We all have paths that take us through our commutes and daily lives, and I’m particularly fond of the path that took me home from my retail store in Chelsea Market every evening for a year. Leaving the store, I would walk down Ninth Avenue which becomes Hudson and turn left on Bleecker Street, following it until I turned right on Mercer. It cuts through the south of Chelsea, through the Meatpacking District and down to the West Village into Soho. I became enamored with the variety these neighborhoods offer.
As I leave the Eleni’s store and Chelsea Market, the first visible business is a lumberyard, which begins the walk that is charmingly full of so many different sides of New York. Looking west, you can see the High Line running for several blocks, the defunct and beautifully rusted elevated train tracks. There is evidence of the recent transition of the Meatpacking ... [more]
Eleni Gianopulos, Eleni's.
Drive by
You're driving in the city? Quelle dommage. To avoid skyrocketing blood pressure, come expecting that cars will cut you off, that double parked vehicles dot every street, that pedestrians will wander heedlessly into your path, and that cabbies will veer across four lanes in ten meters to pick up a fare. If you expect it, it will come as no surprise when it happens. Driving in New York is doable, and it is made easier by knowing a few simple guidelines. First: no right on red. Hear that, New Jersey? Second, find the streets with lights in synch. On the west side, for instance, that's Amsterdam going north, and Columbus going south. Third, remember the highways: if you have to go from uptown to downtown--or vice versa--make your way to the FDR (on the east side) or the West Side highway. Even with traffic, it's usually faster than in the heart of the city. Fourth, 1010 AM: remember the ...