West 15 St, Chelsea

15th is a little too busy for my taste in streets. It gets more and more busy as it travels east and it doesn't even start off all that quiet. Furthermore, the architecture isn't all that impressive. And, the blocks are largely commercial with nothing noteworthy within the commerce. I can't think of one bar or restaurant I like on 15th, so it's just nothing to write home about. As far as convenience, though, 15th is pretty great. That's one of its only saviors, though, for the price point.
15th starts off with the park on the Hudson and the Highline which is quite a lot of outdoor space and view for a street in Manhattan. The Highline is a bizarre thing to me and it's crawling with tourists. But, the view really is lovely and we'll take what we can get. The history of the Highline is pretty cool. It used to be an above ground train that had been abandoned for years. The Highline walk just opened a few years ago so the old abandoned guy was there for some time. I kind of liked it when it was all creepy and overgrown. Just down from the Highline is Chelsea Market (a massive gourmet market, eatery collection and mall thingy) and Milk Studios. Milk is in a massive old factory and it's a really cool space. The bottom floor is a gallery that always has fantastic exhibits.
There are some cool art-deco buildings around 8th but nothing really there in the way of something to do. It's sort of a walk by block rather than a stop in block, if you catch my drift. Once you cross 7th, 15th gets really commercial and really busy. The traffic and people is insane around here as you get closer to Union Square. I would highly recommend not living east of 7th avenue. It's just too loud and crazy and there is no neighborhood feel.

Chelsea/Meatpacking is a great neighborhood for everyone – for tourists, for residents, and for people generally under the age of 40 (who also don’t have kids). It may not be the most picturesque street, but nearby there are plenty of things to do during the weekend hours – clubs, restaurants that serve brunch, etc.

Anyone who has ever been to the West Village knows that it is quite a feat to go in and come out from the same street. That is, unless, you use W 15th street as your guiding street. West 15th street sits above the confusing streets of the West village, and so it serves as the perfect vantage point. Starting from a side street on Union Square and snaking through onto W. River park, West 15th street offers a plethora of activities, restaurants, shops, and West Village fun.

On its intersection with 5th ave, the couture connoisseur will enjoy such shops as Bebe, Juicy, and Sephora.

Living on the block between 6th and 7th avenues is rather quiet, and most of the apartments enjoy small courtyards behind them. Although it used to house a restaurant owned by a rather famous pirate, the locale now sits empty and so the block is not as frequented as it used to be. The block’s proximity to Union sq, and thus many major subway lines, including the elusive East side 4, 5, 6 makes it a rather nice location.