The High Line / Tapas & Sangria / Dessert At A Retro Bakery

What: The High Line (Walk) → Tía Pol (Dinner) → Billy’s Bakery (Dessert)
Neighborhood: West Chelsea
Duration: 2-3 Hours
Preparation: Make a reservation at Tía Pol (call 212.675.8805), leave 20-30 mins beforehand for the High Line

The High Line, the recently restored raised walkway on the west side in Meatpacking/Chelsea, is a great first destination to begin your night. It’s a nice, relaxing walk with various built-in benches, chaise lounges, shrubbery and cool lighting. Enter at Gansevoort St & Washington St by walking up the stairs, follow the path all the way up to 20th St (the farthest you can go) and walk down towards 10th Ave (near the stairway).

Head up 10th Ave to Tía Pol, a great casual date spot, for some sangria and tapas. Make a reservation beforehand since there could be a long wait and the space is small. Order anywhere from three to five tapas depending on how hungry you are and choose from an all-Spanish wine list or have some sangria. Leave room for dessert so that you can check out Billy’s Bakery for a cupcake and a coffee/espresso or whatever you’re in the mood for.

The High Line
Attraction, Park / Walkway
212.500.6035
Hours: Daily: 7am-10pm
Access the High Line: Gansevoort Street (at Washington St), 14th Street (btwn Washington St & 10th Ave), 16th Street (nr 10th Ave, elevator access), 18th Street (nr 10th Ave), 20th Street (nr 10th Ave)
Notes: New park and walkway with various built-in benches, chaise lounges, shrubbery and cool lighting at night, great views of the Hudson River, NJ and downtown Manhattan, always crowded, enhanced by the new Standard Hotel that rises above it near the southern-most exit, great for a relaxing walk or try to get a wooden chaise lounge and lay around for awhile.

Tía Pol
Restaurant, Spanish (Basque) / Tapas
205 Tenth Ave (btwn 22nd St & 23rd St), West side of street; 212.675.8805
Prices: Tapas: Less than $10 – Mid $10’s
Reservations: 212.675.8805
Notes: Tiny, traditional Basque tapas bar, usually crowded with people waiting at the bar having wine/dinner or on the sidewalk, tables close together, quality food and sangria, all-Spanish wine list, expect a potentially extensive wait so make a reservation before going, make sure to check out the High Line nearby (closest entrance at 20th St & 10th Ave) while waiting for a table or after dinner if it’s before 10pm (closes then).

Billy’s Bakery
Bakery, Cupcakes / Cakes / Baked Goods
184 Ninth Ave (btwn 21st St & 22nd St), East side of street; 212.647.9956
Hours: Mon-Thu: 8:30am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 8:30am-Midnight, Sun: 9am-10pm
Notes: Retro-style bakery from a Magnolia Bakery alum, resembles a family kitchen back in the 1940’s or 50’s with several small tables bunched together and benches out front, menu consists of cupcakes, cakes, pies, cookies and other baked goods, coffee, espresso, tea and other beverages available as well.

View High Line / Tia Pol / Billy’s Bakery in a larger map

Check out some images of the High Line:

Image Sources: Marcin Wichary; alan(ator); dannysullivan; laverrue

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 2:00 pm and is filed under FreshIdeas and tagged with chelsea, dessert, highline, outdoors, tapas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.