Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village (aka “The Village”) has deep roots in New York’s diverse history that are still very evident today. Taking a stroll down any of its seemingly unchanged streets gives tourists and long-time residents a taste of a neighborhood brimming with an eclectic array of offbeat culture, vibrant commerce, academic history and old-day aristocracy. A 10-minute walk on Bleecker Street between LaGuardia Place (named for former NYC mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia) and Seventh Avenue South paints a full picture of what you need to know about life in Greenwich Village. You’ll encounter boisterous bars, relishing restaurants, cozy cafés, venues featuring a mix of musical flavors, NYU establishments, and even family-owned businesses like century-old Italian meat markets Faicco’s and O. Ottomanelli & Son’s. At the heart of the neighborhood is Washington Square Park, which still audibly beats to the sound of area residents, poets, street performers and musicians alike. The Village is not all bohemian chic; it also has a well-established upper-crust charm that dates back to the late 19th century, particularly the area north of The Park on Lower Fifth Avenue up to 14th Street, often termed The Gold Coast, where pre and post-war luxury high rises mingle with old-world townhouses.

Originally known as Grin’wich, The Village is deeply rooted in New York’s psyche. Its earliest residents came in the late 1600s. Unlike neighborhoods to the south, specifically what is now the Financial District, Greenwich Village was unscathed by the Revolutionary War. In the late 18th century, fresh produce markets appeared; so did the potter’s field purchased in the late 1780s that later became Washington Square Park – named for the first president of the United States, General George Washington, who resided in the city of New York, once the capital of the country.