Meatpacking District

Once the center of Manhattan’s meat production industry, the Meatpacking District is today better known for design houses than slaughterhouses. Posh boutiques, like Diane von Furstenberg and Helmut Lang, join trendy restaurants, hip hotels, and non-stop nightlife to give the neighborhood its buzzy energy. Area destinations include gourmet emporium, Chelsea Market (housed in the former Nabisco plant), the prestigious Whitney Museum, and The High Line greenway overlooking the Hudson River.

The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood of contrasts. Charming tree-lined Belgian block streets are lined with gritty industrial spaces housing chic galleries. Newly built certified green condo buildings sit side-by-side with converted warehouses and historic brownstones.

With the Gansevoort Market Historic District protecting the neighborhood’s character and preventing excessive development, housing stock is costly here. But anyone with an eye toward downtown living in this energetic corner of Manhattan will find it well worth the price.