Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bhutanese paintings, as well as ritual objects and dance masks from various Tibetan re-
gions, spanning from the 2nd to the 19th centuries.
Chelsea Piers Complex
SPORTS
( 212-336-6666;
www.chelseapiers.com
; Hudson River at end of W 23rd St; C/E to 23rd St)
A
waterfront sports center that caters to the athlete in everyone. It's got a four-level driving
range, indoor ice rink, jazzy bowling alley, Hoop City for basketball, a sailing school for
kids, batting cages, a huge gym, indoor rock-climbing walls - the works.
Flatiron District
(Broadway cnr Fifth Ave & 23rd St; N/R, 6 to 23rd St)
has a distinctive triangular shape to
match its site. New York's first iron-frame high-rise, and the world's tallest building until
1909. Its surrounding district is a fashionable area of boutiques, loft apartments and a
burgeoning high-tech corridor, the city's answer to Silicon Valley. Peaceful
Madison
Square Park
bordered by 23rd and 26th Sts, and Fifth and Madison Aves, has an active
dog run, rotating outdoor sculptures, shaded park benches and a popular burger joint.
(
www.museumofsex.com
;
233 Fifth Ave at 27th St; adult $17.50; 10am-8pm Sun-Thu, to 9pm Fri
& Sat; N/R to 23rd St)
, a somewhat intellectualized homage to intercourse. Only 18 and
over admitted.
Union Square
(
www.unionsquarenyc.org
; 17th St btwn Broadway & Park Ave S; L, N/Q/R/W, 4/5/6 to 14th St-
Union Sq)
rescues at least two of every kind from the curling seas of concrete. In fact, one
would be hard-pressed to find a more eclectic cross-section of locals gathered in one
public place. Here, amid the tapestry of stone steps and fenced-in foliage, it's not uncom-
mon to find denizens of every ilk: suited businessfolk gulping fresh air during their lunch
breaks, dreadlocked loiterers tapping beats on their tabla, skateboarding punks flipping
tricks on the southeastern stairs, rowdy college kids guzzling student-priced eats, and
throngs of protesting masses chanting fervently for various causes.
