Neighborhood Spotlight: Arts & Eats in Chelsea

Angelina Lippert has really gotten to know Chelsea since she became the first chief curator of Poster House when it opened there in June 2019. Given the number of ambitious exhibitions she has produced since then, the neighborhood has inevitably become a kind of second home (after the Upper East Side, where she has lived for 17 years). View the issue! “You are right in the thick of it for the arts,” she says. “World-class galleries are steps away, but you are also surrounded by some truly great museums. And it doesn’t hurt that Eataly is a block from my office.” But while her art-historical credentials are suitably distinguished (she has an MA from the Courtauld in London, with a thesis on Soviet posters), Lippert actually trained on the side as a sommelier—and is thus also the ideal guide to Chelsea drinking spots. (How many curator-sommeliers are there?) — Catherine Bindman Angela Lippert, Chief Curator, Poster House ALL ABOUT ART At the Thursday evening Chelsea Art Gallery openings ( 10th and 11th Aves. between W. 19th and W. 29th Sts. ), art lovers trawl the galleries and glug free wine. Lippert began buying photography from Yancey Richardson ( 525 W. 22nd St., 646.230.9610 ) about 10 years ago, and also buys from Ricco Maresca, “a total gem of a gallery focusing primarily on outsider art.” At the Whitney Museum of American Art ( 99 Gansevoort St., 212.570.3600 ), “the giant picture window overlooking the Hudson is probably the most relaxing place in Chelsea,”while at The Rubin Museum of Art ( 150 W. 17th St., 212.620.5000 ), dedicated to the art and culture of the Himalayan regions, the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room “is a marvelous immersive experience.” And then there is Lippert’s own Poster House ( 119 W. 23rd St., 917.722.2439 ), “the first and only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to posters. It is perhaps the most approachable museum in the city—posters are intended to be understood by everyone.” Eataly FOODIE HEAVEN Lippert spends much of her rare free time in Eataly ( 200 5th Ave., 212.229.2560 ), the vast Italian marketplace incorporating mini restaurants and food counters. Its fish counter “is insanity,” she says, and suggests no hesitation “when they do a whole fish of any kind.” She likes Cafeteria , too ( 119 7th Ave., 212.414.1717 ), “for the chicken and waffles.” Lippert also confides that “every great date I’ve had in Chelsea has ended at Cookshop ” ( 156 10th Ave., 212.924.4440 ), a local institution known for its New American food and artsy crowd. And the curator- sommelier’s favorite district wine bar? It’s Corkbuzz in Chelsea Market ( 75 9th Ave., 646.237.4847 ). “It was started by Laura Maniec (now Fiorvanti), a master sommelier who helped judge our final sommelier exam. It’s a great place to be seduced by a new and interesting wine.” Corkbuzz HIGH LINE SNACKS When Lippert first worked in Chelsea, some art dealers and curators argued that the High Line ( Gansevoort St. to 34th St., 212.500.6035 ), a public park built on a historic elevated freight rail line, took people off the street and away from the neighborhood’s many art offerings. “But there is plenty of artwork up there, and it is a beautiful place to walk.” Predictably, Lippert knows the best place to snack there— La Newyorkina , a Mexican paleta (popsicle) stand. “Have the mango-and-chili one,” she suggests. Explore your next move in NYC with Douglas Elliman.