Neighborhood Spotlight: Chelsea

One of New York’s most iconic neighborhoods — famous for being a welcome place for everybody from Mark Twain to Patti Smith — is as much an incubator for creative art as it is for fabulous, niche cuisine. Wide, tree-lined streets that hug the Hudson River harbor scores of tiny art galleries here, while also being eclectic counterparts to the institutions of uptown’s Museum Mile.

Welcome to Chelsea, NYC. (Photo Credit: Madison Olling)

Whether you’re visiting Chelsea and are wanting do a world-class art walk or are seeking some of the world’s most fabulous, iconic menus, this downtown hub of New York City should absolutely be your go-to when visiting the city that never sleeps.

A High Line Runs Through It

Nothing tops a sunny day stroll on the High Line in New York City. This elevated public park used to be a freight rail for transporting goods throughout the city, but by 1980, trucks had replaced all of the trains.

When in Chelsea, a stroll along the High Line is a must. (Photo Credit: Filip Mishevski)

The architecture is as stunning as the greenery. (Photo Credit: Zoshua Colah)

Now, a dynamic walkway replete with lush plants — and the occasional spontaneous opera performance or jazz trio — populates the High Line in Chelsea. You can even grab a nibble to go with your panoramic view of the Hudson, adding to the unexpected flavor and fun popsicles and empanadas that are often on hand — literally — at the start of the walkway.

The Art and Soul of Chelsea

After you’ve walked the High Line, head south towards the art district, in what was once dubbed the “True Chelsea” neighborhood. From 27th Street and all the way to 21st between 10th and 11th Avenue, there is a high concentration of truly fabulous art galleries.

The Gagosian Galleries, located on 21^st and 24^th Streets, were once one of the biggest dealers in the business where Larry Gagosian featured the steel hulks of Richard Serra and where the pop-art worlds of Roy Lichtenstein were on full display.

The neighborhood is known for its fabulous art galleries. (Photo Credit: Toa Heftiba)

Over at David Zwirner, art is often seen as an immersive experience. The gallery has hosted Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s Mirrored Room, a reflective room filled with one hundred flickering, multicolored LED lights, and Obliteration Room, where visitors were given a sheet of dot stickers and told to affix them anywhere in the “house,” a white room with furniture and appliances.

And then there’s the new Whitney Museum — its recent move from the Upper East Side to Chelsea won the neighborhood major wold art points. Within the Renzo Piano-designed spaceship-like building are six floors of gallery space, a café and rooftop. You could make a whole day of it and still need to return — there are 22,000 works, spanning from Edward Hopper’s iconic A Woman in the Sun to Charles to Georgia O’Keeffe’s 1929 masterpiece Music, Pink and Blue No. 2.

The Chelsea Market

Originally a Nabisco factory, the Chelsea Market is today one of the most famous indoor food halls in the world, with more than thirty-five vendors selling everything from accessories to lobster rolls — you can even get a haircut here.

The Chelsea Market is one of the city’s most famous food halls. (Photo Credit: Claudio Schwar)

We promise you will not leave hungry. (Photo Credit: Crystal Jo)

Our favorites are fresh pâtisserie at ALF Bakery, grilled cheeses and decadent milkshakes at Creamline, Sarabeth’s Bakery for cupcakes, and oysters at Cull & Pistol. Cull also makes a mean lobster roll, though so does competition The Lobster Place — you be the judge.

Oh, and don’t sleep on the tahini ice cream and cakes at Seed + Mill — they’re worth it.

When in Chelsea, you can rest easy at Kimpton Hotel Eventi. (Photo Credit: @ayasi.studio)

The hotel is itself a work of art. (Photo Credit: @amuneal)

Where to stay: Fresh from a multi-million dollar renovation, Chelsea’s first luxury hotel, Kimpton Hotel Eventi, now has a sleek black steel façade, modernized lobby, and three buzzed-about restaurants. Reflective of its artsy neighborhood, pieces curated by the illustrious likes of Kwangho Lee, Ernesto Leal, and Alex Katz, don the walls — Kimpton Hotel Eventi could be considered its own work of art.