper, however, when you have to wait outside to get in and you are surrounded by sanitation buildings. This is definitely not a block you would want to live near. The whole sanitation thing is problematic on its own but the late night noise from Terminal 5 is also quite a problem for neighbors, I would imagine.
The block at 11th houses another car dealership, a housing project and CBS studios. It is the headquarters for CBS news as well as the home to a couple of soap operas.
The block at 10th isn't the prettiest and is pretty much taken over by a small business college. But, the block at 9th is lovely. The homes there are a nice break from the ominous, big building feel of the street (and neighborhood, for that matter). Mario Van Peebles and several Broadway actresses have lived on this block. It's a shame that the rest of the street doesn't resemble this block. It's also a shame that there's nothing to do on this street aside from walk to other streets to eat, socialize and enjoy yourself. Luckily, Central Park is about a 5-10 minute walk from this street depending on how far west you live.