As I walked West on 14th Street, the surrounding area began to open up around Eighth Ave. Tall high-rise buildings descended into eclectic sequences of lofts that exceeded no more than five stories. Asphalt streets receded into cobblestones that produced a retroactive aesthetic contrast to that of the modern, architecturally infused buildings; I had traversed into the Meatpacking District.
Just below the Highline (a soon to be park renovated from a 100 year old section of freight railway) there hides a clothing boutique with a blue banner above it saying, “Destination“. A ground to ceiling piece of sheet glass separates the interior from the rather cold, exterior. It was quiet on Ninth Ave and Little West 12th with few people on the street at 6:00pm.
I talked with Kazuki Yammto, a 28 year old Japanese-American assistant manager at “Destination,” about his experience working in the neighborhood. Originally from Niigata, Japan (a snow covered mountain village), he has been a resident of the city for 13 years and an employee at the boutique for two. “It’s pretty dead during the daytime” he said, “but when it gets later, the area becomes really crazy.”
During his time working at “Destination,” he has seen such celebrities as Mike Tyson, Nikki Taylor and Donald Trump frequent that particular area. “One of the places I see a lot of celebrities visit is Buddha Bar, which is right across the street”. Although more a fan of performing with his punk rock band at local downtown venues, he says that “It’s a very cool neighborhood to work in because there are always something going on.”