The ultimate guide to walking your dog in Chelsea, NYC

Walking your dog in New York City can be a nightmare. Between loud sirens, construction, huge crowds, other dogs, people stopping you every five feet to try and pick up your tiny puppy, and horrible traffic, walking a dog can be like an Olympic-level obstacle course. If your dog happens to be one of the many fearful or anxious dogs about any of these things, it can make your walk 10x worse very quickly! Likewise, if you become stressed out about the walk, your dog certainly will be even more stressed out as well.

Hopefully, we are here to give you a bit of a reprieve for you and your dog and find some spots around lower Manhattan, especially around Chelsea and the Village, that may be a bit more pleasant for both of you. So check out the locations below!

Table of Contents

• Hudson River Park
• South of Hudson Yards between 24th-28th streets
• Madison Square Park
• Gramercy Square Park
• Below 14th Street, West Village
• Tips and Tricks

Hudson River Park (by Pier 63)

If you can manage to get to the Hudson, you will have various friendly riverside parks stretching 550 acres! I have put dogs in puppy strollers and ran them down to the river, just so we could go to Hudson River Park, as it was then the only place that they felt safe. The 22nd st entrance is right next to a dog park, so we would recommend going a few blocks south to 20th st by Chelsea Piers, crossing, and going back up if your dog is sensitive to other dogs.

Benefits of the park:

• Plenty of open space to keep distance from other dogs, with good visibility
• A number of paths to dart down in case you need to avoid seeing other dogs
• Many interesting and fun paths to choose from. An adventure every time!
• Relaxing and beautiful, good for your stress levels as well as your dog’s stress levels!

South of Hudson Yards (24th-28th streets, between 10th and 12th ave)

This may not be the prettiest section of town, which lies just past the bulk of the famed Chelsea galleries, but it is certainly one of the quietest. If you are looking for a quiet, calm, and relatively dog-free part of town to walk in, look no further! While it is a bit industrial and sometimes grungy, it is also up-and-coming and getting nicer by the day. We have taken many dogs here that had issues with the craziness of pre-10th ave street and avenues, and it has been a true lifesaver at times.

Benefits of these streets:

• Quiet, good visibility to avoid triggers
• Lots of sidewalks to tread for good, long walks
• It’s easier to get to than Hudson River Park
• Great spot for working on leash training or other outdoor training

Madison Square Park

We don’t usually recommend parks like this if one is looking for calm and quiet, but Madison Square Park offers something that the streets don’t: space and choice. Working with triggers and anxieties requires space to stay under the threshold, and working with teaching good choices helps teach a dog that we can leave and go down another path if we are not ready to face a trigger. While this may not be the best spot for dogs that do not like crowds or lots of people, it can be a great spot if the streets are just not working for them.

Benefits of the park:

• Visibility and avoidability of triggers
• Natural space to socialize
• Space and choice when working with anxieties and triggers
• Close to PetSmart, which many dogs love to go to

Gramercy Square Park

Unless you know somebody who lives in the park, you can’t access Gramercy Square Park. However, the area around the park, and the surrounding streets, are a lovely little oasis that tends to be a bit quieter than the rest of the city. It is not a vast area of calm, but it is just big enough to be a worthwhile spot to return to when busy avenues, loud construction, and huge crowds are just not doing it for you and your pup. And, as an added bonus, there are often a number of dogs walking in the area if your dog likes to socialize. If not, there is still plenty of room to avoid them if need be.

Benefits of the park:

• Quiet, green oasis in an otherwise busy area
• Solid spot for calm socialization, or
• Options and choices for escaping triggers
• Lower levels of city distractions make this a good spot for general training

Below 14th street, West Village.

Since Chelsea abuts the West Village, it is often easy enough to dip down past 14th st if you are close enough and head to some more historic and beautiful Manhattan streets. In addition, the West Village offers quiet side roads, lots of little parks, and plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and take as a refuge when things get a little too crazy. Dogs do abound in the West Village, which is great for socialization, but if you need to avoid other dogs, there are plenty of spots to do so, and it is generally quiet enough that crossing a street in a pinch is pretty safe.

Benefits of this area:

• Many calmer and quieter options than many streets about 14th st
• Plenty of spots to relax, hideaway, or explore
• Greener and more pleasant than a good portion of the rest of the concrete jungle

24th, 25th, 26th between 8th and 9th

This part of Chelsea is indeed in a bit of a busier spot, but it deserves to be mentioned due to its proximity to several small parks. Each small park area is not very dog friendly (or people-friendly; you can’t go on the grass), but they generally consist of winding sidewalks and cut-throughs that provide ample choice, exploration and escape from the busier streets. And speaking of streets, the actual streets are relatively quiet as well. Not as quiet as some of the other locations, but no major traffic hubs either. It may take a bit of time to get a feel for the area, but a few observant trips will help you get an idea of the possibilities for a good walk.

Benefits of this area:

• Out of the way sidewalk and walking spaces
• Variety and choice in an otherwise busy neighborhood
• Relatively quieter streets compared to the surrounding blocks

21st and 20th between 9th and 10th

This spot is in between otherwise quite busy blocks. The sidewalks tend to be wide and quiet, especially by the 20th st side of the Episcopal blah blah blah, where there is minimal housing, and thus minimal trash cans, garbage, and traffic. It is a small but welcome oasis. If you are looking for even more quiet streets in the area, you can even pop across 10th ave for a few nice blocks as well!

Benefits of this area:

• Quiet spot in the middle of city insanity
• 20th on the north side is cleaner than a typical sidewalk. Great for walking a dog that likes eating trash

Horatio, Hudson, and Meatpacking

This is a trendy location in the Meatpacking and West Village area, but it is also an excellent spot for walking. Decently quiet streets, wide sidewalks, open pedestrian areas, and never-ending exploring make this an optimal location for dogs that do best with more space. Crowds can get quite large, especially on weekends, but avoiding the main shopping areas and sticking to open spaces can help minimize crowding issues. Plenty of outdoor seating offers ample opportunity to rest and relax, and the many outdoor dining locations are great to take your furry friend to brunch with you.

Benefits of the area:

• Less traffic, quieter streets
• Wide sidewalks
• Open pedestrian areas
• Nice outdoor dining and areas to take a break and rest

Grove, Barrow, Bedford Streets in Greenwich Village

This historic and iconic area of Greenwich Village is great for a beautiful and peaceful walk. While it is a popular destination, there is less traffic, fewer large crowds, and various winding and rambling streets to wander around. Stop by the famous Friends apartment, take a pic with your pup, or check out some of the historical buildings and locations set amongst plenty of trees and flowing shrubs. The area is at its best during the day on weekdays; nights tend to turn the area into a loud and exuberant party, which may not be the best for sensitive dogs.

Benefits of the area:

• Quieter, not as crowded and over-trafficked as many New York streets are
• Scenic and pleasant for both human and dog
• Many opportunities to make choices and explore Many possible escape routes in case of reactivity

Important Advice

If you and your dog are having trouble with walks, whether it is because they are reactive, scavenger, anxious, or just plain overexcited, it is good to pick a route that you both like and stick to it. Dogs thrive on routine. Anxiety, excitement, and reactivity can all be made worse by uncertainty, so sticking with a well-known and safe route can give some stability and comfort to an otherwise very stressful situation. Of course, it is always best to pair walking issues with good positive reinforcement-based training as well.