A Chelsea Gallery Crawl

The blocks of the West 20s between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues hold one of the densest concentrations of contemporary art galleries in the world, and nearly all of them are free to walk into. Converted garages and warehouses house everything from museum-scale installations at the big houses — Gagosian, David Zwirner, Pace, Hauser & Wirth among them — to single-room shows by artists you will be early to.

There is no wrong method. Pick a block in the West 20s, push open every glass door that looks interesting, and let the afternoon compound. Most galleries run Tuesday through Saturday and change shows every month or so; the High Line runs along the same blocks when you want air between rooms. No tickets, no reservations — just walk in.