From Wikitravel

The East Village, though east of the Village, was traditionally considered part of the Lower East Side, and constitutes the portion north of Houston St., south of 14th St., and east of Broadway. Although increasingly gentrified, with former crack dens that are now modern apartments so hip you can't afford them, it remains an ethnically diverse area of students, young professionals, and older longtime residents. This colorful neighborhood is full of good values in food as diverse as its population, and there's always something happening on St. Marks Place, 24/7.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By subway

Q or N trains to Union Square

R or W trains to 8th St. or Union Square

4 or 5 to Union Square

6 to Astor Place, Bleecker St., or Union Square

L to Union Square, 3rd Av., or 1st Av.

F to 2nd Av. or Broadway-Lafayette

D or B to Broadway-Lafayette

[edit] By bus

Numerous bus routes. See the MTA website to download a Manhattan bus map or look at bus route schedules. Of particular note, however, are the crosstown buses. The M8 travels east on 8th St., then turns north on Av. A and travels on 10th St. the rest of the way. The M8 travels west on 10th St. and then starting on Av. A, on 9th St. The M14 14th St. crosstown is also notable because after going crosstown on 14th St. from the west side, the M14A bus turns down Av. A, whereas the M14D turns down Av. C and travels down Av. D starting at 10th St.

[edit] By bicycle

This is absolutely the best way to catch all of the East Village action. If you are coming from uptown on the West Side, take the West Side Green Path down to 14th Street. Cross east on 12th, or any street with a bike lane that runs east! If you are coming down from the East Side, there is an East Side bike path that is interrupted by the United Nations. Simply cross over to Second Ave. and ride south until you cross 14th St.

[edit] By car

Parking in the East Village can be difficult. If you plan to park on the street, be patient and opportunistic, and take care to observe posted parking regulations and avoid parking in front of houses of worship and funeral homes, lest your car should be ticketed or towed. There are also some parking garages in the neighborhood, if you don't mind paying.

[edit] On foot

If you are within walking distance of the East Village in decent weather, walking to the neighborhood is the most interesting way to go, and certainly the best way to get around.

[edit] By taxi

There are usually many taxis in the East Village. It is easiest to flag down a cab on avenues, rather than side streets, but if you are on a side street, look for cabs, anyway, while you walk toward an avenue. Be warned that at peak times and in bad weather, it can be hard to find empty cabs.

[edit][add listing] See

• Tompkins Square Park OK not much to see, but a nice park nonetheless and historically significant. From east-village.com: TSP has long had a reputation as the city's center for political demonstrations and home of radical thought. Protesters and activists have gathered and marched on issues such as police brutality, anti-war, immigration, gay & lesbian rights, homelessness, affordable housing, etc. Some of this protest has been marred with violence. The Grateful Dead played their first East Coast gig at TSP in June of 1967. The first Hare Krishna gathering outside of India took place here in 1965 (poet Alan Ginsburg was in attendence). Many writers, poets, artists, musicians, and free-thinkers have found inspiration in TSP's diverse atmosphere. The park has a curfew—it closes at midnight.
• Ottendorfer Library [1] The oldest continuously existing free lending library in New York, it was originally designed in 1884 as a "Deutsches Bibliothek" when this neighborhood was part of Kleindeutschland (Little Germany) and now serves as a branch of the New York Public Library. A lovely red brick building, it contains reliefs of heroes of German culture such as Goethe. Another part of the building, constructed as a "Deutsches Dispensary," recently stopped functioning as a clinic and will reportedly be converted into condominiums soon.
• The Cooper Union, Cooper Square (Astor Place and 7th Street), [2]. The only private, full-scholarship college in the United States dedicated exclusively to preparing students for the professions of art, architecture and engineering. The college, established in 1859, occupies several buildings, but the most recognizable and famous is the Foundation Building, which is situated on the block to the south of Astor Place between the two branches of Cooper Square (one being the southward extension of 3rd Av. and the other, an avenue that connects the Bowery with 4th Av. at Astor Place). The college, the legacy of Peter Cooper, occupies a special place in the history of American education.
• St. Marks Place is the eastward extention of 8th St./Astor Place past 3rd Ave. There are many bars, restaurants, and shops (many with a street vending presence) on the block between 2nd and 3rd Aves. There's always quite a mixture of folk walking up and down the street and within the area not to mention the slew of students from Cooper Union and NYU, which has plenty of dormitories and facilities nearby. Be warned that it can be unpleasantly crowded with slow-moving tipsy people at times, but it is a good place for people-watching.

• Stuyvesant St. is the only street in Manhattan that actually runs due east to the compass. There are several 18th- and early 19th-century buildings along this street, which runs from a bit south of 9th St. and 3rd Ave. to 10th St and 2nd Ave. At the corner of 10th St. and 2nd Ave. is St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, [3] a historic landmark and a very active church today, with an old and lush graveyard to the north, on and near the corner of 11th St. and 2nd Ave. Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of the colony of New Netherland before the British took possession and renamed it New York, is buried in a crypt in the east wall of the church. On the other end of Stuyvesant St., at the triangle between 9th St., Stuyvesant St., and 3rd Ave., a small garden and a compass fountain were constructed a few years ago for beautification and in order to show that Stuyvesant St. does go due east to the compass. For more information on Stuyvesant St. and its interesting history, you can look at this page on the Forgotten NY website.
• Alamo is a sculpture at the center of Astor Place. This steel cube actually rotates as you push on any side, though you may need the strength of two or three people for a complete rotation. One of its sister cubes resides on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

[edit][add listing] Do

• The Public Theater and the adjoining Joe's Pub [4] at 425 Lafayette St, are part of the lifeblood of the East Village. You can see shows, events, art, and Shakespeare, and hear some excellent performers of jazz, world music and so on at Joe's Pub.
• Blue Man Group, 434 Lafayette St (Astor Place Theatre), +1 212-254-4370, [5].
• Russian-Turkish Bathhouse, 268 E 10th St, [6]. Enjoy a day of self indulgence with a very authentic Russian feel. Then nosh on bagels and cream cheese, or an authentic Russian meal in the restaurant. Maybe after all that shvitzing (that's Yiddish/New Yorkese for "sweating"): a huge bottle of seltzer, or fresh carrot juice is the thing you'll want most.
• STOMP at the Orpheum Theatre on 2nd Ave between 7th St and St. Marks, +1 212-477-2477, [7].
• Note that the famous CBGB permanently closed its doors in October 2006.

[edit][add listing] Buy

• There are Ukranian clothes, musical instruments, books, and other items on sale at Surma, 11 E. 7 St. between Cooper Square and 2nd Av., (212) 477-0729.

• Many souvenirs, articles of clothing, and new and used records are on sale on St. Marks Place between 2nd and 3rd Avs. in storefronts that open onto the street and indoor stores.

• There are two Japanese grocery stores in the neighborhood. JAS Mart, 133 2nd Av., (212) 420-6370, is actually on St. Marks Place just west of 2nd Av. Sunrise Mart, 29 3rd Av. (2nd floor - accessible by elevator), (212) 598-3040, is actually on Stuyvesant St. Both of these stores are extensively patronized by Japanese residents of New York.

• M2M, a Korean supermarket, 200 E. 11 St. (corner of 3rd Av.), (212) 353-2698. No, this is not just an ordinary Korean-owned fruit, vegetable, and convenience store, but a fair-sized supermarket stocked with Korean foodstuffs and catering to Koreans (and to a lesser extent, Japanese). The store has recently installed a set of tables for those who want to have a meal, snack, or drink inside. M2M stands for "morning to midnight," the store's hours.

• Strand Bookstore [8], 828 Broadway (corner of 12th St.), (212) 473-1452, Fax (212) 473-2591, is one of the foremost used bookstores in New York.

[edit][add listing] Eat

There are hundreds of eateries in the East Village, which is among the best neighborhoods in Manhattan for sampling a variety of different cuisines and has lots of good values at a wide spectrum of price points.

• Avenue A Sushi, 105 Av. A, +1 212-982-8109. Affordable and excellent sushi—go for the marble roll which is wrapped in white seaweed, a true delicacy. Friendly fun and delicious! If you don't like DJ music while you dine, however, this isn't your place.
• Alt.coffee, 139 Av. A, +1 212-529-2233. Internet cafe, though I hear they are hassling you if you want to plug in your laptop now. Great caffeine-lovers cafe.
• Cafe Mogador[9], 101 St. Marks Place (between 1st Av. and Av. A), (212) 677-2226, serves Moroccan, French, and Middle-Eastern cuisine, all dependably good. The cafe is especially popular for weekend brunch, but a very good breakfast/brunch is available every day of the week. More dishes are on the brunch menu on weekends, but expect to wait about a half hour for a table then.
• Caracas Arepa Bar[10], 93 1/2 E. 7th St. (just east of 1st Av.), (212) 228-5062, is a small restaurant specializing in arepas, the Venezuelan answer to empanadas. They also serve Venezuelan empanadas, salads, desserts, etc., and very good fresh-squeezed juices. You may have to wait on line for a table at peak hours, but it is a very relaxing place to eat at the bar on off-hours. The lunch specials are a good deal.
• Chickpea[11], 23 3 Av. (between St. Marks Place and Stuyvesant St.), (212) 254-9511, is a kosher Israeli-style shawarma and felafel restaurant. Also try their lentil soup and (especially for ovo-lacto vegetarians) the rich "Chickplant sandwich." Very popular with NYU (New York University) students and Israelis. Note, however, that Chickpea has recently changed from traditional deep-fried felafel to baked felafel, on stated grounds of health. Many connoisseurs are up in arms over this.
• Chinatown Brasserie[12], 380 Lafayette St. (corner of Great Jones), (212) 533-7000, is becoming famous for its unusual take on dim sum items, some of which are available for dinner as well as lunch; its upscale Chinese-American food (though not everyone loves this); and its cocktails. You will pay dearly for the experience - each plate of dim sum costs between $6 and $15 for an order of four dumplings, for example, with some plates as much as $22, and cocktails are $8-12 apiece (if anything lower than usual for cocktail bars of comparable fanciness in this city but hardly cheap) - but if you love dim sum and can afford the price, you'll probably find it an experience worth having. Reservations strongly advised.
• Gandhi, 345 E. 6th Street (between 1st and 2nd Aves.), (212) 614-9718, called by some the best Indian restaurant on the block, has an extensive vegetarian menu, tandoori specials, etc. Open seven days a week. Reservations not needed except for larger groups, which can opt for a party room.
• Grand Sichuan International St. Marks, 19-23 St. Marks Place (between 2nd and 3rd Avs.), (212) 529-4800, serves great Hunan and Sichuan cuisine. For best results, stick to those parts of the menu and avoid lunch specials. Large parties may need reservations.
• Hearth[13], 403 E. 12th St., (646) 602-1300, is an upscale American restaurant strongly influenced by Italian cuisine. Hearth is open for dinner only. Expect to pay roughly $60-80/person, including wine. Reservations recommended.
• Madras Cafe, 79 2nd Av. (between 4th and 5th Sts.), (212) 254-8002, is a kosher vegetarian Indian restaurant, specializing in the savory cuisine of Southern India but also including Northern Indian dishes.
• Menkui Tei, 63 Cooper Square (southern extension of 3rd Av., between 7th and St. Marks Place), (212) 228-4152, is an authentic ramen house popular with Japanese people. In addition to various kinds of ramen, their gyoza are also popular.
• Ramen Setagaya[14], 141 1st Av. (between St. Marks and 9th Sts.), (212) 529-2740, which recently opened its first franchise in New York, is a branch of a ramen chain of the same name based in Japan. You may experience long lines at peak times, so try to go off-peak.
• Soba Koh on 5th St. just east of 2nd Av. is a small, comfortable, civilized restaurant serving delicious soba and desserts and playing sweet modern jazz on its sound system. Expect to pay roughly $20-30/person for dinner.
• Veniero's[15], 342 E. 11th Street (between 1st and 2nd Aves.), (212) 674-7070, is a fun little Italian pastry shop.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• B Bar 40 E 4th St, +1 212 475-2220, [16]. Restaurant and bar, this place caters mostly to the bar and club crowd.
• d.b.a., 41 1st Av. (between 2nd and 3rd St.),[17] has a good selection of beers including many from microbreweries, as well as a bunch of single malt whiskeys, and prices are reasonable for the neighborhood. It can get crazy on Saturday nights, but it's a pleasant, relaxing place on weeknights.
• McSorleys Old Ale House, 15 E 7th St, +1 212 473-9148, [18]. The oldest pub in continuous operation in New York, this small pub packs up fast. Sawdust on the floors, McSorleys beer only that comes in pairs, this place is a favorite with tourists and locals alike. The ancient chandelier above the bar has turkey wishbones dating from WW2 when a turkey dinner was thrown for the departing soldier and the wishbone was hung up till he returned. Boisterous atmospheric and cheap food too!
• The Raven Grungy, beat-up, blasting classic 70's rock and punk, dim lighting, ratty thrift-store couches, sex in the bathrooms... you know the drill. The bartenders are friendly enough, and the doorman won't tell your wife about the NYU hottie who showed you her goodies. 194 Avenue A between 12th/13th Streets

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Bowery's Whitehouse Hotel of New York, 340 Bowery Between Great Jones (3rd Street) and 2nd Street(on the Western Side of Bowery), (212) 477-5623, [19]. Private room. The rooms are very small (not much larger than the bed!), but they are clean, hostel is centrally located. Internet access, 24-hour reception, cash machine, grocery store located next door. There is also an internet cafe down the street at Cooper Square called Web2Zone. This hostel has great rates at $35 for a single per night. It doesn't have a traditional ceiling, but what they consider traditional for an old-fashioned hostel that its lattice and you can hear the other occupants through it. Right down the street from the 6 train and is a great place to explore the East Village, the West Village and so on.

• East Village Bed & Coffee, 110 Avenue C between 7th & 8th Streets, (212) 533-4175, [20]. Single: $95. Double: $110+, tax included. Small, eclectic rooms in a hip neighborhood with plenty of vibrant young nightlife nearby. Small garden out back for nice weather.

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