With the summer heat and humidity mellowing out, I decided to explore the  ’armpit’ of NYC - the Meatpacking District – while listening to Soundwalk’s audio tour of the neighborhood.

Starting in the heart of the Meatpacking District on the corner of Little West 12th Street and Washington Street, I was greeted by the cobble stone streets, steel-enforced brick warehouses, meat trucks buzzing by, and in the air the hint of…well guts.  Walking along the Highline – a remnant of the 1930s when freight trains zigzagged 30 feet above ground to transport fresh produce and meat to and from the district, which is now an elevated public park – I was led by Ivy Jean Brown’s voice down towards the Meatpacking Plaza to Pastis, a trendy French bistro opened by New York restauranteur Keith McNally.

Turning left onto West 13th Street, towards the Hudson River, I passed several fashion boutiques, and stumbled upon three pigs that seemed quite eager for some nice hats.  Hey, the store was having a sale after all…  As the West 13th Street collided into Washington Street, there stood the “glass anthouse made for human beings” – the new Standard Hotel.

As I continued exploring the Meatpacking District with Ivy Jean Brown in my iPhone, I finally found her building.  Ivy Brown Gallery, Apt. 4N.  I rang the bell, but the door was already open.  So, I went in.  As I was climbing the stairs, I felt a tinge of anxiety.  ”What if there was no Apt 4N?  Maybe this is all a game…?  Am I trespassing?”  But as soon as I found the red door, just as she had whispered through my earphones, I felt a rush of excitement, like a kid finding the X on a treasure map.  Now, what happens on the other side of the door, it’ll be a surprise until you take this tour…  After I left her apartment, upon her recommendation, I went to the BDSM bar in the basement of her building…that too is a surprise until you do the Meatpacking District Soundwalk.

As she told me about her neighborhood, I witnessed the  intersections of industrial grunge and high-end fashion.  Although the Meatpacking District has become littered with trendy stores, galleries, studios, and boutiques, I was transported back to an era when the smell of blood and guts were ever-so pungent and trannie prostitutes held shop on the streets.  I felt that I was experiencing two versions of the district simultaneously.  What an adventure it was. Now, I’m kinda hungry.  Hmm…maybe a juicy steak?” -Brian Hirono (New York, NY)

Check it: Soundwalk Meatpacking District narrated by Ivy Jean Brown

Images (in order): meatpacking company sign, Diane von Furstenberg’s flagship store, von Furstenberg penthouse, Little W. 12th St. from the Meatpacking Plaza, Pastis, boutiques, 3 pigs, 14th St. Apple Store, Highline and Standard Hotel, Ivy’s buzzer, Ivy’s door, BDSM bar, Hector’s Cafe & Diner, Spice Market, temple from India inside Spice Market, Chelsea Market, the Projects.