East Village
The East Village extends from Houston Street north to 14th Street, and Lafayette Street east to the EastRiver. Once dominated by squatters, punks, hippies and bikers, the East Village used to be a somewhatsketchy neighborhood. But the influences of New York University (NYU) and general surge in Manhattanincomes have transformed this neighborhood into a welcome home for professionals, artists andstudents. In the last decade, the East Village has seen the opening of hundreds of one of a kindboutiques, art galleries, bars and restaurants. Still, the area retains much of its original seedy charm,and St. Mark's Place still going strong.
Housing
Most of the available apartments are in pre-war walk-up buildings, many of which are now refurbished.But there several new residential buildings, including the first to be pre-wired for high speed Internetaccess (the Info Building at 3rd Street and Avenue A). What some of the older places lack in size is morethan made up for in charm!
Restaurants
The East Village is home to a huge variety of restaurants, in terms of both ethnicity and price. About adozen Indian restaurants are packed into the Little India, the block of East 6th Street between 1st and2nd Avenues. Veselka, a large, all-night diner on tktk, is one of the most visible reminders of the EastVillage's century-old Ukrainian population. And hip, highly-rated places like Frank, a new Italian on 2ndAvenue, seem to open almost every week.
Arts/Entertainment
You could spend years exploring the East Village's watering holes. From dive bars to chic clubs, it's aweekend destination for residents of other Manhattan neighborhoods. It's also home to dozens of smalltheaters, especially in the area of Bowery. And beyond the usual multiplexes, the neighborhood hasrecently seen the opening of the Sunshine, a Houston Street movie house with unusual films and verycomfy chairs.
Great Outdoors
Tompkins Square Park used to be considered the center of all that was wrong with the East Village. Butafter 1991, when the homeless shantytown was razed, the park was transformed. It now boasts two dogruns, tree-lined paths, a weekend farmer's market and outdoor theater in the summer.
Subways
4, 5, 6, F, V, L, N, R
