Chelsea is convenient -- it's downtown, but not too far from Midtown -- and draws a lively mix of hipsters and young families. The neighborhood has undergone a transformation in recent years: Gone are the weekend parking-lot flea markets along Sixth Avenue, having been replaced by luxury high-rise rentals (like 777 Sixth Ave.), which are increasingly attracting the post-college set. (And while there is still a strong gay presence, especially along Seventh Ave., with its numerous rainbow-flagged bars and shops, Chelsea has become increasingly more mainstream.)

Elsewhere in the nabe, the housing stock is a mix of walkups, townhouses, conversions and new construction (many of which blend nicely with the area's big-box stores, including Home Depot, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Best Buy). London Terrace Gardens -- a massive 1930s complex that extends from 23rd St. to 24th St., from 9th Ave. to 10th Ave. -- combines rentals and co-ops in a courtyard setting, and has been the neighborhood's real-estate gold standard for decades.

That's changing, however, with the development of the High Line -- the elevated train line turned 22-block park. Like waterfront property, the area around the park is drawing dozens of luxury condos. Prices at the sold-out Caledonia at 450 W. 17th St. started at $700,000. (Prices have even reached upwards of $2,000 a square foot for buildings like Annabelle Selldorf's 200 11th Ave., which features garages in its units.) Bordering the uber-hip, gallery-laden western reaches of the 'hood, the High Line, though short on amenities, offers lots of promise and is poised to be one of Manhattan's hottest addresses.

CHELSEA

$2.149 MILLION

August 28, 2008 -

Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2 1/2 Square feet: 1,606 Common charges: $1,590 -- If you enjoy hosting dinner parties - especially the "most glamorous" kind - the entertaining space, terrace...more >

CHELSEA

$1.9 MILLION

August 21, 2008 -

Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2 Square feet: 1,363 Common charges: $1,041 -- Ironic, isn't it, how you can now live freely and spaciously in this former chain factory on West 18th Street? While...more >

THREE'S COMPANY

SHARING AN APARTMENT GETS BETTER WITH AGE

August 21, 2008 -

After the age of 25, a lot of us shy away from the idea of having a roommate. Sure, when we were newly minted college graduates with no money and were just interested in sex and booze, it was OK...more >

CHELSEA

$1.445 MILLION

August 14, 2008 -

Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 1 Square feet: 1,170 Maintenance: $1,121 This co-op loft on West 15th Street has a sleeping alcove bigger than many bedrooms (and set off by a retractable "privacy...more >

CHELSEA

$3.25 MILLION

July 24, 2008 -

For the "true connoisseur" who is looking for an "authentic" loft, but who doesn't want to go as far downtown as SoHo or TriBeCa, there's this newly restored spread on...more >

CHELSEA

$659,000

July 10, 2008 -

Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 1½ Square feet: 700 Maintenance: $736 -- Set in the Gallery District on West 25th Street, this "chic" duplex is quite a show: The first level features a...more >

TEST SITE

RENTERS TRY OUT CONDOS BEFORE THEY BUY

July 10, 2008 -

EVERY once in a while, some of us will wander mischievously into a Mercedes-Benz dealership and ask to take the most expensive car on the lot out for a test spin. We rarely have the intention of...more >

CHELSEA

$419,000

May 29, 2008 -

Bedrooms: 0 Bathrooms: 1 Square feet: 350 -- Maintenance: $604So maybe this "gem" of a co-op only has one room, and maybe that room only has one window, but at least both are...more >

CHELSEA

$1.729 MILLION

May 15, 2008 -

Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2 Square feet: 1,200 Maintenance: $1,147 -- Touted as "a private oasis," this duplex penthouse co-op on West 22nd Street sits above the fray and offers...more >

UPTOWN VS. DOWNTOWN

IF PRICE WERE NO ISSUE, WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE?

May 01, 2008 -

Time was if you had a huge chunk of change to spend on a home, you lived uptown. All the most luxurious digs had a habit of rising around Central Park. Go figure. "Twenty-five years ago...more >

NEW ON THE MARKET

THESE EYE-CATCHING BUILDINGS ARE READY FOR THEIR CLOSE-UP

April 10, 2008 -

HL23, Chelsea It took seven different zoning requirement modifications for Chelsea's gravity-defying HL23 to get approved by the city. Designed by LA-based Neil M. Denari Architects, the...more >

'JUNGLE' BROOKE

April 03, 2008 -

Now that "Lipstick Jungle" has been renewed, Brooke Shields is upgrading her Manhattan living situation. The brainy, and leggy, co-star and her husband, producer/writer Chris Henchy...more >

CHELSEA

$1.1 MILLION

March 27, 2008 -

Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 1 Square feet: 850 Common charges: $602 Bigger is better when it comes to many things, like this "light-filled, airy" West 23rd Street condo with the largest...more >

INDUSTRY STANDARD

MEATPACKING DISTRICT GETS GLITZIER, A LOT PRICIER & READY FOR ITS MOMENT IN THE SUN

March 13, 2008 -

VISIT the Meatpacking District at 1 a.m. on a Saturday night and the word "scene" doesn't even begin to describe what you'll find. Swarms of the hip and their hangers-on weave down...more >