Neighborhood Guide · Manhattan
Greenwich Village
The heart of downtown.
Joe's Greenwich Village
Whether I lived in Greenwich Village depends on who's drawing the lines.
My apartment was on the corner of East 9th Street and Third Avenue. Some call that the East Village, and some call it Greenwich Village. What I can say for sure is that I'm in Greenwich Village every single day. My kids went to daycare on Fifth Avenue and 8th Street (just 8th Street, not East or West, because it sits right on Fifth), and they played in Washington Square Park every day at recess. Years before that, I was an NYU student in that same park, reading a book, cramming for a test, or smoking more cigarettes than I'd like to admit while I waited on a test result.
I love this neighborhood. It truly has it all: some of the wealthiest people in the city and some of the most artistic, the skaters, and the guy who drags his grand piano into the park to play for whoever stops to listen. You can buy a rare, limited-edition watch on one corner, then walk 500 feet and buy opium (lol). It's diverse, a little crazy and insanely charming. As you go about your everyday life, you pass celebrities, billionaires and probably a serial killer or two, and we all mash together like a soup made from ingredients that were never supposed to go together, but somehow it's delicious.
The homes are just as varied: Gold Coast co-ops, townhouses converted into single-family homes, walk-up rental buildings and a new development here and there. You can tell a street is historic by the color of its street sign, and you're never far from a beautiful church.
If you don't know exactly what you want, but you want it all, this is the perfect place to live.
Washington Square Park, recess for my kids and study hall for me
Greenwich Village is where New York's creative spirit was born. Washington Square Park is the neighborhood's living room, NYU fills the blocks around it, and the side streets are lined with some of the oldest homes in Manhattan. It's busy, historic and endlessly entertaining, all at once.
At a Glance
What to expect
A lively, central neighborhood with something happening on every block.
The lifestyle
Days in the park, nights at a jazz club or comedy show.
What not to expect
A quiet escape from the city's energy.
Living here
Townhouses, prewar co-ops, walk-ups and doorman buildings.
You'll fall in love with
A Sunday afternoon in Washington Square Park.
Buildings I Know Inside and Out
From prewar co-ops on the park to classic walk-ups, every building in the Village has its own board, rules and personality. These are the Greenwich Village buildings where I've sold.
Around the Block
The Washington Memorial Arch, as pictured in 1893.
A little history
Greenwich Village began as a country village well north of the city. In the early 1800s, New Yorkers fled here to escape yellow fever outbreaks downtown, and the town grew into a neighborhood. Washington Square itself was a potter's field before it became a parade ground and then a park.
The elegant Greek Revival rowhouses on Washington Square North went up around 1832. In 1889 a temporary arch was built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration. It was so popular that Stanford White designed a permanent marble version, finished in 1895. Much of the neighborhood has been protected in the Greenwich Village Historic District since 1969.
Tree-lined streets & old New York charm
Step off the park onto blocks like West 10th Street, Washington Mews or MacDougal Alley, and the city seems to fall away: brick and brownstone townhouses, old carriage houses, iron railings and mature trees. Some of the oldest homes in Manhattan are still standing here.
The lifestyle
Washington Square Park is the center of it all, with chess players, street performers, musicians and the fountain in summer. MacDougal and Bleecker Streets are packed with cafes, jazz clubs and comedy rooms, including the Comedy Cellar and Café Wha?, where Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix played early sets. And with NYU all around, the neighborhood always has a young, curious energy.
Living here
Greenwich Village offers townhouses and floor-throughs on its quieter blocks, grand prewar co-ops around the park, and doorman buildings along Fifth Avenue and University Place. It's one of Manhattan's most sought-after addresses, and the right building makes all the difference.
Famous Neighbors
Few neighborhoods have attracted as many writers, artists, musicians and changemakers.
Getting Around
Subway
West 4th Street–Washington Square is one of the best-connected stations in the city, with the A, C, E, B, D, F and M. The 6 stops at Astor Place and Bleecker Street, the N, R and W at 8th Street–NYU, and the L runs along 14th Street. The PATH to New Jersey stops at 9th Street.
Street parking
Tough. Side streets follow alternate-side rules for street cleaning, the avenues are metered, and spots go fast around NYU. Most residents with cars keep a monthly spot in a garage.
Boundaries & neighbors
Roughly 14th Street to Houston Street, from Third Avenue west to Sixth Avenue. The West Village, East Village, SoHo, NoHo, Flatiron and Gramercy are all a short walk away.
You'll fall in love with a Sunday afternoon in Washington Square Park, when the whole city seems to pass through.
Thinking about calling Greenwich Village home?
Let's talkPhotography via Pexels. Historic illustration from King's Handbook of New York City, 1893 (public domain).