A low-built, sometimes seedy grid of tenements, rowhouses and warehouses, Chelsea lies between 14th and 23rd streets to the west of Broadway. It's here that the neighborhood has become a commercial player, mostly boosted by spillover from SoHo and the Village and the arrival of affluent gay and artistic communities. These days, trendy stores, chichi restaurants and a few notable tourist attractions pepper the scene, along with increasingly upmarket real estate.

If you do come and you want to stay, try to make the Chelsea Hotel your home, and don't forget to check out the cutting-edge, top-quality Chelsea art scene . Chelsea can be reached by taking the #1 to 18th or 23rd in Broadway, or by taking the #C or #E to 23rd and Eighth Avenue.