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Murray HillFrom The Peopling of New York City: Indian CommunitiesMurray Hill is a neighborhood in Manhattan. The traditional boundary is within East 34th Street, East 40th Street, Madison Avenue, and Third Avenue.
South of Murray Hill, on Lexington Avenue around 28th Street is sometimes informally known as “Curry Hill” by some and "Little India" by others because of the high concentration of Indian restaurants. The most densely populated block is between 27th and 28th streets, with over 10 restaurants serving authentic Indian cuisine. However, most restaurants cater to the vegetarian diet, there are no real South Asian non-vegetarian options currently available. The prices are similar to cheaper places on East 6th, but the Lexington Avenue restaurants have the paradoxical advantage of serving from steam tables meaning that the food is fast and you can see it before you order.
The 6 local train has stops at 23rd Street and 28th Street. Murray Hill is also easily accessible via the M101, M102 and M103 buses.
Curry Hill is also home to a handful of Indian stores that supply nearly every ingredient needed to create a home-cooked desi meal.It's a low-key destination, drawing many New Yorkers of Indian descent as well the young and chic of all ethnicities and races. The fare is affordable and the ambiance is friendly. The marker of Curry Hill is the many cabs parked along the street. The Indian cab drivers are either stopping for a meal or swapping out their cab with another driver.
There is no real or existing account of why or how the area around Murray Hill became Curry Hill. Some date it back to the 1980's when "Curry in a Hurry," the first Indian steam-table type restaurant, opened in this neighborhood. |
