2026 TDC Lettering Walk

Paul Shaw has been leading urban lettering walks since 2005. Along with over 50 walks covering all five boroughs of New York, he has also led walks in 13 other North American cities. Paul teaches the history of type at both the School of Visual arts and Parsons School of Design. With Patricia Childers, he organizes the bi-annual Legacy of Letters tour and letterpress workshop in Italy.

New York is an endlessly fascinating city to walk around and explore, especially if you love lettering and signage. And especially if you have a knowledgeable guide to point it all out! That’s why we are happy to once again bring back a popular aspect of previous Creative Weeks: the TDC Lettering Walk, courtesy of the Type Directors Club.

Our neighborhood, 'Hell's Kitchen,' in the Forties, between 11th Avenue and the North River, was terrorized by the Gophers, Smoky Row, and other gangs who were always getting into trouble. Our gang, and there were lots more like us, would go out on raids through the neighborhood and steal anything we could move; afterwards we would meet in some cellar or back-yard, eat whatever we could swallow, sell everything else to the junk man and then shoot crap for the money. It was a great life while it lasted." That was life in Hell's Kitchen in 1925. Since the 1990s the neighborhood, now also known as Clinton, has been gentrified and the gangs are long gone. So too are the crap games. But much of the architecture remains along with its lettering. Join design historian Paul Shaw on a walk to see the surviving lettering of Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood on the west side of midtown Manhattan.

Join us on Thursday, May 14 as Paul Shaw leads a TDC TYPE WALK of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood

Starting Location:  8th Avenue & 42nd Street, NW corner
Starting Time: 1:00 PM

NOTE: Tickets are non-refundable, but can be transferred in the event of any changes.

PACKAGE TICKETS & DISCOUNTS:
Members of The One Club for Creativity and TDC are eligible for discounts across Creative Week. You can login to your account at oneclub.org to reveal discounts.

CREATIVE WEEK: Designing Zohran for New York City is part of Creative Week 2026 — a weeklong celebration of global creativity bringing together students, educators, and professionals through award shows, daily programming, portfolio reviews, an executive conference, and more.