East Village

The East Village remains the funkiest neighborhood in Manhattan, even though it has gentrified a great deal over the years (much to the dismay of many long-time residents.) This is where the musicals "Hair" and "Rent" were born and set. This is where Andy Warhol, Quentin Crisp, the Velvet Underground, and my friend, Penny Arcade, walked and developed a lot of their artistry. This is where poor artists lived and took care of each other.

Even now, you can't ask for more character than you'll get in the East Village, but this is changing. The block of St. Mark's Place (which is actually East 8th Street) between Second and Third Avenues is one of my favorite blocks in the city. It has always been home to offbeat shops like Trash & Vaudeville and tons of tattoo and piercing parlors. Today, chain stores are starting to infiltrate and rob the area of its individuality. I hope that they don't take over entirely because it would be heartbreaking for those of us who appreciate the rich 20th century history of this neighborhood.

The area has a history before the 20th century, though. Abraham Lincoln gave an important address at the Great Hall of the Cooper Union. McSorley's Old Ale House on East 7th Street is purported to be the oldest saloon in Manhattan, and on East 2nd Street is the New York Marble Cemetery, the oldest non-sectarian public cemetery in the city.

While all of Manhattan is expensive by the standards in other parts of the country, the East Village still has a few apartments that are more affordable than in other areas of the city. This will continue to change as the neighborhood gentrifies further, so grab your apartment while you can. Of course, this 'hood is not for everyone. It's youthful and better suited for the non-conformist.

I adore the East Village. People sa it's hip no more, but I say hipper than ever now that most of the posers and wannabe's have gone to Williamsburg and Bushwick.

The East Village knows itself and so do its residents. They don't have anything to prove. The shops are funkier than anywhere else in the city, with thriving boutiques that seem impossible to sustain. Pottery, craft items, and vegan cooking thrive.

Aside from a few luxury buildings, most of the housing is as funky as the '80s graffiti or makeshift gardens that bloom and and grow in old, abandoned parking lots. Typically these places are small and if they're big, they're odd railroad style apartments that twist and ramble. It's all part of the lifestyle and you'll know if it's for you.

Those who say the East Village have lost its way are wrong. It's lost some of the hype, but not the vibe. Urban Bohemia continues to thrive, but maybe with more composure and technology than it did in the 80s. Even if the artists are at coffee shops (of which the East Village has many) on laptops, they'd still rather be in the East Village than anyone else.

I find myself in this area more often than any other Manhattan neighborhood - perhaps because it has been so long established as the art-y neighborhood where so many poets and musicians hung out. Younger artists and musicians have of course moved on to cheaper neighborhoods, but the charm still remains in the East Village.

As you get closer to the East River the neighborhood gets a bit sketchier - but bars and shops are constantly popping up even here in an commercial landscape that is constantly changing to suit the needs of those art-y kids who grew up and got real jobs but still never left the neighborhood.

Anyone in need of some shopping therapy, a bit of bar hopping or just a stroll around an inviting neighborhood would fare well in the East Village.

Fans of the Broadway show Rent are familiar with an Alphabet City of old - one in which poor artist-types lived amongst other low income residents (nowadays you have to travel to Brooklyn to find such a juxtaposition) - but these days this neighborhood almost completely blend in with the East Village. What you'll find today are streets lined with bars and restaurants, though Avenue D is still home to a large number of low income housing projects. This hardly seems to matter, though, and Alphabet City hardly seems to know that it is not the East Village.

Like the East Village, it's expensive to live here - at least on Avenues A and B, with Avenue C in still in a bit of a transitional mode. And knowing how this city likes to operate, I wouldn't be surprised if one day all of those low income homes were razed to the ground in favor of some luxury waterfront condos. So check back in a decade or so if that's what you are in the market for.

This neighborhood is perfect for young people, plenty of neighborhood bars within walking distance. The transportation is also very convenient, close to the L train and Union Square. The only thing that bugs me is that the rent is just really expensive, you will have to pay a lot of money and get a tiny little room, but the location is really good I have to say. It's easy to do grocery shopping as well, Trader Joe's and few Japanese supermarkets are all within walking distance. And there's farmer's market at Union Square every weekend. I lived there for three months and I loved my place most of the time. All in all, I had a great time staying there, but I wouldn't live there forever.

East Village lies east of Greenwich Village and NoHo, and south of Stuyvesant Town. East Village is known for its striking architecture, hip and trendy cafés, museums, art galleries, and fashion boutiques.

On East 4th Street you will find Theatre Row, displaying buildings that house eight theaters and twelve plus dance companies, as well as a few other community groups. Here you will find the New York Theater Workshop and WOW Café Theater.

Home of East Village’s Nuyorican Poets Café – this place is wild! It has been going strong since 1973 and its mission has prevailed – to create a multicultural venue of poetry slams, open jam hip-hop, jazz, and occasional screenplay. Definitely worth a visit.

If you prefer to be outdoors, venture over to Tompkins Square Park, and shoot hoops on one of the many basketball courts. This beautiful park has something for everyone, including a weekly market, outdoor concerts and events, dog runs, and if you are lucky – an occasional brawl in the late evening hours.

While in New York City on vacation or business, stay at the ever so trendy Cooper Square Hotel (designed by architect Carlos Zapata) at 25 Cooper Square, or the charming Gem Hotel (within walking distance to SoHo).

Greenwich Village is a great place to wander if you happen to be young and have a little money you want to get rid of. There are plenty of bars to hit up, and though they aren’t the trendy hipster bars you’ll find just a bit south of the East Village, they are still alright places to get sloshed (like, say, Mars bar).
For daylight shoppings, you absolutely must check out St. Marks Place – the street vendors offer inexpensive versions of style, and the street is pretty well stocked with t-shirt shops and places where you can get inexpensive skinny jeans. It may not be a place where you can stock up on high fashion, but it’s great for the hipster-wannabe on a budget.

The East Village in Lower Manhattan is the epicenter of music, art, and “hipster” culturally currently enveloping New York City and youth culture. From the streets of the East Village, trends are born of every imaginable variety ranging from new food to new fashion to new slang.

The East Village since its inception has been a hub for musicians and artists of the most talented variety. Built atop the ruins from WWII, the East Village emerged in the 1960s as the perfect spot for “beatniks” and hippies to live “easy and free” and in a center of artistic expression. Soon thereafter, such artists as Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, artists such as Andy Warhol, and author of the musical RENT, the late Johnathon Larson, became staples of the neighborhood, working in such famous haunts as CBGB and Club 57. This neighborhood became a focal point in the experimental and performance theaters as well as the perfect location for the post-modern art scene.

Today, the East Village is still filled with great music and creative people, though the heart of the art scene has moved to Williamsburg, a neighborhood in the nearby borough of Brooklyn. It includes such famous neighborhoods named for streets throughout the neighborhood such as Alphabet City, Stuyvesant Town, Loisada, St. Mark’s Place, and The Bowery. Once famous simply for its high homeless population, this neighborhood is improving steadily in terms of safety and upkeep.

A great point of interest for many of the residents of the East Village is Tompkins Square Park, its answer to Central Park. In this space you’ll find many performance artists, as well as musicians and street vendors, and is the perfect place to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Dining and Entertainment are plentiful in the East Village, as well as an extremely vibrant nightlife scene. At night, this neighborhood is more catered to an artistic clientele, those truly interested in a more gritty New York experience.

Subway: F, V, 6 and L