Splash, the famous gay club, just off 5th Avenue (not far from Union Square)

Splash Bar (50 W. 17th St., 212-691-0073) is barely in Chelsea, just a few doors in from 5th Avenue and closer to Union Square than the neighborhood's main drags, 7th and 8th avenues. However, it's been the quintessential Chelsea club since it opened in 1992, and it remains one of the first bars most gay visitors to New York City make a serious point of visiting. Good DJs, hunky strippers and go-go boys (famous for their on-stage shower performances), and simple but popular weekly theme parties (Campus Thursdays, Sexxx Saturdays) make up for the bilevel club's drawbacks, namely big crowds, pricey drinks, and - in the eyes of many - too many tourists. To be sure, there's nothing insider-y about Splash, but it is most definitely a classic gay nightspot, and its central location also makes it the easiest to reach of Chelsea bars if you're coming from anywhere east of 5th Avenue.