Manhattan's Chelsea Neighborhood
By Andrew Collins

As recently as the mid-1990s, relatively few visitors spent time in Chelsea, the neighborhood on Manhattan's west side between Midtown and Greenwich Village. Today, however, Chelsea abounds with gay bars, cool restaurants, diverting shops, avant-garde galleries, and an increasing number of hotels. It's become arguably the city's hottest destination for gay visitors, and a wonderful neighborhood to spend a weekend or short vacation.

This part of the city was developed in the 1830s by clergyman Clement Clark Moore, author of "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ("Twas the night before Christmas..."), whose family owned most of the area. Well into the mid-20th century, Chelsea was a drab, lower-income neighborhood where workers at nearby garment factories and river docks lived in cheap boardinghouses and rickety, airless tenements. But as gays began moving here in the '70s and '80s, gentrification gradually took hold. And in recent years, the neighborhood has developed cachet among both residents and visitors as one of the trendiest areas in the city as well as one of the nation's most dynamic gay communities.

Chelsea comprises roughly the blocks between 5th Avenue and the Hudson River, with 14th Street forming the neighborhood's southern boundary. Most locals consider 23rd Street to be its northern edge, but others argue the border extends as far north as 28th or even 32nd Street. For all practical purposes - particularly in terms of retail, dining, and clubbing - you'll find the most intriguing businesses between 14th and 23rd streets. And where gay-popular establishments are concerned, the main drag is 8th Avenue, with 7th Avenue a close runner-up. Additionally, 9th and 10th avenues have witnessed the tide of gentrification in recent years, particularly as top galleries have moved into the western reaches of Chelsea.

The neighborhood offers little in the way of attractions, unless, of course, you count shopping as a form of sightseeing. If you wander along West 20th through West 27th streets in the block west of 10th Avenue, you'll find storefront after storefront of cutting-edge art galleries - check out www.chelseaartgalleries.com for details on upcoming shows. Fans of dance should note two important neighborhood institutions: the art deco Joyce Theater, which hosts high-quality dance companies throughout the year, and the dramatic Dance Theater Workshop, around the corner, which also presents acclaimed concerts throughout the year. The neighborhood draws plenty of foodies to its Chelsea Market, a bustling concourse of gourmet food stalls in which you'll find tantalizing Thai food, savory soups, fine wines, heavenly baked goods, and lots more.
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