Meatpacking district, made famous forever by the hitseries Sex and the City. Hipstertown in a somewhat raw setting. It used to be the area where the meat industry was settled, from slaughters to distributors and once was the sodom and Gomorrah of Manhattan. These times it’s referred to as New York’s most fashionable neighboorhood. Alexander McQueen, Diane Von Furstenberg, Charles Nolan & many more have their designer boutiques here (which we usually pass because they’re way too expensive for us).
Forget about your high heels; you’ll break your neck shopping in those cobblestonestreets. Luckily you can get by on your sneakers and with lower budget as well in MPD. You’ll find a Levi’s tailorshop, an All Saints with no less than 277 vintage sowingmachines in the shopwindow, Kiehl’s at 14th Street has some good stuff. The yoga and running stuff at Lululemon is always nice to check out. And if you’re into that, they frequently offer “complimentary” classes. Not to be missed is Chelsea Market (75 9th avenue, between 15th and 16 street). In this beautiful shoppingmall with an industrial look and feel you'll find shops, restaurants and always a nice spot for a break with a cup of coffee or glass of wine.
You can not leave Meatpacking District without visiting the Highline. An old railway transformed (partly) into a park. It’s some 2,5 km long and absolutely something you should walk through. Take a rest on the big wooden-behind-glass-bleachers and look at the street below. It gives you a pretty pictureperfect real New York view. A walk through the park will take less than 45 minutes but you’ll remember it for a long time. And while you’re there, take a look up at The Standard. The hotel is known for the fact that not all hotelguests close their curtains while making love or coming out of the bed or bathroom naked. We like to enter the Highline at West 14th Street or Gansevoort Street, which is at the very beginning.
And ofcourse the MPD is a great place to be at night. Hip and happening hotspots for all ages everywhere. Which change often. But there are some great places where you never can go wrong. Be eatertained at Buddakan, the food is great as is the atmosphere. Be sure to reserve table. Or The Standard Grill, yep, of The Standard Hotel; another classic. And then you also have the glamorous Catch (with rooftopbar). Same rule applies here; make reservations and check your savingsaccount. Or have a beer or cocktail and some tacochips at Los Dos Caminos (go see their bathrooms before you leave). And did we mention the Boom Boom room?
The Meatpacking District is in Manhattan’s Lower Westside, say from Gansevoort Street upto West 15th street & Hudson Street upto the Hudson Rivier. There are lots of other great neighbourhoods in the area of the MPD, such as Greenwich Village, West Village and Chelsea.
