Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
students catch some rays and friends meet 'under the arch,' the renovated landmark on
the park's northern edge, designed in 1889 by society architect Stanford White. Dominat-
ing a huge swath of property in the middle of the Village, New York University, one of
the largest in the country, defines the area around the park and beyond, architecturally
and demographically.
Christopher Street Piers/Hudson River Park
PIER, PARK
(Christopher St & West Side Hwy; 1 to Christopher St-Sheridan Sq)
Like so many places in
the Village, the extreme west side was once a derelict eyesore used mostly as a cruising
ground for quick, anonymous sex. Now it's a pretty waterside hangout, bisected by the
Hudson River Park's slender bike and jogging paths. It's still a place to cruise, just much
less dangerous.
Sheridan Square & Around
NEIGHBORHOOD
(Christopher St & Seventh Ave; 1 to Christopher St-Sheridan Sq)
, a small, triangular park
where life-sized white statues by George Segal honor the gay community and gay pride
movement that began in the nearby renovated
Stonewall Inn
, sitting just across the street
from the square. A block further east, an appropriately bent street is officially named Gay
St. Although gay social scenes have in many ways moved further uptown to Chelsea,
Christopher Street
is still the center of gay life in the Village.
Meatpacking District
Nestled between the far West Village and the southern border of Chelsea is the gentrified
and now inappropriately named Meatpacking District. The neighborhood was once home
to 250 slaughterhouses and was best known for its groups of tranny hookers, racy S&M
sex clubs and, of course, its sides of beef. These days the hugely popular High Line park
has only intensified an ever-increasing proliferation of trendy wine bars, eateries,
nightclubs, high-end designer clothing stores, chic hotels and high-rent condos.
The High Line
OUTDOORS
( 212-500-6035;
www.thehighline.org
; Gansevoort St; 7am-7pm; M11 to Washington St;
M11, M14 to 9th Ave M23, M34 to 10th Ave, L or A/C/E to 14th St-8th Ave, C/E to 23rd St-8th Ave)
With the completion of the High Line, a 30ft-high abandoned stretch of elevated
