I've read The Westies by T.J. English which in my opinion is a great book. I was wondering if anyone had any info on the rest of the gang. Richie Ryan, Tommy Hess, Billie Beattie amongst others.

I read that book too, loved it. I wonder if any of them are still alive and active in their old neighborhood. I'd love to see T.J. English do a follow up in the form of a magazine piece, since I don't think there is enough out there for another book.

I doubt theres any of the old guys r active in the neighborhood that used to be called hells kitchen,its a pretty rich neighborhood now. Not really the type of envirment anymore that the irish mob used to thrive in.

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news...rticle-1.746970

Here is something from 16 years ago, in my area. But they weren't real westies.

I walked through the "high Line" in Hells Kitchen recently. It is astonishingly wealthy and luxurious. It is well beyond gentrified, it is an exclusive area now.

I don't get how an area like Hells Kitchen can completely change to an upscale neighborhood in only a few years.

It was really like 10 or 15 years and its not just hells kitchen, its pretty much all of manhattan. Brooklyn is changing very rapidly too.