West 31 St, Chelsea

West 31st starts off with an abundance of tourists, traffic and suck town. We have the Highline, the Lincoln Tunnel and some weird mart right up until 10th and then such gems as a massive post office and a technical school going right up to 8th. Needless to say: it's beginning to smell a lot like Midtown this far up in Chelsea. It's actually hard to even consider anything north of 30th as actually still being Chelsea, but I suppose that it, technically, is. I will say, however, that while no one likes the Post Office, this particular one is really pretty. The building is quite grand and there are a few fun relics inside it from mailing days in the past.
And, if that wasn't enough people for you, at 8th we have Madison Square Garden with Penn Station underneath. The Garden really is a cool place to watch a concert or a game but it is massive and the people overload at sold out shows is just as bad as you might imagine. Add that to all of the Penn Station traffic, and you're in for a really crowded time in this area pretty much always.
Once you cross 7th, there's a fun little mix of a monastery, a firehouse, a couple of weird eateries (including the terrible chain Pret a Manger) and some creepy little stores. You don't get anymore midtown of a block than that, Chelsea. And, once you figure in all of the traffic going around Times Square and the Garden, you're in for a real treat right here.
There's nothing really cool to note about 31st in any part of town and Chelsea is no exception. There's no neighborhood vibe, it's generally crowded and loud and trash filled, and there's nothing to do outside of getting out of town and seeing a concert in 31st's case. I would not want to live here at all. It's pretty crazy and not in a good way.