East Village
Ah,
the East Village and all its trappings--fashionable
boutiques, a plethora of divey, divey bars, and the
quaintly tiny apartments/studios that many call home.
Skeptical onlookers can only raise an eyebrow and wonder,
well, why? For those who throw down their boots in the
East Village, however, the neighborhood is like that
slightly unsightly blanket you wouldn’t let your mom
throw away even after you finished third grade—it not
only refuses to quit, but it provides an incredible sense
of security and community for its inhabitants.
The
East Village dwellers who make up this mass of people are
varied, from the young, hipster kids who are most visible
on the streets to the Ukranian, Polish, and Hispanic
peoples who have lived there for years. The green space
around here is scattered but appreciated, from Abe
Lebewohl Park on 2nd Ave in front of St. Mark’s Church
to the park on Houston and 1st Ave that can
provide a quiet little getaway in the summer when you’re
craving a bit o’ the green. Kept up by local volunteers,
this tiny park space features a variety of interesting
flora and even a fish and frog pond. The East River Park,
while often ignored, is actually a decent place to catch a
picnic or pot luck, should you have the urge.
The
aura of the illicit, left over from the East Village’s
days in the 80s of drug addicts, snot-nosed street punks,
and Bowery troubles continues today only in a few small
pockets, many of them purposely fueled by the party set.
Illicit late night joints spring up along the East
Village’s farther reaches all the time, but most go out
of business only a few months after they start. Tompkins
Square Park has also cleaned up for the better, although
you can still catch a mean game of chess at any time of
day.
Most
buildings in the East Village are 5 or 6 story walkup
apartments or studios; the space crunch of the past
several years facilitated major renovations in many of
these quaint buildings. As a rule, rents are cheaper the
farther east you go towards the river and towards Houston
Street, although cheap finds naturally pop up from time to
time.
Wherever you settle down in the East Village,
you’ll find a variety of shopping needs fulfilled.
Boutiques abound, as do second-hand stores. Drea De Matteo
(of Sopranos fame) owns the Filth Mart on 13th
between A & B, one of the still-standing bastions of
cool threads in the East Village. As far as eating is
concerned, you can’t really go wrong on 2nd
Ave between 10th and Houston. You’ll find
nearly every type of restaurant in these blocks of bliss,
from Indian and Thai to Italian and American eclectic.
Some of the best bets are First, on First Ave and 5th
St, Frank, Holy Basil, and for all the vegan lovers out
there—the famous all-vegan hotbed Angelica Kitchen.
Nighttime
entertainment consists, for the most part, of the East
Village bar crawl, through some of the seediest joints
you’re likely to come across in NYC. Most have a
Ukranian dive feel—dimly lit with a slight hint of
sticky wetness over every surface, like a film of slick
debauchery has been dumped over the entire place. Bastions
of drinking pleasure include the Holiday Cocktail Lounge
(St. Marks 1&2) where the ancient owner opens early in
the afternoon, sings until he gets tired, then kicks you
all out onto the pavement, or the bar at Odessa, where you
can knock back cheap shots and fill your need for grease
next door at the restaurant (grilled cheese on challah,
anyone?)
The
East Village is today what is left of the common term
“Village” of old New York. It is, however, deemed to please your experience of
the city, in nearly every facet imaginable.
SPREAD THE WORD TO YOUR FRIENDS. We are trying to influence the rental market to rid itself of tenant broker fees and we need your help to Spread The Word.
Sincerely
David Drake
President