7 Ave, Chelsea

The corner of 31st and 8th is the legendary Madison Square Garden. It's connected to Penn Station so it is really easy to get to. And, it's where all the big concerts happen so there's always a lot of hullaballoo in this area. I, personally, prefer the more intimate concert spaces in the city; but, every performer dreams of playing here. And, I can see why. The place is huge, and when it's packed, it's pretty crazy. The other thing that's kind of crummy about MSG is that building it involved the tearing down of the original Penn station. It was built in 1910 and was, apparently, incredibly beautiful. Protests from all over the city didn't stop it but it did lead to laws passing that have protected other New York monuments. If you look at old pictures of Penn station, you can't help but agree that tearing it down was an absolute crime. It made Grand Central look just ok.
The block between 6th and 7th is one of those very New York streets in the way that it is so eclectic. There is a very old fire station and an older church, a wig store, the very new and (in my opinion) not so great Pret a Manger chain, and a bunch of discount stores. Old mixed with new mixed with who the hell shops there all in one block.
Basically, all West 31st is is Madison Square Garden. I wouldn't want to live here and I try to avoid even hanging around this area because it is always packed. And, all of the food places are very chainy to accommodate all of the tourists and concert goers. There isn't a real neighborhood feel. But, what is left of Penn station underneath the massive arena is a beautiful piece of history.