Chelsea - Manhattan
Although Chelsea is a little more commercial than its neighbors in the West Village, with Old Navy and other chains making headway on the eastern edge of this neighborhood, it still has its fair share of artists and hipsters haunting its addresses. William Burroughs crashed here after a trip to Europe and British beauty Lillie Langtry lived at 361 East 23rd from 1886 until 1890 (but the pad isn't up for tours so don't bother asking). And, of course, there is the supposed "double suicide" of Sid Vicious and his wife at the Hotel Chelsea. Chelsea is just as diverse as Greenwich prides itself on being so, but it has a much more laid back feel to it. You don't have to prove how cool you are to live in Chelsea.
Chelsea is full of charming townhouses that are always being renovated into more and more living spaces and have been since the 1960s and 1970s. There's tons of hope for this to be the next great space, as construction of hundreds of apartments have recently been built plus many more are currently underway. Expect prices to continue increasing.
Chelsea may be most famous for Chelsea Piers, which used to be the hub for all ships coming into and out of New York City, but is now a super complex of sports facilities complete with golf club and sky rink. The piers opened 1910 but have changed its purpose over the years. It first started an upscale passenger ship terminal, then as a point of deportation for soldiers of World War II. In the 50s and 60s it acted as a cargo terminal until falling into complete neglect in the 70s and 80s. The details of its history are more interesting: The Titanic was supposed to dock here on April 16, 1912; instead, The Carpathia arrived in its place on April 20, short 1,525 passengers. In the early days, around 1910 when it first opened, ships took immigrant passengers to the piers before putting them on ferries to Ellis Island. And in July 1936 the US Olympic team left from the pier for Berlin and returned weeks later victorious-with Jesse Owens and his four gold medals, among other champions.
The mega-sportsplex that Chelsea Piers is, this is still the only neighborhood we know of where a guy can get his hair cut at the gas station-The Station, on Eighth Avenue between 16th and 17th. One of the biggest bonuses to Chelsea - Krispy Kreme on 23rd at Eighth Avenue.
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