GREENWICH VILLAGE
It was different from the start, a crazy pattern of streets that broke from the city’s grid plan, reflecting the boundaries of a rural village. As a bohemian haven, the leafy lanes of the Village have been home to artists and writers. Jazz musicians, beat poets, and performers like the young Bob Dylan found their places here. Later it became popular with gays, and today cafés and funky shops attract young people from all over the city. The Village really comes to life at night, when cafés, theaters, and clubs beckon at every turn.
1.Washington Square Park
5th Ave, between Waverly Pl & 4th St 
In 1826, a marshy area was filled to form this popular park. The restored marble arch by Stanford White went up in 1892, replacing a wooden version that marked the centenary of George Washington’s inauguration. Mothers with strollers, chess players, and young lovers now occupy benches where drug dealers once reigned. The fountain in the center is where Bob Dylan sang his first folk songs.
Marble arch, Washington Square Park
2.MacDougal Alley
East of MacDougal St, between 8th St & Waverly Pl These 19th-century stables for the fine homes on Washington Square North were converted into studios by artists early in the 20th century, causing the street to be known as “Art Alley de Luxe.” Among the residents were painter Guy Pene du Bois and sculptor Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who established the first Whitney Museum in 1914 at 8 West 8th Street, adjoining her studio.
3.Washington Mews
University Place to 5th Ave Another group of stables turned into houses around 1900, the mews attracted both writers and artists. No. 14A housed, at various times, author John Dos Passos and artists Edward Hopper, William Glackens, and Rockwell Kent. Writer Sherwood Anderson often stayed at No. 54 with his friend and patron, Mary Emmett. In contrast to the modern buildings in much of Manhattan, this type of quaint enclave is the reason many find the Village so appealing.
Washington Mews
4.Grove Court
Grove St near Bedford St This group of six town houses in a bend in the street was developed by grocer Samuel Cocks, who thought that having residents nearby would help his business at No. 18. But while such private courts are prized today, they were not considered respectable in the 1850s, and the disreputable types who moved in earned it the nickname “Mixed Ale Alley.” American writer O. Henry later used the block as the setting for his 1902 novel The Last Leaf.
The mid-19th-century town houses in Grove Court, Greenwich Village
5.Jefferson Market Courthouse
425 6th Ave, between 9th & 10th Sts • Open 10am–8pm Mon, Wed, 11am–6pm Tue, Thu, 10am–5pm Fri, Sat The site was a market in 1833, named after the former president, Thomas Jefferson. The fire lookout tower had a giant bell that alerted volunteer firefighters. When the courthouse was built in 1877, the bell was installed in its clock tower. The treasured Village landmark was saved from demolition after a spirited local campaign and converted into a branch of the New York Public Library in the 1950s.
Jefferson Market Courthouse
6.Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce St, between Bedford & Barrow Sts • 212 285 0222 • www.cherrylanetheatre.org In 1924, a warehouse was converted into one of the first Off-Broadway theaters and showcased plays by the likes of Edward Albee, Eugene Ionesco, David Mamet, Samuel Beckett, and Harold Pinter. Today, the “Cherry Lane Alternative” uses established playwrights to mentor talented newcomers.
7.Bleecker Street
Between 6th Ave & West Broadway The present line-up of ordinary shops and restaurants belies the history of this street. James Fenimore Cooper lived at No. 145 in 1833, Theodore Dreiser stayed at No. 160 when he came to New York in 1895, and James Agee lived at No. 172 from 1941 to 1951. The café at No. 189, on the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal, was the San Remo bar, the favorite gathering place for William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and Jack Kerouac, leading lights of the Beat Generation.
Bleecker Street
8.New York University
Washington Square • www.nyu.edu Founded in 1831, NYU enlarged the scope of early 19th-century study from its previous concentration on Greek and Latin to contemporary subjects: a “rational and practical education” for those aspiring to careers in business, industry, science, and the arts, as well as in law, medicine, and the ministry. It has grown into the largest private university in America and now occupies buildings in many blocks around Washington Square.
New York University
9.Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South • Open for services 11am Sun An elegant work in Romanesque style by Stanford White, with stained glass by John La Farge, the church was built in 1888–93 as a memorial to Adoniram Judson, said to be the first American Baptist missionary in Asia. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. contributed to the construction. White’s novel use of mottled yellow brick and white terra-cotta trim introduced light coloration into American church architecture.
10.75½ Bedford Street
Between Morton & Barrow Sts New York’s narrowest home, just 9.5 ft (3 m) wide, was built in 1873 on a carriageway that led to former stables behind Nos. 75 and 77. Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay lived here, as did actors John Barrymore and, later, Cary Grant. No. 77 is the oldest house in the Village, dating from around 1799, and at No. 103 is “Twin Peaks,” an 1830 structure that was remodeled in 1925 by Clifford Reed Daily to house artists and writers, who would presumably be inspired by the quirky architecture.
THE HALLOWEEN PARADE
Anything goes in this wildly gaudy annual parade of cross-dressers, floats, and amazing costumes. Drawing more than 60,000 participants and reportedly two million spectators, it is the largest Halloween parade in the world. The parade route goes up 6th Avenue, from Spring Street in the Village to 23rd Street, starting at 7pm.
A VILLAGE STROLL
Morning
Begin at Washington Square and the elegant town house row where Edith Wharton and Henry James once lived. Find the charming houses of Washington Mews and MacDougal Alley, then follow 6th Avenue, past the Jefferson Market Courthouse, to West 10th Street.
Stroll down the passageway at the front of the Alexander Onassis Center for Hellenic Studies. This walkway once led up to the Tile Club, a gathering place for the artists of the Tenth Street Studio, where Augustus Saint-Gaudens, John La Farge, and Winslow Homer lived and worked. Continue along Waverly Place, Grove Street, and Bedford Street, each with its share of prize town house architecture. Have lunch at the lovely, pocket-size Italian bistro, Pó.
Afternoon
After lunch, while away a few hours browsing in the local shops. Vintage clothing can be admired at specialty shops such as Odin at 106 Greenwich Ave, while at No. 832 Broadway you’ll find Forbidden Planet, a nirvana for comic book fanatics.
West 8th Street and West 4th Street are also crammed with shops, and there are several coffeehouses, which are great for people-watching. Try Caffe Reggio, 119 MacDougal Street, where the literary lights of the Beat Generation used to read their poetry, or Grounded, 28 Jane St, for good coffee.
Literary Landmarks
1.Washington Square
Prominent figures who lived here include Edith Wharton, at No. 7 in 1882. Henry James was born at No. 21 in 1843.
2.St. Luke’s Place
Between Hudson St & 7th Ave South Poet Marianne Moore lived here, and Theodore Dreiser wrote An American Tragedy at No. 16.
3.Patchin Place
West 10th St A charming pocket of 19thcentury houses that later attracted e. e. cummings, John Masefield, and Eugene O’Neill, among various others.
4.Café Wha?
115 MacDougal St, between Bleecker & West 3rd Sts Beat poet Allen Ginsberg was a regular here, a venue that also saw early appearances from Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.
5.White Horse Tavern
567 Hudson St at 11th St Favorite hangout of Norman Mailer and Dylan Thomas, who announced one night in 1953, “I’ve had 18 straight whiskeys,” and passed out. He died the next day.
White Horse Tavern
6.Willa Cather Residence
5 Bank St, between Waverly Pl & Greenwich St • Closed to public Willa Cather penned six novels in this house and her Friday “at homes” were attended by the likes of D. H. Lawrence.
7.Mark Twain Residence
21 5th Ave at 9th St • Closed to public A plaque marks the home (1904–8) of Mark Twain, designed by James Renwick, Jr., architect of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Twain received guests while propped up in a huge carved bed.
Mark Twain
8.William Styron Residence
43 Greenwich Ave • Closed to public This was William Styron’s first “tiny but rather nice” apartment after he wrote Lie Down in Darkness at the age of 23.
9.Edward Albee Residence
238 West 4th St • Closed to public Edward Albee wrote The Zoo Story here. He first saw the words “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” written in soap on the mirror of the bar in a nearby saloon.
10.West 10th Street
This street has had several literary residents. Mark Twain lived at No. 14 from 1900 to 1901, Hart Crane lived at No. 54 in 1917, and Edward Albee lived in the carriage house at No. 50 during the 1960s. resto
Restaurants
1.Babbo
110 Waverly Place • 212 777 0303 • $$$ An attractive setting and the inventive Italian fare by celebrity chef Mario Batali make this a very popular spot. Reserve in advance.
2.Il Mulino
86 West 3rd St, between Sullivan & Thompson Sts • 212 673 3783 • $$$ Another top Italian. Quality is consistent, portions are large, and the brick-walled room is inviting.
3.Blue Hill
75 Washington Place at MacDougal St • 212 539 1776 • $$$ Highly praised New American fare that uses local, seasonal ingredients, served in elegant surroundings.
4.Blue Ribbon Bakery
33 Downing St at Bedford St • 212 337 0404 • $$ A Village favorite with an enormous, eclectic menu that includes everything from croissants and caviar to the signature fried chicken.
5.Pó
31 Cornelia St • 212 645 2189 • $$ This tiny spot is beloved on the block and beyond for its beautifully executed Italian cuisine made with the freshest seasonal produce.
6.Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St • 212 475 3850 • $$$ While this classic tavern dates back to 1937 (Ernest Hemingway and Eugene O’Neill drank here), it’s now best known for upscale bistro fare.
7.Da Silvano
260 6th Ave, between Bleecker & West Houston Sts • 212 982 2343 • $$$ Watch the celebrities come and go from a table outside. The northern Italian fare here is consistent, and the buzz even better.
8.Morandi
211 Waverly Place • 212 627 7575 • $$ Enjoy a slice of rustic Italy at this wildly popular West Village restaurant, with excellent pastas, grilled meats and seafood.
9.The Little Owl
90 Bedford St • 212 741 4695 • $$$ This tiny but cozy restaurant run by Joey Campanaro has a great Italian-accented American bistro menu, serving everything from grilled scallops to Parmesan risotto with truffles.
10.Sushi Samba
87 7th Ave South at Bleecker St • 212 691 7885 • $$$ The Japanese/Brazilian fusion cuisine and cocktails are inspired, but the trendy crowd comes here for the rooftop deck and live music on sunny days.
Sushi Samba