MePa is Five Star

NYTimes LOVES the Meatpacking:

What more can you ask for in a neighborhood that offers cow carcasses, good food, excellent nightlife, and Belgian block streets?

According to the New York Times, the Meatpacking is the place to be. Although it is commercially zoned (you can't live there), it is still prime real estate. You just have to live on the outskirts of it, which is kind of a bummer that you can't wake up to the smell of meat.

That doesn't seem to be stopping anyone, since new, legal lofts are popping up by the Gansevoort Hotel (the outskirts) and the Standard Hotel is booming with business. Good times for the MePa.

Everyone wants to come here, even the Whitney Museum:

The Meatpacking District has definitely become a tourist destination. Everyone, therefore, wants a piece of the MePa. Construction is under way for the Whitney Museum underneath the Highline. They just have to raise $680 million dollars to build it. No big deal.

"I'm sorry, but I am very drunk right now."

My friend Chuck is a calm fellow. He's a old time meatpacker. He also hates hipsters.

One young hipster stumbled upon Chuck's garage opening Friday morning around 4:30 AM. "I'm sorry gentlemen, but I am very drunk, and need to find the B, D, J train," yelled the drunkard, "Why can't I find the subway!"

Chuck chuckled, clearly he's a morning person. "Two blocks up, one block left," he calmly told the yelling hipster.

"Thank you for your time," said the yelling hipster, before he walked into the parked truck.

Classic.

4 AM. 830 Washington Street. Louis Zucker & Co. Inc.

The day begins for some, as it ends for others. The Meatpackers are gearing up for their distributions and the sun hasn't risen yet.


The raising of the gates, time to get down to business.


Unfortunately, some companies are no longer able to raise their gates, and have been long gone.

MPDI To The Rescue

I have a soft spot for all the meatpackers that remain in the Gansevoort Market. Until very, very recently though, I’ve made friends with the other side of the Meatpacking District. They include, but are not limited to, the chic boutiques, the fancy restaurants and clubs, and of course the Meatpacking District Initiative.

You may be wondering what exactly the Meatpacking District Initiative, MPDI, is. If you aren’t, you should be. Besides having a cool name, the Initiative is your outlet for everything Meatpacking. It represents what the District has become and what it will be in the future.

MPDI is a non-profit neighborhood business organization, which helps businesses in the Meatpacking District begin and flourish. MPDI instills a new type of community, as they give a voice to the new and upcoming residents within the District. It's main mission is to bring people in to an area that has always been seen as somewhat grimy and seedy, and give them a new perspective on life between 14th street and Gansevoort Street.

Behind the non-descriptive door on 829 Washington Street, the MPDI comes to life. Julian Kline, the MPDI’s Associate Producer, is hard at work handling office operations in preparation for upcoming District events. Coming off of a successful handling of the New York City Wine and Food Festival, the MPDI is proud of the work they’ve done so far. “People see us as a small area on the outside,” says Kline, “but we have a lot going on inside.”

The Meatpacking is an area of about 20 blocks, and according to the MPDI is a 24-hour neighborhood. It seems necessary to have someone helping to organize what’s going on. The MPDI started six years ago, and has since hosted events benefitting the shopping as well as the food culture of the Meatpacking. Hosting events such as the popular Fashion Night Out and MasterCard Priceless NYC Shopping Night brings in positive publicity for the boutiques. Events such as TASTES from the Meatpacking District and Back to Basis Food Festival incorporate the popular restaurants that call the District home too.

The MPDI website offers notifications of community events and news. It also offers a map and brochure of the Meatpacking District that helps visitors find their way around the streets that house over 200 restaurants and shops. The MPDI also endorses the Meatpacking as a Business Improvement District. This means that it is working hard to keep up the District’s new personality. It’s about giving the neighborhood a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, which makes you want to keep coming back.
“It’s normal gentrification,” says Kline, “but we’re putting in a lot of effort to bring people in and make this neighborhood different.”

If you’re interested in becoming a part of the MPDI, or just want to find out more about this amazing, cool, awesome neighborhood, you can visit the website: http://www.meatpacking-district.com/

It’s worth it.