Please view our Chelsea, New York, New York checklist at the end of the article...

A decade ago, Chelsea was a scruffy neighborhood littered with garages, warehouses and small factories. Barely a half-dozen art galleries could be found there. Today, that downtown area boasts a stunning 203 galleries. Soaring rent increases coupled with a retail store invasion in SoHo drove legions of dealers to Chelsea. It’s on high speed and these days is one of the densest art districts in the world.

Despite that staggering growth and the glitter of superstar galleries, Chelsea remains something of an enigma to the uninitiated. Following is a starting roadmap for your tour of Chelsea’s blue-chip and up-and-coming galleries. Paul Kasmin Gallery, 293 10th Avenue, is a great place to start. This dealer offers both top modern and contemporary artists. Kasmin’s eye is so sophisticated that important collectors such as Eli Broad and Leonard Lauder regularly stop by. Younger artists featured in the gallery include the calligraphic Elliott Puckette and the Audubonesque Walton Ford. Prices at Kasmin run from $20,000 to $100,000, but of course, can soar higher for works by Morris Louis and Frank Stella. Through May 29 Kasmin is offering the “PEACE” paintings of Robert Indiana, who is best known for his vibrant “LOVE” sculptures and paintings.

Next, concentrate on West 24th through West 27th Streets, where the key galleries are located. Luhring Augustine Gallery, which commands a key spot at 531 West 24th, moved there in 1997 and showcases such top artists as Rachel Whiteread and Christopher Wool. Co-owner Lawrence Luhring estimates that in a single weekend close to 800 people routinely come through the gallery.

Commanding three separate gallery spaces, Matthew Marks leads the way when it comes to blanketing this area. Located at 522 West 22nd, 523 West 24th and 529 West 21st, his galleries feature such luminaries as Ellsworth Kelly, Brice Marden, Lucian Freud and Ken Price.

“A pot can be as valid as a painting,” says Charles Cowles, owner of an eponymous gallery at No. 537. Cowles has offered shows devoted to such master ceramists as Toshiko Takaezu in between exhibitions of photographer Edward Burtynsky and painter William T. Wiley. Here, you can also find ceramics by the late greats Peter Voulkos and George Ohr. At the gallery, Takaezu ceramics begin at $1,000 and go up to $75,000, while Voulkos’ wood-fired plates can cost $32,500.

Don’t be daunted by No. 511 West 25th Street, which is simply crammed to the rafters with galleries, but make your first stop Jeff Bailey, a former right-hand man to Old Masters dealer Richard Feigen. Bailey opened his eponymous gallery at No. 808 just about a year ago and has already made a name for himself by cornering superb emerging artists such as Julian Pozzi, who works in ink and watercolor with an architectural bent. Museum of Modern Art curators frequent this gallery, and prices—usually under $15,000—are modest by contemporary art standards.