Restaurant Row can look forward to some TLC in the next few months, according to the Wall St Journal. New lit-​up kiosks will be installed at either end of the stretch of W 46^th St, forming an entranceway of sorts to the strip between 8^th and 9^th Ave ends, in an effort to bring in some of the heavy foot traffic along the surrounding avenues and amplify the street’s individual identity.

Here’s a rendering of what we’ve got to look forward to:

According to the article, the kiosks are intended to fit in with the atmosphere of the street rather than blind visitors, and are designed with a mix of retro and modern styles.

The kiosks are just the first of many plans to improve the area. Another idea includes painting the Row’s name on some of the walls surrounding the parking lot halfway down the block, along with the tagline “Where the world comes to dine”. We’ll withhold judgement until we see it.

The tenants of Restaurant Row have always been a very close-​knit group, coming together to help further the strip. Back in the late-80’s, they came together to enlist the red-​beret-​touting Guardian Angels to push back against the crack trade increase and general sketchyness on the street as the NY Times reported, which apparently worked out well.

Read the full article for more about the kiosks plan. Be warned, it’s behind a paywall, so try clicking the first result here to get around it if you can’t get the article. There’s also an interesting and very detailed article about the Row on Untapped Cities, so give that a read too if you’re still itching for more.