Be the zebra (building), soft opening on 29th Street this fall

In a world full of horses, be the zebra. Painting recently finished on The Zebra Building, an art gallery and event space on 29th Street between 10th & 11th Avenues that is slated to soft open in October. The outside design is based on “the anatomically accurate pattern of “an individual Grévy’s zebra, an endangered species native to East Africa with fewer than 3,000 remaining in the wild.” We’ve reached out to the building’s owner, named Conor, and will give the block updates as we have them.

Really love that the art galleries which mark the area a few streets below us are coming up further north.

“OGIO” filming on 11th Avenue between 28th & 29th Street

We spotted this film shoot flyer on 11th Avenue between 28th and 29th Streets. The project name is “OGIO,” which is like a backpack brand—and then the flyer gives the name of a “John Perez” along with a phone number. The number is linked to a “location scouting” company called John Perez Locations, Inc.; location scouting is essentially where a filmmaker or photographer scopes out a new location for potential filming, and John Perez appears to maintain a library of potential filming locations. So this may be less of a film shoot than a potential film shoot. We’ve reached out to John for more information.

New staircases to the High Line on 20th & 26th Streets should be complete in September 2026

Here’s a question that makes no sense outside our neighborhood and a bit more sense inside our neighborhood: When are they going to be done with that staircase to the park? And the answer, with respect to the new staircases that we’re getting up to the High Line on 20th Street and 26th, is late September 2026. In the construction world that is not too far off the original targeted opening of the Spring 2026. We thank High Line officials and Sally Greenspan, President of the 100 West 19th/20th Street Block Association, for getting us this update!

Law & Order: SVU filming this Friday (7/31/26)

You can make really anything dramatic by adding the signature Law & Order “clang-clang” to it, including 24th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. This Friday, the 28th Season of Law & Order: SVU is filming right in the middle of Chelsea, and if you’re a person who can bring “realism, emotional depth, and strong on-camera presence to powerful, story driven roles,” you might consider just wandering over during filming and demanding a cameo with Ice-T on the longest-running primetime drama on American television. (Ed note: The writer of this post has limited to no acting experience, and so reader discretion remains advised). Season 28 premiers on October 8.

The loneliness epidemic goes all the way down (to the dogs)

Guys, the dogs are swiping now. The dogs. Spotted on a lamp post on 26th & 10th, it’s for an app called Dog Date Afternoon (Instagram here), which has been covered in our sister publication the NYPost. Now in all (ok, some) seriousness, the app is ostensibly for dogs to make new dog friends, but it’s really for dog owners to make new dog owner friends, because unlike dogs, it is actually insane to go up to a random human you don’t know and just start acting incredibly excited to see them. Instead, at the absolute most, you can approach the human you might like from the side, hide every ounce of your excitement, and try some inane comment in order to trigger a lifelong bond like “that’s a really nice dog you have there” or “I’ve heard there’s a block association on this block.” Ed. note: Our success rate in using these pickup lines in the wild is 0/0. User discretion advised.

Trade show for beauty enthusiasts at Chelsea Industrial on Monday

Friends, let’s be really honest with ourselves: it’s what outside that counts. This Monday from 11am to 6pm at Chelsea Industrial (the event space on 28th Street between 10th & 11th), the BBR Beauty Show is here to bring together “hairstylists, makeup artists, creators, beauty enthusiasts, and industry leaders” to connect and network. As fellow beauty enthusiasts ourselves, we welcome first and foremost the most beautiful people to the block along with, only a little less importantly, those responsible for making them so. May the block bless you as always with good skin, good hair, good lighting, and good cheer (in rough order of importance).

The Longest Table, an outdoor dinner party in Chelsea, seeks chief of staff

There are forces in this world stronger than you or me, and one of them is named Maryam Banikarim, who lives a few streets below you in Chelsea. Maryam is the creator of an annual potluck block party down on 21st Street between 9th & 10th Avenues where a lot of people sit at an extremely long table and chatter, mingle, and eat. You’ve never done something like that before with people you don’t squarely know, and isn’t that kind of a problem? This all began in 2022 and has absolutely exploded in popularity; more than 1,000 people signed up for the last Chelsea table, and Maryam has now brought the idea to cities other than New York which evidently exist called Spokane Valley and Sheboygan in states called Wisconsin and Washington.

Maryam and co-creator Andy Lerner now seek a chief of staff to manage the operations and logistics of The Longest Table. This is not a volunteer or support role—they are looking for a serious person with (preferably) 5–10 years’ experience in operations, program management, founder support, or a comparably demanding role to do the blocking and tackling necessary to bring this to life. Pay is competitive and commensurate with experience, and the position would run from September 2026 to April 2027 (with the possibility of expansion). Learn more about the position here, from Chelsea’s very own Chelsea Community News. If this sounds like you or someone you know, email: admin@longesttablecommunity.org.

And save the date for the first half of October on 21st Street (we’ll let you know when the date this year is fully set). We’ll be in attendance this year!

Dexter: Resurrection filming in Chelsea

Neo-noir; dark turns; twisted senses of justice; morally ambiguous antiheroes; and above all, a setting in New York (the only city). What more could you want in life? The production company which films Dexter: Resurrection, called DXO East Production LLC, is currently shooting Season 2 around Manhattan, and we spotted this film shoot sign at 19th Street & 10th Avenue.

Dexter: Resurrection continues the story of a blood spatter analyst turned serial killer of people who really, really had it coming (last link is just a legendary “had it coming” clip from The Wire; sorry Dexter fans, I don’t watch it). Season 2 is scheduled to premier in October 2026.

Myka frozen yogurt truck in Hudson Yards

We learned recently about the Swedish concept of fika, which is technically a coffee and pastry break that you take twice a day but is really a deliberate pause where you shut your mind off and savor that coffee, savor that pastry. Now contributing to fika culture in and around our block is a Myka food truck that just hit Hudson Yards, right across from the Starbucks. This place is evidently a TikTok sensation and so people are already lined up for it.

Can confirm that this treat is crisp, creamy, and refreshing, and since it says it’s yogurt, it’s not dessert at all and is actually very good for you. Hours are 11am-8pm, Monday - Sunday.

Our standing block recommendation is to eat all your meals at food trucks.

The horses in Central Park are probably out

This past June, an 18 year-old was killed in Central Park after a horse bolted from a horse-drawn carriage, and that very likely is the final straw for the horses. For those not too keyed into NYC politics, the “New York City Council” is analogous to NYC’s congress—it has 51 elected members who dream up and vote on legislation (you live in a district which includes the West Village, Chelsea, and Hell’s Kitchen, and your councilmember is Carl Wilson). For a city law to pass, a majority of the 51-member council has to vote for it, and as of a very contentious hearing last week, more than 26 councilmembers support a horse ban. A vote is on the horizon and while Mamdani has veto power, he also supports the ban. So in short (i) the horses, (ii) are likely, (iii) out.

There are some rather passionate advocates on both sides of the carriage. On the pro-horse side are the carriage operators, which are part of the Transport Workers Union that also counts among its members subway and bus workers. That union is a powerful, organized, and vocal voting bloc, and it likely explains why horse-drawn carriages—the primary mode of transportation in the 1860s—are still ambling around in a world where you just summoned an e-bike with a jetpack to your apartment for a burrito. (And in fact the union just put out a nice little attack ad—narrated by a guy with an epic old-school FUGGEDABOUTIT accent—on Julie Menin, the leader of the City Council, who supports the ban)

On the neigh side are animal rights activists and now even the Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that manages Central Park. Following the recent death, the latter expressly asked the City Council for ban legislation. That call has now been answered, and the various city and state representatives representing our neighborhood, including councilmember Carl Wilson, NYS assemblyman Tony Simone, and NYS senator Erik Bottcher, are now all in favor of the ban.

Will keep the block updated once it comes time for the electeds to vote on the bill.

Update 7/28/26 - Tony Simone reiterated his stance with the following comment to us: “We've studied this issue to death. A young man lost his life, horses have continued to suffer, and New Yorkers have been asking for change for years. At some point, you stop holding hearings and start making decisions. It's time for the City Council to pass Romanch’s Law.”

Qanoon on 21st Street & 9th Ave feels like you’re in your best friend’s parents’ kitchen

‍We wrote a short time ago about Shukette, the raucous, ripping and dipping, Middle Eastern bazaar-style staple in Chelsea that makes you feel like you’re transported into a bustling market in another country or an M.I.A. music video.  Well, neighbor Inge responded to that post with a suggestion that we visit Qanoon, on 21st Street and 9th Avenue, which turns out to be Shukette’s cozy, reserved little brother that doesn’t talk as much, but everything he says is hilarious.  And secretly hilarious, my friends, is the best kind of hilarious.       

Founded by Tarek Daka, a Palestinian who grew up on a farm in the West Bank, Qanoon feels like you’re sitting in your best friend’s parents’ kitchen.  First you put in your order, and then you watch your waiter deliver that order to the chef in the small kitchen in the back, who you can then watch sizzle, season, and flip your soon-to-be dinner from scratch on a small cooking range. 

And what should you order?  Our usual advice—especially for intimate restaurants founded, owned, and operated by immigrants—is to sit at the bar, say less, and let the bartender or waiter order for you.  Do that here.  The advice you will probably get is the block-approved move: hummus to start, which is perfectly soaked in tahini and olive oil, and the Shepherd’s Beer, a refreshing palette cleanser shipped from a microbrewery in Birzeit, Palestine.  From there, go with the makloubeh, a lamb casserole cooked in a small pot with rice, tomato, and eggplant (and then drizzled with tahini), or the musakhan, which is chicken cooked with a signature spice called sumac and served over bread. We’ll be back later for the latter.  

Highly recommend. ‍ ‍

¡Que viva España!

No doubt whatsoever about where our neighborhood stood on the World Cup Final; a practical armada of Spanish revelers sailed down on Hudson Yards and Little Spain for the grand finale yesterday. Cu-cu-Cucarella! (And no complaints here—with apologies to our favorite Argentinian restaurant Porteño, Argentina really had to go‍).