Visiting Greenwich Village in New York City
Greenwich Village in New York City is a place of grand reputation and one of the major places in the city that both residents and visitors go to simply make a day or evening of it. Although it has a reputation as an avantgarde kind of place, it has lost some of its Bohemian feel in recent years.
Today, it is mostly upper middle class and there are some pretty extravagant apartments available there as well. Many tourists visit this part of Manhattan and like what they see. If you want to go to this particular area of Manhattan, it might interest you to know that this is where the Beat Generation decided to set up camp. Among the famous residents who made Greenwich Village home are the singer Bob Dylan.
It is easy to find the village but area borders have changed pretty significantly over the years. In fact, the lower East Side and Greenwich Village New York City are not part of the same area, although they exist in the same general area of Manhattan. It is not quite the Greenwich Village of old with its easy beatnik atmosphere, but it is still interesting to visit. The village is found west of Broadway in Manhattan between 14th Street and Houston Street.
The area caters to mostly the adult crowd and many of the bars and clubs in this neighborhood range from cheap to quite expensive. However, you can find some very good vegetarian food quite reasonably priced. Actually, you can find just about any food you would like from any of the street vendors that are very common in New York City.
Even though Greenwich Village New York City is not generally for children, you can take them to places that do not intersect with the more adult parts of the neighborhood. One good place to go with children is Washington Square Park. If you need a little alone time with your sweetie, you can go there for a romantic getaway as well.
When it all began
The area has an interesting history. Before European and American settlers showed up, the village was a large tobacco field tended by Native Americans. After Dutch settlers arrived, it was cleared of the crop and renamed Nordwyck.
After English settlers showed up, they forced the Dutch settlers to leave and renamed the area Grin’wich. At this time, Grin’Wich as a neighborhood was actually not part of New York City. When yellow fever swept through and wiped out a lot of population in lower Manhattan, many people moved to Grin’Wich because it had open spaces and clean air.
The history is not particularly significant when one thinks about what the village represented in the fifties to the seventies, but its twentieth-century Bohemian culture took root there as did other important parts of American history like the anti-Vietnam War movement. During this time, Greenwich Village New York City was home to a very unique culture and alternative lifestyles. Many thought that residents in the area were so-called beatniks or hippies and they often shunned its residents. This further cemented Greenwich Village’s avant-garde reputation and its artsy feel.
Many writers, musicians, poets and artists moved to the area for its ambiance and in search of their own fame. Businesses there were generally coffee shops and thrift shops, but they began to cater specifically to the arts crowd and made themselves accessible to that particular type of customer.
These days, the neighborhood has undergone quite a few changes as compared to its Bohemian days. Of course, Greenwich Village New York City is still a very interesting place to go, but the borders are closer and the artsy feel and ambiance is largely absent. You can find certain areas, though, that still embody that. One reason things have changed so is that housing prices have increased dramatically. In the sixties, housing was very affordable here. However, today, you might pay $2,000 a month or more for a one-bedroom apartment.
Although it used to be that Spring Street was the demarcation for the Village, it is West 4th Street now. West 4th Street still has the flavor and feel of the original art scene in small areas. This is where you can still find some of the original art scene. This was a major epicenter of the homosexual movement about twenty years ago. The area is a mix of straight and gay nightclubs and boutiques that supply alternative clothing popular to young people. The area is also sometimes called the New York City red light district.
West 4th Street also has the renowned street courts, training ground for many of the greatest street basketball players. The NBA and the And 1 Corporation used this as a location for making street basketball films. The courts are just across the street from the subway stop at West 4th Street and it is a popular place to stop and simply watch the athletes’ skill, especially during the summer months.
If you are planning to visit the Big Apple, be sure not to miss Greenwich Village New York City. Its uniqueness will make it a place that once you visit, you will always remember.