Although historically New York City's gay scene was set along Christopher Street in the West Village, and increasingly the GLBT community in the city is dispersed among several neighborhoods, the one thoroughfare that remains very closely gay-identified in the city is 8th Avenue between 14th and 23rd streets in Chelsea - pictured here is a particularly lively stretch, looking north up 8th Avenue at the intersection with West 19th Street, and on up toward the skyscrapers of Midtown. Buses run up and down 8th Avenue, which is also a fairly easy place to hail cabs, and there are key subway stations at either end of this stretch (one at 14th Street, the other at 23rd Street), served by the A, C, and E lines.
Along this span of 8th Avenue you'll find a few gay bars (Rawhide and Gym Sports Bar, several gay porn shops, a slew of GLBT-popular restaurants, and the well-priced and stylish boutique hotel, the GEM Chelsea.
