The High Line, Chelsea Market + West Village

By Kate Riley September 10, 2013

Hey all, today I wanted to share a few snaps of my latest visit to New York City. I asked for suggestions and you all delivered! One of the most repeated recommendations was to walk the High Line and Chelsea Market, two places I hadn’t visited yet. Thank you! It was such a pleasure exploring these two (and the West Village) for an entire day.

I started at the northern end of the High Line at 30th Street and worked my way south to the end, and I definitely recommend this walk. The history of the High Line is so interesting, the unused railroad tracks were scheduled for demolition but together with the City of New York, a preservation society has reinvented the old train tracks and turned them into a park elevated above the city streets where visitors and locals stroll along or just hang out.

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 locals-hanging-out.jpg

high line sloped park bench

What’s cool is as you walk the mile long promenade you look down into the Meatpacking and Chelsea neighborhoods and you’ll see modern street art and sculpture with views to the Hudson River and Chelsea Piers.

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At the end I doubled back and headed to Chelsea Market, an indoor bazaar that combines eateries, gourmet purveyors, specialty home shops, pop up shops with designer sample sales, and an Anthropologie! Browsing it makes for a great afternoon stroll but come hungry. (The vibe reminded me a lot of the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace.)

chelsea market

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pop up shop

spices and tease shop

outside chelsea market

I also strolled around the West Village for a few hours, it’s one of my favorite places to be in NYC, I love the shops, cafes, and neighborhoods, it’s quieter here than busy uptown, midtown, or the financial district.

west village houses

jimmy choo west village

west village brick townhouse

west village fountain

I stopped into my favorite place for vintage glass The End of History on Hudson Street and bought myself a small gold and white vase, you’ll see it somewhere in my house soon!

the end of history

white and gold vintage ceramics end of history

end of history vintage glass blues greens

vintage glass nyc

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A few other worthy adventures I’d recommend based on our recent visit!

– Rent bikes on the street and take a ride through a park or neighborhood, we took a leisurely ride through Central Park and it was fantastic. Citibikes are all over the city and you can easily rent them for a day.

citibikes in west village

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– Look up NYC Street Fairs for the schedule and find out where they’re happening across the city, they’re worth a visit for discount shopping and quick bites.

street fair handbags

street fair gyros

street fair rugs

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– Take a stroll through Chinatown and the local Columbus Park where the community gathers on weekends to play games and music, it’s a great cultural scene.

chinatown game

 

– Shop till you drop in SoHo for clothing, shoes, or home decor (it’s also where I spied this cool staircase) and then walk a few blocks over to Little Italy to dine at one of the many cafes.

opening ceremony staircase soho

little italy

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– Go to a show! We went to Sleep No More after reading a few reviews because it sounded so intriguing. It was definitely a different kind of theater experience, but we did have a great time. I won’t spoil it for any of you but I can only describe it as “Hitchcock directing a film noir version of Macbeth in a haunted hotel with a 1920′s jazz club”.

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– Walk or bike across the Brooklyn Bridge for great views which we did. One reader recommended the River Cafe underneath with view of Manhattan, and of course many of you recommended many stops in Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Flea! (It’s at the top of our list for our next visit.)

brooklyn bridge

Thank you so much for your recommendations, it was a great trip and I can’t wait to come back soon. I have dreams of living in NYC someday even if just for a month or two, the energy, the people, the food, and the activities keep me longing to return.

While on the topic of New York City, I recognize that tomorrow is September 11th which is always a hard day and one of remembrance. I’ve written about where I was on that day and last year shared a few images and reflections of 1 WTC. May we never forget.

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23 comments

  1. Great pictures! I LOVE this part of the city! I love all the cool little shops and restaurants in the West Village, and LOVE Chelsea Market! And the High Line is one of the coolest urban parks I’ve ever seen! Loved all your pictures :)

  2. Great photos! So glad you had a nice trip. I work right across the street from Chelsea Market… the homemade ice cream sandwiches from the milk bar are my FAVE!!

    P.S. — I’ve been a follower of your for a while, but I rarely comment. I just can’t help but talk about ice cream and sweets though. ;)

  3. New York City is my favorite city in the whole wide world. The Highline is a fantastic addition to the City and wonderful place of respite, to slow down and enjoy the nature and what the City has done with those old, historical railroad tracks. I love the Chelsea Market, too many goodies to consume in one visit, and the West Village, wouldn’t you just love to live in one of those brownstones, even for just a little while? Thanks for sharing your great pics – I can’t wait to go back.

  4. I enjoyed reading about your trip to NYC. Wish it wasnt so far from SF–Such a fab city. I really want to check out the High Line next time I go.

  5. I keep meaning to walk the highline every time we go back to the city and we never get around to it, amidst all the other things we do. But wow did your pics convince me! And now I absolutely must stop at the Chelsea Market too. I miss nyc so much, particularly today (9/11). Thank you for remembering that in your post.

    I have mixed feelings about the walkers on the Brooklyn bridge. I used to run it during lunchtime when I worked down there, and it drove me crazy the way tourists (mostly) ignored the lanes and wandered around 6 abreast across. But, such is NYC. We all managed to find room. Thanks for such a fun post.

  6. I loved seeing all the interesting places that you visited on your visit to NYC. I live outside the city and need to go in more often. Your photos look like something out of National Geographic. You clearly have an artist’s eye for the composition of each pic, they are vibrant and alive. They capture the mood and really tell a story. My goal this fall is to improve the quality of my photos as I am often disappointed when I return home and look through my shots after a trip. Would you share a little about how you achieve such wonderful photos? What kind of camera and lenses do you use? Do you take lots of photos of each potential subject in order to get the perfect shop? Do you crop and/or use photo-editing software to improve the final shots?

    I look forward to your daily blogs. Keep them coming!

    • Great idea for a post Sandy, I’ll work something up for next week!
      And thanks for the kind compliment. :)

  7. Thanks for the NYC shopping scoop! Having just moved to about an hour outside of NYC, I’m loving exploring all that the city has to offer and you gave me some new spots to hit. How have I never been to Chelsea Market?? I even think it will be an easy bribe for getting my family to go shopping there given the unbelievable looking food and treats!!

  8. You definitely hit some great spots. Glad you had fun. I lived in Brooklyn for a while; I love that bridge. I lost all the extra weight from my first pregnancy walking from Brooklyn to the city and back on that bridge.

  9. Beautiful! I really appreciate all the time and effort you put into your postings. I look forward everyday to reading your blog. When do you sleep?

  10. Looks like you got a bunch done in one day and what a cool way to see NY. Thank you for sharing your adventure and it makes me want to go there today to see it all.

  11. We recently did a family vacation to NYC and also did several of the things you mentioned in your post. By far my favorite was walking the High Line, an amazing transformation of a former eyesore. We also really enjoyed walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Who knew one could have so much fun in NYC for free???!!!

  12. Wasn’t Sleep No More crazy! I’ve been telling my story from that night for months! One of the scariest/coolest experiences ever, but I liken it to a Stanley Kubrik haunted house. Maybe a Hitchock-Kubrik description fits the best?!

  13. I’ve lived on Long Island my whole life, worked in Manhattan for almost 10 years, and I’ve never been to any of those places. Shame on me! I think it’s time to start exploring my favorite city. Thanks for the inspiration. :)

  14. While I’m now a Napa resident, NY is my hometown, and I got engaged on the Highline :) Love that spot.

    • Wow great place for a proposal Kristen, but nice to have you as a “neighbor” ;)

  15. Wonderful photos and blog; I enjoyed it. My son is currently going to school in NYC so I’ve been heading up there more frequently the last couple years. :0) All those bike racks seemed to pop up over the summer.

  16. Peter Brown’s book The Curious Garden was inspired by the Highline park. It’s a great picture book. If I ever get to NYC I definitely want to walk the highline! And the Brooklyn Bridge. And. . . : )

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