EThe editors · 3 Neighbourhood walks lists — switch
A West Village wander
Crooked streets, the narrowest house, Stonewall, a Friends building and a piano bar to end.
12 placesHalf a dayRead the guide ↓
1. Washington Square ParkStart under the arch.Village & DowntownFree to visit30 minFree
2. Cafe Wha?Where Dylan and Hendrix played early on.Village & DowntownFood & drink1.5 hoursCover charge
3. Jefferson Market LibraryA Victorian courthouse turned library.Village & DowntownFree to visit20 minFree
4. The Stonewall InnWhere the 1969 uprising began; a national monument.Village & DowntownFood & drink30 minDrinks
5. Three Lives & CompanyA corner bookshop worth a stop.Village & DowntownFree to visit20 minFree to browse
6. Grove CourtA hidden courtyard behind a gate.Village & DowntownFrom outside5 minFree to look
7. The Friends building, 90 Bedford StreetThe block Monica and Rachel lived in, on TV.Village & DowntownFrom outside5 minFree to look
8. 75½ Bedford StreetNine and a half feet wide.Village & DowntownFrom outside5 minFree to look
9. Cherry Lane TheatreOff-Broadway since 1924.Village & DowntownFrom outside5 min, or a showFree to look
10. Faicco’s Italian SpecialtiesAn Italian sandwich from a 1900 pork store.Village & DowntownFood & drink15 minSandwiches about $15
11. Magnolia Bakery, Bleecker StreetBanana pudding on Bleecker.Village & DowntownFood & drink15 minBanana pudding about $6–8
12. Marie’s Crisis CafeEnd by singing show tunes.Village & DowntownFood & drink1 hourDrinks
The guide
How to do it: A West Village wander
The West Village is the one part of Manhattan where the street grid gives up: lanes curve, streets cross themselves, and 19th-century houses hide behind gates.
Wander it in an afternoon and end the evening singing at Marie’s Crisis.
- The order to do it in
- Washington Square, down MacDougal, across to Jefferson Market and Stonewall, then the side streets (Grove, Bedford, Commerce) and Bleecker for food.
- When to go
- Weekday afternoons; evenings for the bars.
- Getting there
- W 4th St (A C E B D F M) or Christopher St (1).
- What it costs
- Free to walk; food and drinks as you go.
Worth knowing
- Grove Court and the Friends building are private homes: look from the sidewalk and keep doorways clear.
Started from the pins on Jessie on a Journey’s West Village map (the map). Places, notes and the guide checked and written by us; prices and opening times change, so check before you go.