Once a neighborhood full of slaughterhouses and factories, Manhattan’s Meatpacking District is now known for its high-end fashion stores, swanky bars and restaurants that are worth the wait for a table. Here’s what to see and do in the Meatpacking District.
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The High Line
Park
Little Island
Nothing encapsulates the rapid evolution of the Meatpacking District than the emergence from the Hudson of Little Island, a manmade park off Pier 55. This community space has regular performances, live music, food vendors and guided tours. Most New Yorkers however, will come here just to get away from the noise of the city and take in a green space purpose-built for the needs of modern living.
Chelsea Market
Market, Shopping Mall
Top restaurants, designer sample sales, glorious baked goods, imported home furnishings – you’ll find all of these and more at Chelsea Market. The space takes up an entire block in a former Nabisco warehouse and boasts over 35 food vendors, from plant-based Beyond Sushi to Num Pang – a Cambodian sandwich shop selling crispy baguettes overflowing with rainbow veggies. Chelsea Market also hosts numerous events, from mozzarella-stretching classes to wine-tasting workshops.
Whitney Museum of American Art
Building, Museum, Art Gallery
Conveniently situated right off the bottom of the High Line, the Whitney houses an unparalleled collection of work from living American artists. Try to catch the institution’s flagship exhibit, the Whitney Biennial, on display from May through September every two years. Billed as the longest-running survey of American art, it’s an invitational exhibit featuring works created in the preceding two years, with an emphasis on emerging talent. If your visit doesn’t coincide with the Biennial, then wander through the Whitney’s permanent collection, replete with works by artists Edward Hopper, Robert Rauschenberg and Alexander Calder.
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Gansevoort Market
Bakery, Market, American
Drinks at The Standard, High Line
Chain Hotel
The Standard’s High Line location has several distinct drinking options to suit every mood. For casual hangs and ping-pong, visit The Standard Biergarten – a sprawling outdoor German beer hall that’s encased in glass during the winter months to keep patrons warm. Feeling fancy? Book a table at the Top of the Standard – a bar on the 18th floor with 360-degree views of the city and a shimmering ceiling. For a super scene-y experience, dress up and head to Le Bain, the rooftop bar with live DJs and a plunge pool on the dance floor.
Ground Zero Museum Workshop
Museum
Gary Marlon Suson, the founder of the Ground Zero Museum Workshop, was the official photographer at Ground Zero for the FDNY Fire Unions, spending seven months at the site in the wake of the attack. The Ground Zero Museum Workshop brings to life the stories of the 9/11 rescue and recovery workers – many of whom now suffer from rare respiratory diseases – using non-graphic photography, audio and artefacts. As Suson wrote on the museum website: “I promise you that our Museum – which breaks the mold of any conventional Museum – will leave you with a greater understanding of the strength of the human spirit when faced with adversity.”
Sugar Factory
Brasserie, Restaurant, American, Pastries, Ice Cream, Dessert
Sugar Factory is known for its teeth-achingly sweet menu that’s totally over the top in the best way. First, there are the goblets – huge orbs of fruity, boozy cocktails garnished with exotic candies. Then there are the fan-favorite chocolate martinis, like the s’mores beverage with chunks of pillowy marshmallow and a graham cracker rim. Sugar Factory also dreams up extravagant food, including the mad donut or waffle burgers – an angus beef patty sandwiched between a glazed donut or vanilla bean Belgian waffles.
Samsung 837
Shop
There’s always something stimulating happening at Samsung 837, a technological showroom blending fashion, technology, sports and art in unexpected ways. Create and learn through various brand activations that showcase Samsung technology, and join special talks and workshops with experts in wellness, gaming, fitness, photography and more – all for free.
Bagatelle
Cafe, Restaurant, French
Bagatelle’s brunch parties have become legendary – champagne-saturated Saturdays with a live DJ that call to mind the glitzy French Riviera. Assemble your rowdiest friends and order a two-foot-long (0.6-meter) lobster roll; smoked salmon pizza with dill crème fraîche, capers and hackleback caviar; avocado tartine with oozing poached eggs; and the ludicrously decadent Bagatelle XXL Banoffee Pancake with caramelized bananas, organic granola, mascarpone vanilla, chantilly, caramel drizzle and tart, juicy blueberries. Wash it all down with a Bagatelle Spritz, made with Aperol, passion fruit, rosemary syrup and sparkling wine.
About the author
Born and raised in Bristol, England, Esme has been geeking out over syntax her entire life. She studied English Lit by the Brighton seaside before moving to London to pursue her writing career in 2009, going on to work for Grazia Daily, The Telegraph and SheerLuxe. In 2013 she swapped The Big Smoke for The Big Apple, where she trained as a yoga teacher and contributed to Refinery29, Self, Fitness Magazine and Greatist. When she’s not glued to her laptop or iPhone you’ll find her drinking Kale Margaritas at an East Village happy hour, planning her next adventure, or hand-standing (with more vigor than skill) at the yoga studio.
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