A Country Mouse Goes to the City: Chelsea Market and The High Line

Today, Kelsey and I roamed for hours in the Chelsea Market, home of Food Network and Oxygen Network. The building was once home to a Nabisco cookie factory and has been renovated into a shopping concourse on street level and offices, studios, etc. on the remainder of the floors. The building occupies a full city block, and the atmosphere of an old factory was retained here in such an artistic and tasteful way. What fun it was to explore its more than 2 dozen food shops and restaurants. The ID Pop Shop was here this week in the market's event space. This is where more than 25 independent designers have come together to show their lines.
But back to the food. We each chose a different place for lunch, so we purchased our meals and brought them to one of the many tables in the hall and people-watched as we dined. Kelsey picked Friedmans where she got Mexican grilled corn-on-the-cob with fresh lime wedges and mac and cheese. She declared both to be delicious. I chose the Lobster Place and had a shrimp wrap that I found to be equally delicious.
There were bakeries, a dairy, a grocery store, florist, cooking shop, and more. It was the perfect place for taking pictures, and I hope you enjoy our photographs.
Leave the Chelsea Market on the back side and you will see the High Line Park, an ingenious park created from old, abandoned elevated railroad tracks. It appears that part of the tracks have been transformed into a landscaped garden complete with trees, flowers and ornamental grasses. Other parts of the tracks have been made into a walking path. The views from up here (30 feet above the city) are fabulous, both of the park itself and the views of the city and the Hudson River. There is even one section that meanders under a bridge providing shelter from the elements (today that was the sun) and filled with little artists' booths and food booths as well as tables and chairs for sitting. There are benches all along the path, this area was just particularly significant to me because of the shade and the little shops.
One unique area was a place where there was bleacher-like seating facing a huge wall of glass allowing you to see the buildings and people below as living art. Such a fascinating idea.

The High Line was also a park begging to be photographed, so we, again, have lots of pictures! Hope you enjoy our photos as much as two country mice did taking the pictures.