6 Places. One Day
Being to New York multiple times growing up, I never truly had the opportunity to explore the city as a city. It was usually mainly and specific trips to see family and time square. That was it. Until now. A day in Chelsea was first on the list.
I work A LOT I desperately needed a break since I didn’t travel or go anywhere for 6 months. Luckily, the opportunity arose when my aunt was celebrating her daughter’s 1st birthday.
Now usually I would groan about going for the weekend when I know it’ll just be let’s see family and that’s it’s so I took it upon myself and decided if I can get even one day in the city I am going to take 100% advantage of it.
Friday, July 9th was the day. A day in Chelsea.
AirBnb
I contacted the host to see if I could check in earlier than the allotted time and he was more than kind to let me check in at 1 pm.
A little hard to find but I was able to and I did booking parking in advance after selling my soul, jk. In all seriousness parking for the weekend is no joke. The prices are ridiculous, you could probably get a round trip ticket for the price for parking. Oh and the attendants from my experience 9/10 can be extremely rude.
I asked the attendant if I can gain access back to my car since I can’t carry everything I packed by myself and the answer was if you come back and we get the car for you then you have to pay again.
I truly learned how heavy a bag of mangoes was that day.
The room was a studio with 3 full beds, a small kitchen, a nice size bathroom, a dining table, and a kids-size tv. It was more than enough for my parents and I and we each got our own bed so the closest thing to a slumber party I’ve ever been to.
Artechouse New York – Chelsea
2:30 PM. The place that I had bought tickets was to Artechhouse New York for an exhibit called Geometric Properties. The uber was a $15 ride.
The exhibit itself was interesting, we got an explanation and it was two floors. The top floor had a separate area where you could use your phone and see augmented reality. The bottom floor had the main attraction the several projectors mounted on the ceiling, projecting on the wall with morphing sceneries.
It was pretty cool for like 20 minutes and after that, I was ready to go. It is mesmerizing to sit and watch for a bit but the excitement for the rest of the day was kicking in.
Overall if you have time and want to check it out it’s worth it once.
Chelsea Marketplace
Once you exit you actually end up in the Chelsea Marketplace and I was ready to explore. There are just so many choices to grab a quick afternoon snack.
I was trying to scope out something that has a pretty aesthetic. A room full of middle eastern décor caught my mother’s eye and we noticed that there was a Thai place.
4:00 PM. We got a table right in the middle near the bar. The main attraction was the wall art that was behind the bar that was vibrant in color.
As I looked through the menu I already knew what I was going to order between the 3 of us to share. The spicy drunken noodles and a spicy shrimp curry for dad.
The food was fantastic, when I say it’s good it was amazing. My mother is a connoisseur of drunken noodles and she said this was one of the best ones she had.
We all left feeling happy and full. Success
The Highline – Chelsea
4:45 PM. One of the reasons I wanted to be in Chelsea is because of the Highline, for those who don’t know it’s a public park that was a train line. They repurposed and planted trees and flowers all along the 1.5-mile track.
This is a MUST sightsee. The first time I experienced it I was in love with such a beautiful concept in the city. When you think green you think of Central Park as the only park but here there’s a piece of tranquility between the high-rises.
It was so surreal and I was already contemplating looking up how many apartments were in the area and let’s say a girl can dream a lot. haha.
5:15 PM. It didn’t take long to get to the end of the Highline and you end up right by the vessel another cool structure which is a big honeycomb-looking thing.
Snapped a few pictures outside but you can choose to visit inside by purchasing tickets. Just looking at it was beauty itself and that copper color when hit by the light was mesmerizing.
Hudson Yards
5:30 PM. Hudson Yards is right there so we had some time before dinner and I needed an outfit change.
As we walked through the mall I saw all the luxury stores and their beautiful displays that kept catching my gaze as they sparkled. These stores are available everywhere and I have Tysons close enough in Virginia if I need to but I was honestly most excited for MUJI.
MUJI is a stationary, home, clothing store and we don’t have one in Virginia and I was so excited to show my dad. He loves his pens and so do I so we ended up walking out with some ink pens and the comfiest slippers my feet have ever experienced.
They do not disappoint and I swear that was ALL the shopping I did.
Electric Lemon
6:00 PM. I had made reservations at a rooftop restaurant called Electric Lemon in the Equinox hotel which was across the street from Hudson Yards. Walked in and took the elevator to the 24th floor.
The view from the table was breathtaking.
I always tend to look at menus before I get to any restaurant so I was prepared.
Dad got the steak with white turnips, Mother got the roasted vegetables, and I ventured out and got the Trout.
Clearly, I was going to sample everyone’s food.
Dad’s steak, perfection. Mothers roasted vegetables, delicious. The Trout, fresh and fine.
I was originally nervous ordering the Trout, since I don’t eat fish often but it came out beautifully displayed. The Trout was exquisite, it did not have an ounce of fishy taste or smell to it.
Now the most important part was the dessert. I ordered two the Grand Mocha, and a Citrus one that is no longer on the menu (ugh)
The presentation for both was just to pretty to eat. I had seen pictures before but then seeing it in person there is no comparison. To say the least between the 3 of us we destroyed it. The waiter even joked and said “I see you didn’t like the food”
In the end they actually had to open up the patio so we went and checked it out. It definitely had the aesthetics I love.
An area with water, a sculpture in the middle as a focal point, seating all around, lights strung all around, surrounded by high rises, and on one side you could see the Hudson River.
The items on the menu are pricey but even if you get reservations for dessert and coffee it’s worth the price for such an incredible experience.
I will be back again.
7:30 PM – How else can you digest food and explore the city at the same time if you don’t walk?
We decided to walk back to our Airbnb which was about 10 streets so it wasn’t that bad and surprisingly we 3 walked in comfort looking at all the shops as we passed by.
By the time we got back to the Airbnb, we were getting a little tired.
Time Square
9:15 PM – Took a 30-minute break only to get back and check out Times Square because as you know from earlier…it is a must.
We were only 10 minutes walking distance and it was a fairly pleasant walk.
There were just too many people around. Our masks were on the majority of the time and then since it was humid we would take them off for pictures for a few seconds and put them back on.
10:00 PM – Back in the Airbnb with my MUJI slippers getting ready for bed. After walking 10 miles and 20k steps I was ready to lay my head to rest.
The End of a wonderful day in Chelsea and Time Square!
Note: Breaking this down in time shows that there are so many things to do if you just plan your day out in Chelsea and it’s totally possible. Just get your outfits ready, some comfortable shoes, and go go go!
If you need some morning motivation for the next day I have a post on Best Morning Habits fo the Busy.
