The area of Manhattan now known as Greenwich Village was first developed as farmland by the Dutch in the 17th century, gradually becoming a desirable residential area of large land plots and notable mansions. By the 19th century the Village’s crooked layout was already well established, so it escaped the grid that was imposed on the rest of the city in 1811. The twisting, leafy streets are now one of the defining characteristics of Greenwich Village, attracting wealthy New Yorkers who’ve moved into the area to enjoy its beautiful townhouses, European-style cafés and lack of high-rise buildings. New York University started building around Washington Square Park in 1836 and, soon after, the area became an enclave of art clubs, literary salons and learned societies. Today, students, chess players, artists, break dancers and families fill the streets around the Square, following in the footsteps of writers, painters, actors and musicians who made this area a focal point for the Beat movement in the 1950s. Bleecker Street, the busy thoroughfare that spans the Village, is the most commercial part of the area, while Sheridan Square at Christopher Street is where the gay rights movement was born in 1969. The peaceful streets tucked off Seventh Avenue in the West Village feel a world apart from one of the world’s fastest cities. The best way to see them is by spending a couple of hours exploring on foot or by joining an organized walking tour. Charm oozes from every square inch and former carriage houses make for some of the most expensive real estate in the city. The genteel crowd of the West Village contrast with the hip inhabitants of the Meatpacking District to the north. This cobbled area is getting trendier by the minute as big-name designers, bars and clubs move in to share space with a working meat market. Further north again is Chelsea, where art galleries, a thriving gay scene, the best weekend flea market in the city, food lovers’ Chelsea Market and a buzzing, cruisy nightlife make for a don’t-miss destination. Fashionable theatregoers and film studios located here in the early 1900s, but the area’s proximity to the river and railroad lines saw industrial breweries and tenements take over and, like much of Downtown, Chelsea became dilapidated and run-down. In the 1980s money was invested to spruce up its tree-lined streets and these days Chelsea is one of the most vibrant areas, filled with handsome gay men called Chelsea boys, the Joyce Dance Theater, more galleries than anywhere in the city and a vast choice of bars and restaurants. SightsWashington Square Park 5th Av at Washington Sq North. Subway A, C, E, F, S, V to West 4th St. Once a burial ground for the poor and the site of public executions, this mostly concrete square now serves as one of the best people-watching areas in town. Political activists and polemical ranters, artists, chess players, break dancers and street loafers are joined in the autumn by students from the New York University campus to create a hubbub of activity. The 77-foot-high Washington Square Arch was built to honour George Washington in 1889 and redesigned in marble in 1891 by Stanford White (the man responsible for building much of New York at the turn of the 19th century). Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Henry James and Edgar Allen Poe are a few of the famed literary characters who lived in the houses around the square. Although West Villagers point out that their neighbourhood technically starts west of Seventh Avenue, many New Yorkers consider Washington Square Park to be the dividing mark between the East and West Villages. It is certainly the logical starting point for a walk through Greenwich Village, as you can either go south to one of the many cafés along MacDougal or Bleecker Streets, or head west into the tranquil streets beyond Seventh Avenue. On the southeast corner of the square, just below W Third Street is Minetta Lane, the home of Café Wha? Although its heyday has long passed, this is where Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix once played. Bleecker Street between Hudson St and The Bowery. Subway A, C, E, F, S, V to West 4th St. To the south of Washington Square, cafés, bars and souvenir shops line Bleecker Street, some more appealing than others. Caffe Reggio, just off Bleecker Street at 119 MacDougal Street , claims to own the first-ever espresso machine to arrive in the USA. Writers and poets first made this area famous but now the scene is rather touristy. However, among the tacky shops are some outstanding bars and music venues, notably the Blue Note , where many jazz greats can still be heard. Jefferson Market Library 425 Sixth Av,T1-212 243 4332, http://www.nypl.org Subway A, C, E, F, S, V to West 4th St. Gables, Gothic trimming and a clock tower make this one of the area’s most recognized landmarks. The Venetian-style structure was built in 1875 as a courthouse, served as a jail for troublesome women and was then converted into a public library in the 1960s. Across the street, notice the small alley of Patchin Place, where EE Cummings, Djuana Barnes and Marlon Brando all lived at various times. The lopsided townhouse at 18 West 11th Street was blown up in 1970 by the radical Weathermen Group, who accidentally ignited their basement bomb factory. Kathy Boudin, a member of the group, managed to escape (naked) and evade police for ten years after the blast. She was released in 2003 after two decades in jail. West Village From 7th Av to the Hudson River between Houston St and 14 St. Subway 1, 9 to Christopher St. Considered the most liberal part of Manhattan, Christopher Street is the focal point for the city’s gay community. The Stonewall Rebellion of 1969, when the gay rights movement was established, happened outside the Stonewall bar on Sheridan Square following riots with the police. Christopher Street remains at the cutting edge of New York’s gay scene, as evidenced by the many condom and leather shops in the area. Wander just off Christopher Street, however, and the country-like streets taper off into some seriously off-grid sections of town, creating a village atmosphere that was central to New York’s literary and artistic development from the 1830s onwards. Stroll around the West Village to see the row houses on Barrow, Bedford and Grove Streets, between Seventh Avenue and Hudson Street. The 9.5-foot wide house at 75½ Bedford Street is allegedly the narrowest in the Village and is situated on one of its loveliest corners. Some well-known people lived here including the poet Edna St Vincent Millay, Cary Grant and Margaret Mead. At 86 Bedford Street is a former speakeasy from the Prohibition era, known to locals as Chumley’s. Note the back door of the bar, where patrons would sneak out in the 1920s. Hudson Street intersects many of the leafier thoroughfares and is a good stopping point for a drink or meal. Dylan Thomas frequented the White Horse Tavern at 11th and Hudson Street and died after leaving the bar one night in 1953. Those wanting to take in a sunset should head over to Hudson River Park, which borders the West Village and has many renovated piers with views across the water. Meatpacking District 14th St down to Little W 12th St, between 8th Av and the Hudson River. Subway A, C, E to 14th St or L to 8th Av. It would be difficult to imagine any area of Manhattan achieving greater social status than this industrial, cobbled northern border of the West Village called the Meatpacking District. The working market has been infiltrated by sought-after designers, including Stella McCartney, chic bars and cutting-edge nightclubs to create an unusual combination of meatpacking by day, socialising with the stars by night. Even London’s exclusive Soho House has opened a branch here, while the restaurant Pastis literally packs ‘em in every night; stop for a drink at its impossibly handsome French bar. Chelsea Historic District 20th to 22nd St between 8th and 10th Av. Subway C, E to 23rd St. The patchwork of beautiful brownstone houses, housing projects, warehouses, art galleries, restaurants and factories from 14th to 26th Streets between Broadway and the Hudson River make Chelsea one of the most vivid neighbourhoods in the city. At its heart is the Chelsea Historic District, which escaped destruction when elevated train lines ripped up the rest of the neighbourhood in the 1870s. It contains some of Chelsea’s best architecture from the 1800s, including dignified blocks of townhouses, elegant apartment buildings and the peaceful General Theological Seminary and its garden. Dia Center for the Arts 548 West 22nd St, T 1-212 989 5566, http://www.diachelsea.org Wed-Sun 1200-1800. $6, $3 students and seniors. Subway C, E to 23rd St. Nestled among the myriad galleries of Chelsea’s warehouse district is the pioneering Dia Center for the Art, the first gallery to open in Chelsea in 1974. Internationally recognized artists, such as Andy Warhol and minimalist Sol LeWitt got their early breaks here and it now shows designers and contemporary artists from the 1960s and 1970s over three floors. The lobby, tiled in lime patterns, resembles an empty retro swimming pool and has one of the best art bookstores in New York, while the plexiglass water tower on the rooftop enjoys views of the Hudson River. Dia’s stunning warehouse conversion, the Dia: Beacon (3 Beekman St, Beacon, NY, T 1-845 440 0100. Thu-Mon 1100-1800. $10) is located sixty miles north of the city in a former printing plant. It has an enormous exhibition space for art installations.
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