Good art, bad art, edgy art, disturbing art – it’s all here waiting to please and provoke in Chelsea. Teeming with over  200 galleries (many of which are housed in creatively converted warehouses), Chelsea is essentially a museum where you will find a mixed bag of all art forms from up-and-coming artists to the works of the esteemed greats.  With so many galleries to choose from, it’s best to wander up and down the blocks between 20th and 28th Streets between 10th and 11th Avenues.  The best part about viewing all this amazing art is you don’t have to pay to look.  A few of the  must-see to visit when in the neighborhood are:

Pace Gallery,   510 West 25th Street   http://www.thepacegallery.com

With four locations in New York-three of which are in Chelsea-the focus is on contemporary works of well known artists such as Chuck Close and Kiki Smith.  Check out their Mark Rothko exhibit called Dark Palette opening November 4th.  The exhibition reveals the development of Rothko’s expressive use of dark colors in his sectional paintings.

Luhring Augustine,   531 West 24th Street   http://www.luhringaugustine.com

A great gallery to see large scale sculptures, video installations, photography and performance art.

Lisson Gallery,   504 West 24th Street   http://www.lissongallery.com

Shows many important Minimal and Conceptual artists such as Sol LeWitt, Richard Long and recently held an exhibition of 101 year old minimalist painter Carmen Herrera.

Gagosian Gallery,  522 West 21st Street http://www.gagosian.com

Modern and contemporary works by American and European artists including Julian Schnabel and Richard Serra.  Their upcoming exhibition NOT ABSTACT II opens November 10th with photographs by renowned German artist Andrea’s Gursky.

303 Gallery,   555 West 21st Street   http://www.303gallery.com

This long running gallery (since 1984) has cultivated the careers of major stars like Rodney Graham, Doug Atkin and Mary Heilman.

David Zwirner Gallery,  537 West 20th Street http://www.davidzwirner.com

David Zwirner has long been a leader in the New York gallery scene, representing more than 40 artists and estates in contemporary art, Jeff Koons and Chris Ofili have shown here.  Two of Zwirner’s three Chelsea locations have in-gallery bookshops.

Jack Shainman Gallery,   513 West 20th Street http://www.jackshainman.com

The focus of the gallery has been to exhibit, represent and champion artists from around the world, in particular artists from Africa, East Asia and North America.

…AND FOR GOOD MEASURE, WHY NOT FINISH YOUR GALLERY DAY IN CHELSEA WITH A COUPLE OF OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH MUSEUMS.  I LOVE THESE:  

The Rubin Museum of Art,   150 West 17th Street http://rubinmuseum.org

Renowned for it’s collection of Himilayan art the museum offers a diverse array of thought- provoking exhibits and programs-including films, talks and concerts.

The Museum at FIT,   227 West 27th Street http://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/

Amazing exhibits on the history and future of fashion.  Check out their website for their free talks and tours.

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This elevated railway that sat abandoned on the west side for decades has become one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions.  A public park that sits 30 feet above street level stretches from Gansevoort  Street all the way up to 34th Street.  While you can spend your entire time on the High Line taking in the beauty of the plantings and spectacular city views, take time to look around at all the public art.  High Line Art, founded in 2009 by Friends of the High Line, invites artists to engage with the uniqueness of the architecture, history and the design of the High Line with site-specific commissions, exhibitions, performances and video programs.

Stroll the Chelsea Historic District, West 20th Street to West 22nd Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues.  These town-house blocks in varying styles of Italianate, Greek Revival and other popular styles of the 19th century will make you reminisce about what New York must have been like back in the day.

See a modern dance performance at the Joyce Theater, arguably the city’s preeminent venue for dance.  The Art Moderne building from 1941 was originally a movie theater showing cult films and revivals-and later adult films.  Now it is the place to see world-renowned dance companies performing modern dance, flamenco, ballet and tango at affordable prices.

The Joyce Theater,   175 Eighth Ave  .http://joyce.org

Watch a performance at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater:  Robin William’s, Conan O’Brien, and Tina Fey have all graced the stage of this 150- seat comedy venue, where improv, sketch and stand up comedy take place seven nights a week, tickets are cheap and there is no drink minimum.

Upright Citizens Brigade Theater,   307 West 26th Street https://ucbtheatre.com

A favorite hangout of Andy Warhol’s, The Chelsea Hotel, (closed for renovations) is one of the important cultural sights in New York.  It has been the home to writers, musicians, artists and actors.  Bob Dylan lived here when his first child was born as well as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, Edie Sedgwick, Jane Fonda, Ethan Hawke and the list goes on and on.  The hotel was designated as a New York City landmark in 1966 and is scheduled to open in 2017.