We’re going to take a walk in Chelsea, one of the nicest neighborhoods of Manhattan.
It's primarily residential place for local people rather than for tourists, which makes
it all that much more attractive for the inquisitive visitor to go explore -- you'll find a mix
of quiet side streets and busy retail avenues..
Chelsea's located between 14th St. and 34th St., between the Hudson River and about 6th
Avenue, just about 1 mile south of Times Square, which puts it pretty close to Midtown and
yet it is a world apart.
Its main characteristic are the many streets of residential row houses, a very exclusive
enclave.20 years ago there was nothing particularly exciting about the neighborhood.
It was always a nice residential zone, but in recent decades things have gotten a lot
more interesting with the introduction of hundreds of art galleries and the High Line,
an elevated park along what had been a railroad viaduct.
The High Line has become one of the most popular attractions in New York City -- it's amazing.
Originally it was planned as a neighborhood park because Chelsea doesn't have much in
the way of parks, and now it attracts visitors from all over the world.
And New Yorkers love it as well.
We will take you on a walk from start to finish later in the program, a mile and a half from
the Whitney Museum up to Hudson Yards.
First let's walk along a little bit more in these quiet side streets in the busy commercial
avenues.
You'll find the bicycle rental stands all over Manhattan and they’re popular here
in Chelsea with some lanes devoted to bicycles.
Eighth Avenue is one of the main commercial and retail thoroughfares here, it's almost
like the village center with a nice variety of shops, mostly independent and some chain
stores are found here.
Restaurants and delis with a variety of foods in a nice price range that cater to all income
levels, because while this is an expensive neighborhood with mostly high-end residences,
and tourists always coming through looking for bargains, there are also many long-term
residents, some of them living in rent-controlled and rent-subsidized apartments.
People generally seem to be happy and friendly around here.
They’re in a good mood, they're very grateful to be living in such an excellent neighborhood,
no doubt.
There's something quite stimulating about being surrounded by such interesting range
of commercial activities and especially when you can retreat to your quiet tree-lined residential
street in your comfortable rowhouse -- there is a calm feeling here of a stable neighborhood.
Taking the dog for a walk in a place like this often leads to friendly interactions
with your neighbors, conversations with strangers even -- it helps tie the block together.
This friendly casual feeling really gets a chance to breathe and express itself with
all of these outdoor restaurants -- it's almost like being at a party where everybody is welcome
to join in.
A local recommended Don Giovanni Ristorante which turned out to have some excellent foods.
Their website says “we have proudly watched our neighborhood develop around us from a
barren area to a now thriving scene.”
They're in business for 20 years, on 10th Ave.
at 22nd St.
We've been focusing here on the central part of Chelsea between 8th Avenue and 10th Ave.
and from 19th St. up to about 22nd St. There's a lot more to the neighborhood of course but
this central area is a good place to explore if you have somewhat limited time.
This neighborhood would also be a good place for a visitor to stay for a few days -- there
are some small hotels and over 300 AirB&Bs available.
Don't wait too long because this is a neighborhood in transition.
There's some construction going on, there's some conversion of buildings to condominiums.
For example, this General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church had to convert one
of their buildings to luxury condominiums to rescue their financial plan.
It's the oldest Episcopal seminary in the country, with the first buildings constructed
in 1836.
One of the neighborhood's favorite restaurants is the Red Cat, but you better make a reservation
if you hope to get space in this popular place.
Of course there are dozens of restaurants that reflect the ethnic diversity of the area's
population, which is also noted for its social diversity and inclusion with its large gay
population, along with those multimillionaire bankers and their posh apartments, and Latinos
and recent immigrants -- casual burger joints with beer on tap, and the action goes well
into the evening.
The art gallery scene has been thriving for a decade ever since the rents in SoHo and
the Village skyrocketed.
Artists and their dealers have settled in.
Check the newspaper for schedule of art openings.
You'll find that time passes very quickly when you're wandering around in Chelsea because
there's just one block after another with endlessly fascinating things to see.
Night has fallen before we even got to the Highline.
The elevated park has good lighting and you can walk it at night but we will save it for
the daytime.
We'll take you back the next day and walk the High Line from one end to the other, starting
at the south end near the Whitney Museum, below 14th St., and continuing North 23 blocks
to 34th St. and the Hudson Yard terminus.
At the south end at Gansevoort Street you clearly see the elevated structure beginning,
where a gentle staircase leads you up into another world, an elevated park that lets
you glide over the city.
Looking down at it from the Whitney Museum you can see how it goes underneath the first
high-rise building, that's the Standard Hotel, constructed over the Highline.
Continuing under another building the former Nabisco factory now converted into the Chelsea
Food Market.
Futuristic buildings, such as Barry Diller's headquarters designed by Frank Gehry, contrast
with the older side of Chelsea, such as looking back at this Episcopal seminary we saw earlier
in our walking tour at street level.
There are some vantage points where you can look back at the elevated structure itself,
next to this automobile elevator storage system.
Looking back you can clearly see the massive steel viaduct.
It was for freight trains that delivered cargo to the warehouses and factories of this once
heavily-industrialized neighborhood of the West Side.
This is one of the 10 staircases that provide entrance to the High Line and half of those
have elevator access for wheelchairs and strollers.
These entrances provide a physical and symbolic transition from the urban to the rural.
Up here you feel like you're out in a country meadow.
It's magical to be walking through a garden and yet with city views such as looking towards
the Chelsea Piers along the Hudson River.
People-watching is always part of the fun, like viewing a piece of theater starring a
diverse range of players in a drama.
The park attracts the full range of age, ethnic and income, enjoyed by all.
There are many places to sit down and relax ranging from benches to multilevel terrace
steps, or just sit on the grass.
You're welcome to bring your own food and sit down and have a picnic, and there's also
food available for sale in some parts in most of the year.
It's open year-round with plants and landscaping designed to show the entire cycle of the year.
In the winter it's brown, and flowers in spring and summer, and then fall colors.
While it might look natural it was all carefully planned especially under the guidance of the
Dutch garden designer, Piet Oudolf.
This part was photographed during May and coming up soon you'll see the brown vegetation
of a February winter.
With staircase entrances about every three blocks it's possible to just walk along a
short section of the High Line if that's all you got time for.
Or, as we’re doing, walk the entire 1 1/2 mile length -- you'll find that's quite rewarding.
Creation and maintenance of this park involved a lot of effort by many people starting with
Robert Hammond and Joshua David who were the cofounders of the movement to save the High
Line.
In 1999 they created Friends of the High Line, an organization that is still responsible
for operating and maintaining -- and they have an excellent website.
Two other important players were Barry Diller and his wife Diane von Furstenberg, who were
the first financial backers and drummed up public support, with eventually 10,000 people
contributing.
Then-Mayor Bloomberg was also instrumental in getting the political machinery to make
it happen.
We've already arrived at the end of the line at Hudson Yards where a massive new development
is going to build 18 high-rises and create a new city in town.
The High Line is credited with stimulating similar urban revitalizations throughout its
entire length.
Fortunately, this subway station opened in 2015, and it's great because you get from
the end of the High Line right to Times Square, nonstop in a few minutes on this new line
that was created at a cost of over $2 billion.
This makes it quite easy for you to walk the entire length of the High Line and get back
to your hotel quickly.
You'll find the High Line is one of New York's most magical experiences, a soothing contrast
to the hustle and bustle, and to the exciting and yet chaotic energy of Midtown Manhattan.
For a longer movie about the high line I recommend the highline movie on the Great Museums website,
narrated by Susan Sarandon.
You'll really enjoy it.
And we have more movies about New York that you can find in our collection.