Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chelsea and Herald Square
A neighborhood
that has seen a great deal of change, Chelsea was
a quiet enclave of 19th-century brownstones that never made it as a
fashionable address. Now it is a hub for gay New Yorkers and center
for the city's avant-garde art galleries and nightclubs. Buildings along
6th Avenue are now occupied by superstores and discount outlets, and
to the west, Chelsea Piers has transformed the waterfront. Uptown,
the Garment District begins around 27th Street, with Herald Square
and Macy's at the heart of the city's busiest shopping area.
6th Avenue Shopping
This was once a popular district known as “Fashion Row”. The 1876 cast-iron facade
of the Hugh O'Neill Dry Goods Store at Nos. 655-71 exemplifies the era, when the ar-
rival of the 6th Avenue elevated line provided easy access to the area. As Manhattan's
commercial center moved northward, these cast-iron palaces were left deserted until
the 1990s, when they found new life as bargain fashion outlets and superstores.
• 6th Ave, 18th to 23rd Sts
