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August 18, 2010 | Posted in Blog, Designs, Life, Travel

Chelsea, once known as the meat packing district on the west side, has become a popular capital for the art scene in New York. Many galleries have moved onto the blocks from 20th to 28th street between 10th and 11th avenues. Of course you don’t have to be a buyer or an artist to visit these galleries.

I came across Axelle, a fine art gallery on 25th street. They’re having an exhibition by one of my favorite painters, Michel Delacroix. He’s a French contemporary art painter from Paris. His subjects for his paintings are usually scenes from Paris or France. They’re very beautiful and you can just stand in front of his works and admire them. Of course there are many other works besides his. If you’d like some artistic stimulation it’s definitely worth the visit.

(All artwork copyrights belong to the artists and the Axelle gallery)

Michael Delacroix, Retour au Moulin Rouge 24″ x29″

Michael Delacroix, Notre Dame de Paris, Cote sud 24″ x 29″

(Left) Francois Bard, Hugo 64″ x 51″ (Right) Michael Delacroix

Axelle’s Main room

Axelle’s Main room with museum size canvas

JIVKO, Réalité éphémère chandelier Bronze 30″ x 20″ x 6″

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August 9, 2010 | Posted in Blog, Life, Photography, Travel

Discovering The High Line, Chelsea

In the trendy meatpacking district I took a stroll on the High Line promenade for the first time last weekend and it was great. The gardens with the beautiful flowers were so inviting. They were plenty of benches to relax on and all along the promenade there were views of the Hudson River and the West Side. It’s a brand new elevated park with a rich unique history.

( The High Line is elevated 30 feet above street level and has a beautiful view of the city)

(A view of the building looming hazily in the background)

(Tunnel)

(The remaining tracks)

(Us in the High Line Park)

The High Line was a former elevated freight railroad that was built in the 1930s to keep the trains off the street and out of the way of pedestrians and street cars. It was lifted 30 feet in the air due to so many accidents that occurred between freight trains and street level traffic between 1851-1929. The high line was built to connect directly to factories and warehouses, allowing trains to go through and drop off the goods. The railroad has not been in use since the 1980s due to the growth of interstate trucking. The High Line is now a new elevated public park on the West Side of Manhattan. With an interesting architecture and the beautiful garden, who would have guessed that an abandoned railroad could be turned into such a beautiful park?

(This became the Death Avenue Between 1851-1929)

(The Railroad by 11Avenue, Photo Credit: www.thehighline.org)

(The Railroad Between 1851-1929, Photo Credit: www.thehighline.org)

(For safety, men on horses, called the West Side Cowboys, ride in front of trains waving red flags, Photo Credit: www.thehighline.org)

(The High Line, Photo Credit: www.thehighline.org)

(Heading to Chelsea Market)

A nearby High Line staircase leads me to the Chelsea Market. It was a former Nabsisco factory complex where the Oreo cookies were invented and produced in 1912. Nabisco left the complex in the mid 1940s, but the building is intact and has been renovated over the years for commercial stores. Now with an assortment of small boutique bakeries and food shops, it’s another interesting place to wander though. You might want to pick up some yummy brownies from the Fat Witch while you’re there.

(The Chelsea Market)