Tips for visiting Greenwich Village, NYC
Greenwich Village is one of New York City’s most famous and unique areas.
It has countless restaurants and bars and also quiet leafy side streets that will make you forget you are in New York.
While most of the artists and musicians who made the area a counter-culture haven have moved away because of staggering real estate values Greenwich Village still holds onto its unique charm.
In the many years I’ve been visiting Greenwich Village the first thing that always strikes me is the amount of trees and greenery. It wasn’t until researching this article that I learned the name comes from the Dutch work Groenwijck, which means “Green District”. Nice to see that Greenwich has held onto the greenery through the years.
I think Greenwich Village is best experienced by wandering around and taking in the vibe as opposed to visiting with a long “to-do” list.
With that said we’ve included below some tips and thoughts on how to best experience Greenwich Village.
The iconic arch at Washington Square Park at dusk. All photos by John O’Boyle / The Empty Nest Explorers
How to get to Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village is centrally located in the lower section of Manhattan. This means that many subway lines either have stops inside or very close to Greenwich Village. One of the largest subway stations is “West 4th Street - Washington Square”.
You can read tips about riding the NYC subway in our post “ How to ride the NYC subway, tips for visitors”
If you are coming from New Jersey the PATH train has stops at Christopher Street and 9th Street.
What to do in Greenwich Village
Washington Square Park
The Washington Square arch lit at night.
Washington Square Park is in the middle of Greenwich Village – located at the end of Fifth Avenue between MacDougal Street and University Place.
The park and its iconic arch have been the setting for countless movies.
In keeping with the counter-culture vibe of Greenwich Village there is always an eclectic mix of people in the park.
NYU is scattered around Washington Square Park and the school likes to “adopt” the park as part of its campus. This keeps a youthful spirit throughout the park.
Stroll and eat along MacDougal Street
The busy MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village.
With over 60 restaurants MacDougal Street is a diners' dream, plus is a great street for people-watching.
You can start at the southwest corner of Washington Square Park and walk south.
Mamoun’s Falafel, located at 119 MacDougal, is one of our favorites. They also have a few other locations in NYC and New Jersey.
Café Reggio, located at 119 MacDougal, is a visually interesting cafe dating back to 1927. The cafe boasts that it served the first cappuccino in the United States. Numerous movies have been filmed here including Godfather 2.
The famous Comedy Cellar is located at 117 MacDougal Street. The classic comedy club has hosted countless famous comedians including, Jon Stewart, Robin Williams, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, and Ray Romano.
Visit the Stonewall Inn
The Stonewall Inn (left) and the adjacent Stonewall National Monument Visitors Center.
The Stonewall Inn is a gay bar located at 53 Christopher Street. It was the site of the 1969 Stonewall Riot, a major milestone in the LGBT movement.
It’s an unusual spot since it’s both an active commercial bar and a National Monument operated by the National Park Service. There is a visitors center next to the Stonewall Inn and a small park across the street with sculptures.
Admire the architecture and brownstone buildings
At one time Greenwich Village was a rural village north of the developed area in lower Manhattan so it developed an ad-hoc pattern of roads. When NYC adopted the grid pattern we know today the West Village area was allowed to keep its street pattern.
If you look at today's Greenwich Village map you’ll see a grid pattern east of 6th Avenue and no pattern at all west of 6th Avenue.
So the West Village is one of my favorite places to aimlessly wander looking at the buildings.
At 75 1/2 Bedford Street you’ll see New York’s narrowest apartment.
On Morton Street, you’ll see some very nice Brownstones.
Pedestrians walking on Commerce Street in front of Cherry Lane Theatre,
Cherry Lane Theatre, located at 38 Commerce Street, is the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York City. While the theater is fantastic I really enjoy Commerce Street, it’s so quiet (when there is no show) you can literally walk down the middle of the street.
Notable music venues
There is no shortage of notable music venues in Greenwich Village.
The Bitter End has hosted Bob Dylan, James Taylor, and Woody Allen. Today they have an extensive lineup of live performances. You can check out Bitter End events here.
The jazz club Village Vanguard opened in 1935 and is still going strong today. Jazz legends including Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk have played at the club and you can purchase tickets here to see today’s stars.
The Blue Note has been a world-famous jazz club for over 40 years. Every famous jazz star has played the Blue Note. There are now Blue Notes in Hawaii, Napa, Tokyo, Rio, Sai Paulo, Milan, Beijing, and Shanghai.
Not only can you catch a show today but they also have a full dining menu.
You can get more info on their website.
Walk the Highline
Walking the High Line
The Highline is one of the most popular parks in New York City and one of our favorites. It’s not a regular park but an elevated greenway on old railroad tracks.
The nearly 1 1/2-mile park extends from the Hudson Yards area to the northwest edge of Greenwich Village.
The park is filled with many varieties of plants and flowers. There is also art exhibits and food vendors throughout the length of the park.
You can read much more about the Highline in our blog post: Visiting Chelsea and Hudson Yards, NYC
Visit the Whitney Museum
The Whitney Museum is focused on modern and contemporary American art. It is located at the end of the Highline in the Meatpacking District.
Not only is the artwork interesting but the unusual architecture of the building is interesting too.
If the $30 admission feels a bit steep you can check out the outside of the striking building from the High Line.
More information here.
Catch an independent movie at the IFC Center
The IFC Center art house movie theater on Sixth Avenue is a place to catch a quality independent film. We have seen movies there that you can’t find in your local theater.
Often movies will premiere at the IFC Center with a discussion with the film’s director.
You can check out their current offerings here.
The oddity of Hess Triangle, NYC’s smallest piece of private property
The Hess Triangle at the intersection of Seventh Avenue South and Christopher Street.
I think Hess Triangle has to be mentioned because it’s an odd story and you may literally step on it and not even know.
The short version of the story begins in 1914 when New York City started an expansion of the Seventh Avenue subway. Unfortunately, this meant that many buildings would be demolished.
Many residents were upset about the demolitions, including the Hess Estate, owners of an apartment building at the intersection of Seventh Avenue South and Christopher Street.
Eventually, they gave in and surrendered their property. But a surveyor’s mistake meant that the Hess Estate could keep a 26-inch by 24-inch sliver of their property.
In an act of defiance, they created a mosaic with the words: PROPERTY OF THE HESS ESTATE WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN DEDICATED FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES, all in capital letters.
If you are nearby it’s worth spending a few seconds checking out this oddity of NYC history.
Where to eat in Greenwich Village
There are countless restaurants in Greenwich Village, over 60 restaurants on MacDougal Street alone.
As you walk around Greenwich Village it’s easy to spot which is the latest social media hotspot by the long line. With so many wonderful restaurants there is no reason to wait in line.
A perfect example of this is the ever-present huge line for sweet goodies outside Crumble on Bleeker Street when just one block away on the same street is Molly's Cupcakes with no line.
Molly’s has nearly two dozen gourmet cupcakes plus you can sit on a swing (yes, an indoor swing) and enjoy your snack.
Two of our favorites are Tio Pepe (168 West 4th Street) for Spanish cuisine and Moustache Pitza (29 7th Ave S), not for pizza but Middle Eastern favorites.
We try to order at least one new dish each time we visit Moustache Pitza.
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