The Meatpacking District

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The Meatpacking District roughly from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street, although recently it is sometimes considered to have extended north to West 16th Street and East beyond Hudson Street.

The Meatpacking District owes its name to the meat distribution companies that once dominated area. While some Meatpacking houses still exist, you are most likely to find meat of the celebrity variety, twirling around the Bermuda Triangle of Soho Houses, Spice Market, Pastis, and Uber-swanky Hotel Gansevoort.

According to NYC.com “As you wander around the district, head down to Gansevoort Street to get feel for how this neighborhood evolved. The now defunct Florent Restaurant was the first trendy place to open (in the mid-1980s and as you pass its old location on the Gansevoort Cafe, you’ll see the remnants of the old dilapidated elevated railway, which has been turned into America’s first overhead park, called High Line. West 14th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues should not be missed, replete with stylish boutiques such as Jeffrey, a few bakeries, and an enormous Bodum Store as well. There is the legendary Old Homestead Steakhouse directly across from the new Apple Store on Ninth Avenue at West 14th Street” .

If you are looking for a quieter, more low-key way to spend time in the district, keep in mind that one of the most pleasant times of day to visit this neighborhood is between 10am and 11am. Some art galleries have opened here, but the area is dominated by late-night establishments, high-end furniture stores, and expensive hairdressers.

If you seek thrilling nightlife and pulsating action on the streets with traffic jams over century-old cobblestone streets, head to Cielo, one of hottest nightclubs in the area. But given its reputation as one of New York’s toughest club to enter, good luck getting by the door.

Source: http://www.nyc.com/visitor_guide/meatpacking_district.75871/editorial_review.aspx