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City Living: Greenwich Village

By Hesper Desloovere | Special to amNewYork

November 15, 2007

Greenwich Village q&a: Alisa Doga (Lane Johnson, amNewYork / November 14, 2007)

Longtime Greenwich Village residents lament the neighborhood's transformation from bohemian to bourgeois, but the '50s and '60s were far from the Village's grittiest era: Before there was Sing Sing, in the heart of Greenwich Village was Newgate Prison. Legend has it, condemned prisoners were hanged from a certain elm in Washington Square Park, although naysayers claim evidence is scant.

Greenwich Village, including the West Village, was settled as a rural hamlet separate from burgeoning New York City to the south. In 1797, the construction of Newgate State Prison spurred development in the area, and by the 1830s, Washington Square was positively posh. At that point Newgate's prisoners had been "sent up the river" to the newly built Sing Sing facilities, and the area was freshly populated with residents seeking refuge from New York City's raging yellow fever epidemic.

By the time Manhattan's city planners got around to a formal grid plan, the Village was in full swing and officially exempt from numbers and straight lines. While a few streets adopted numerical designations along the way -- 10th, 11th and 12th streets were Amos, Hammond and Troy streets; West 4th Street's north-south segment was Asylum Street -- much of the neighborhood has retained its original architecture, layout and character.

In the 20th century, Greenwich Villagewas home to some of the city's most influential artists and movements -- from Dylan Thomas to Bob Dylan, from the Beats to the Weather Underground. While upscale residents and college students have supplanted rebels and Bohemians, a progressive, tolerant, alternative vibe still permeates the Village.

Find it
Greenwich Village is bounded by Fourth Avenue and Lafayette Street to the east, Sixth Avenue to the west, 14th Street to the north and Houston Street to the south.

TO EAT
Greenwich Village has a high concentration of wallet-busting fine dining establishments, but the area is also jammed with cheap eats and study-friendly coffee shops.

Lupa Osteria Romana
It's impossible to talk about eating in the Village without mentioning Mario Batali, but Babbo isn't the last word on Italian. Under cozy globe lights and brick archways, Lupa offers equally top-notch food without as much fanfare.
170 Thompson St. 212-982-5089

Mamoun's Falafel
If the Washington Square Park food stands aren't cutting it, Mamoun's is the place to stretch a buck and fill your belly: Grab a $2 falafel as late as 5 a.m. every night of the week.
119 MacDougal St. 212-674-8685

Joe The Art of Coffee
There's practically a coffee shop for every student in the neighborhood, but Joe merits a special mention: The espresso, drip coffee and pastries are all winners. A good place to set up shop or meet friends if you can snag a table.
9 E. 13th St. 212-924-7400

Arturo's
The area is strewn with pizza joints, but Arturo's serves up classic coal-oven pies sans college-kid swarms.
106 W. Houston St. 212-677-3820