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Let’s cover the NYC Chelsea neighborhood in the ‘evening guide’ today! Chelsea is in West Manhattan and known for its river-front bars, rooftops, and parks.
As a reminder, this in no way is a comprehensive guide of all the places to visit or things to do but only a recommendation to spend a fun evening with your friends or loved ones.
NYC Chelsea – Neighborhood
Chelsea boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 34th Street to the north, the Seventh Avenue to the east, and the Hudson River to the west. Chelsea is known for its art, nightlife, and food. It’s very easily accessible through multiple modes of transport.
Evening Guide
NYC Chelsea is a huge neighborhood in west Manhattan with tonnes of places and food options. I will be listing my absolute favorites below but I realize that a huge list of ‘to do’ can be overwhelming. So, I am also listing a step-by-step evening guide in Chelsea which will help you have the best experience. As such, you can either plan your own day or follow the guide provided – it’s totally up to you! Sounds good? Let’s get started.
Things to do
As mentioned above, there are loads of things to do in Chelsea including a lot of art galleries (around 350 of them), parks, and attractions. Art galleries aren’t really my thing so if you’re interested in the art galleries, Carol has done a great post about them here – take a look.
Below are my absolute favorites in Chelsea:
The Highline Park
Highline Park is one of my favorite spots in NYC and not just Chelsea. Highline is an elevated park, 30 feet above the road, running parallel to the Hudson river providing amazing cityscape. Why is the park elevated? They have redeveloped an old-freight railway line into a park with multiple entrances.
My favorite spot is the frame overlooking Manhattan street located above 26th street. It makes for a great Instagram opportunity! There are more photo-ops spread throughout Highline such as the Zaha Hadid building above 28th street or the LOVE sign near it.
Highline Park is a great spot to visit throughout the year which is frequented by tourists and the locals alike.
The Vessel and the Hudson Yard Mall
The newest addition to NYC Chelsea attractions is the honey-comb shaped, shawarma spit – the Vessel. The Vessel is a fun, free thing to do with friends and provides ample photo opportunities as seen on this Insta page. The entry to the Vessel is free but the ticket needs to be reserved in advance on their website linked here.
The Hudson Yard Mall is also a great way to spend time shopping or eating. If shopping is not your thing, you can visit The Shed which is an art gallery exhibiting art from different streams and artists.
Chelsea Pier
Chelsea Piers is well known for its corporate events. So what’s there for you? It offers tonnes of fun activities for everyone such as golf drives, foam pits, and bowling. These activities are usually required to be reserved in advance. I mean, come on, it’s New York. Anything and everything you do, needs to be reserved in advance but that doesn’t stop you from having fun, right? So if any of the activities detailed here interests you, go ahead!
Sleep No More @ McKittrick Hotel
Sleep No More is an immersive telling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. So what’s so special about it, you ask? It does not have a stage or chair. You walk through various acts as you like it which makes the whole experience personal for everyone. So put on a pair of good shoes, a mask (which they provide), and enjoy the experience! Again, ticket reservations will be required and here are some additional tips from Playbill. I would absolutely recommend this!
Pro tip: Gallow Green (read below in Drinks section) is above the Sleep No More stage, so you should definitely plan to get a drink there before or after. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Moving on!
Food
It’s New York City and you will find the best restaurants serving your favorite cuisines at every block and Chelsea is no exception. Here are some of them:
Chelsea Market
Chelsea Market is a bohemian food and shopping mall with a lot of various local products. It has a lot of food options but my absolute favorite is Los Tacos No. 1. If taco ain’t your thing, Chelsea Market has something for everyone! A great spot for a quick bite.
aRoqa
ARoqa is a contemporary restaurant serving Indian food and innovative cocktails with an Indian twist. I absolutely love this place in Chelsea and would definitely recommend their kulchas!
Buddakan
Buddakan is a lavish restaurant serving an Asian fare and amazing cocktails. It is quite famous for its decor and dim-sums. However, it is a bit on the expensive side of things but worth it if you like such dinner places.
Drinks
Now let’s talk about my favorite part about New York City – alcohol. Chelsea offers a wide selection of bars, speakeasies, and rooftops. Here are my favorites ones to spend your evening in Chelsea:
Le Bain
Le Bain is my favorite rooftop in New York City and not just Chelsea. Period.
Le Bain is a rooftop lounge with a club, indoor pool, and breathtaking views of the Hudson and Downtown New York while providing delicious cocktails.
Try getting there in the evening to view the sunset while sipping on your cocktail. The queue is shorter as well.
Frying Pan (only during summer)
Frying Pan is a bar on a boat on the Hudson. Another one of my favorite bars in New York City. It’s only open for summer, so I would highly recommend going here for sundown.
I know… I know, I just said go to Le Bain for sunset. But if there is a bar for which you can skip Le Bain, it is Frying Pan! Get a beer or a pitcher of sangria and a portion of their Parmesan garlic fries and you’re set for the evening.
Gallow Green
Two of my top five rooftop bars are situated in Chelsea. Gallow Green is an amazing theme-based rooftop bar above the McKittrick Hotel. During summers, Gallow Green is a rooftop garden and during winters, they convert it into a cinnamon smelling wood cabin. Pretty neat!
Bathtub Gin
Bathtub Gin is a Chelsea based speakeasy offering gin-based cocktails. They literally have a bathtub in the center of the bar. Bathtub Gin has jazz and burlesque nights which are super fun!
Porchlight
Porchlight, visioned by Mark Maynard, is a Southern-themed bar offering creative cocktails and amazing food. Definitely try their Old Fashioned.
Step-by-step Evening Guide
So you’ve made it to the very end and read all the options that are available in Chelsea. You have some idea of what you want to do but are curious as to how will you cover so many things in a day. I’ve got you fam! So here is the quick step-by-step New York City’s Chelsea guide below-
A. Start at Chelsea Market for lunch
B. Walk over to the Highline Park (1-minute walk)
C. Walk the Highline Park towards the Vessel (40 minutes walk). Assuming you will take photos, sit, and in general, enjoy the park, it should take you around an hour and a half
D. Visit the Vessel and the Hudson Yard
E. Walk towards the Frying Pan (if its summer; approximately 15-minute walk). If not, you can spend time in the Hudson Yard Mall or the Shed
F. Get a drink or two at Frying Pan, eat something, and then walk towards the McKittrick Hotel for Sleep No More
G. After the show grab a drink at the Gallow Green
H. Take a cab to Le Bain to end the night
After the show, you can also get a bite of the world-famous Artichoke pizza which is near to Le Bain.
As mentioned before, you will have to make appropriate reservations in advance to have the best experience.
If you enjoyed this New York City Chelsea guide, kindly check my other evening guides for other New York City neighborhoods – DUMBO and East Village! Or don’t? I mean, you definitely should but if not, it is still chill.
