Things to do in Chelsea 

What better way to kick off your Chelsea adventure than with a wander among the lanes of Chelsea Market, filling your bag with bagels and your face with falafel? If you ask us, there really is no superior intro to the city’s artsiest neighborhood than eyeballing gallery-worthy patisserie windows, artisan confections, and looks-good-enough-to eat handmade jewelry.

Housed in the former National Biscuit Company factory building (where the Oreo cookie was created, fact fans), Chelsea Market is part food court, part shopping bazaar, and 100% New York. It’s worth visiting for the food alone: an absolute  extravaganza for the senses, the market hosts some 30+ vendors, each conjuring up the kind of dreamy culinary delights that will have you quietly loosening your belt a notch (or two) if you hang around too long. We’re talking tempting tacos, big ol’ bagels, discus-sized donuts, lush lobster rolls, and currywurst hot off the grill, to name just a few. And don’t skip the legendary chocolate chip cookies from Fat Witch Bakery. 

But of course Chelsea Market isn’t purely about eating. Curious shoppers will also find everything from vintage books and handmade jewelry to fresh flowers and unusual spices – plenty, in other words, to fill a whole morning.

Ready for a walk with a difference? From Chelsea Market, it’s just a hop and a skip to the High Line’s nearest entrance point. Grab a picnic of artisan breads, cheeses and charcuterie and climb the steps up to this former railtrack. Now a public park, this elevated urban greenway cuts a swathe along Manhattan’s West Side, weaving its way from the Meatpacking District up through the heart of Chelsea and into Hudson Yards.

There’s plenty to do along the High Line’s 1.5-mile length, too. Catch great views of the Hudson and shimmering Midtown Manhattan skyline, pause at colorful wildflower gardens that are alive with bees and butterflies in summer, and get your Insta on at the ever-rotating public art installations that punctuate the walk. There are also plenty of benches to be found in this verdant floating garden, each positioned to make the best of the city views. But this is also prime NYC people-watching territory, so grab a gelato, take a seat and settle in for the show.

Pro-tip: Go City’s NYC pass includes a handy guided tour of the High Line, starting at Chelsea Market, in case you like your walks peppered with a bit of lively narration.

Ok ok, so these two Hudson Yards titans aren’t strictly in Chelsea; they are, as we just said, in Hudson Yards. But allow us a little artistic licence would ya? We think they’re both good enough (and close enough) to merit a mention here. Plus you’ll find them right at the northern end of the High Line, which you’ve just walked along anyway, so…

At 1,100 feet above terra firma, Edge is the higher of these two observation platforms by quite some considerable margin (though admittedly it might not feel that way once you’ve tramped Vessel’s 2,500 stairs). Look up: that’s it jutting shard-like from the side of the soaring 30 Hudson Yards skyscraper. And yep, that’s a see-through floor, too. Suffice to say that the Western Hemisphere’s highest outdoor viewing platform ain’t for the faint of heart. 

And nor is Vessel for the weak of glute. This wild, copper honeycomb structure has about a mile of steps to climb, but rewards those fit enough to make the ascent with ever-changing views of Hudson Yards from around 80 different platforms.

We’re heading right down to the other end of the High Line now (just think of the steps you’re clocking up!), where the Whitney Museum of American Art gleams like a bedazzling Renzo Piano-designed jewel. That’s probably because it is a bedazzling Renzo-Piano-designed jewel, all sugar-white facades, tumbling terraces and beautifully lit open gallery spaces. Step inside to explore a veritable who’s who of American art, including – with more than 3,000 pieces – the largest collection of Edward Hopper’s work on the planet, including masterpieces like Early Sunday Morning and Second Story Sunlight.

But there’s plenty more eye candy to explore besides Hopper, with landmark works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alice Neel, Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol and more, plus plenty of talented up-and-comers; the superstars of tomorrow, if you will.

Step straight from the galleries onto the outdoor terraces for a breath of fresh air and Insta-ready skyline snaps that take in the Hudson and the High Line. 

Sure, the Whitney might be the jewel in Chelsea’s arty crown, but there are plenty more galleries for all you art lovers out there to ogle. Around 300 in fact, depending who you ask.

After all, Chelsea is New York’s gallery capital, with spaces showcasing anything from contemporary painting to sound installations and bleeding-edge experimental performance art. Best of all, you’ll rarely have to walk too far to discover something that fits your vibe – most galleries are clustered between 10th and 11th Avenues, making it easy to hop from one to the next, catching bold video art and pop-up sculpture gardens without having to revert to tedious subway rides. But you’ll also find some of the bigger names, like Gagosian and David Zwirner, with their museum-quality shows between West 19th and 24th Street.

The High Line ain’t the only cool green oasis in this part of town, no siree Bob. Perched high above the Hudson River between Pier 57 and the Gansevoort Peninsula, Little Island looks like something from an 80s sci-fi movie. Designed to look like a cluster of rolling green hills supported on tulip-shaped pillars, its 2.4-acre expanse stitches gardens, performance spaces, walking trails and widescreen river vistas into one playful patchwork.

You remembered to grab a picnic from our old pal the Chelsea Market, right? Great! Then pick a spot on the lawns and munch on pastry after delectable pastry as the ferries drift by below. Suitably fortified, stroll the wildflower gardens and settle in for a show at the 700-seater Little Island Amphitheater (aka The Amph), which hosts music, dance, theater and fun family shows throughout summer.

Fancy something a little more… active? Chelsea Piers is the luxe sports and recreation utopia you didn’t know you needed, and you’ll find it just a short way north of Little Island, along the Hudson River Parkway, on Manhattan’s west edge. This sprawling complex straddles several piers and covers a broad range of activities, from rock climbing to figure skating.  

Highlights include a bustling bowling alley, batting cages, and even a year-round indoor ice-skating rink. But it’s the Golf Club’s epic two-tiered driving range that makes our hearts sing (and our golf clubs swing). Not just any old driving range, this one comes complete with splendid views of the city skyline.

Chill, chip and swing against that Big Apple backdrop? There’s surely no better way to spend a sunny New York afternoon.

Surely the most fashionable museum in NYC, the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (or the Museum at FIT if you want to save yourself five minutes saying the whole name) is the only gallery in town that’s dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion (or ‘F’, if you will). Tucked away inside the famed FIT campus on W 27th, it’s home to a collection of more than 50,000 pieces, with some dating as far back as the 5th century. And you thought the 1990s was outdated!

Expect exhibitions that celebrate clothing as creative expression. From avant-garde couture gowns to sneaker culture, pop-culture icons and 18th-century corsetry, the rotating displays always have a story to tell. Immersive installations, interactive features and videos encourage visitors to dig deeper or simply revel in the glamor of it all;  special programs, talks and signings with leading designers are also de rigueur here.