Visiting The Chelsea Market

NYCity Mama loves Fridays. They symbolize not only the end of the week for her, but also the beginning of a list long family adventures to come. On this Friday afternoon, after meeting up with her husband, they all decided to take a walk over to Chelsea Market. The last time Mama had taken the time to visit the market the area was still raw in it’s design. The transformation of the Meatpacking District, or Gansevoort Market, was only but beginning, with most of the meat packing plants (if not empty and abandoned) still active and smelling of cold beef and processing plants. The area, having experienced a “rough patch” with the invasion of drugs and prostitution was now being taken over by trendy boutiques, clubs, and restaurants. The Chelsea Market itself was going through some transformations and remodeling, but even then it was such a cool building to visit.

Today, it is difficult to recognize the exterior of the Chelsea Market from what it was back then. The area has completely changed. It is now overrun by all that is chic and trendy, hip and cool. To a New Yorker like Mama these changes are bittersweet. On one hand, she loves having access to such great food, and eateries, shops and bars, but on the other hand these also tend to change the raw coolness of the place, sometimes making it more artificial and superficial.

The inside of the Market hasn’t changed too much, it still has some of Mama’s old favorites shops, like the Chelsea Market Basket, Bowery Kitchen Supply, Fat Witch Bakery, and Imports from Marrakesh. Mama also loves that the factory style decor has remained and all the new businesses have managed to find functionality and their own style around it because it is, after all, what makes the Market so cool, and it remains a signature of the area.

They looked around trying to figure out where, from the many selections, they would want to eat.  However, at the end of the day many of the places they wanted to eat at were closing down, leaving them with very few choices, most of them sweets.  The Market has no shortage of bakeries, that’s for sure (all of them wonderful)!  They stopped into Ruthy’s Bakery to check out their cool cupcakes and cookies.  Mama loved their Louis Vuitton cake, the boys were in awe of their Spongebob one, and their wedding cake display is gorgeous. 

They decided to head out and look for other options, but not before stopping in a few places, check some stuff out and stop at Amy’s Bread for some treats.  The boys got a kick out of watching the bakers through the windows as they tossed the dough and mixed all the ingredients to be backed right there, on the premises, to be sold in the shop right next door.

They browsed at the awesome seafood selection at the Lobster Place and picked up some wine at the Chelsea Wine Vault before making their way out.

There is definitely a nice selection of things to do, buy, eat, and drink at the Chelsea Market, and it makes for a great shopping destination.  Maybe not a place one can linger too long in with little ones like Mama’s, but a great stop for an afternoon treat when kids are in tow.

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Tags: food, shops
Posted in Cool Finds, Good Eats | 5 Comments »