About Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village, the downtown section of New York City now known for its high rents and designer boutiques, has always been a thriving hub of history, creativity and nonconformity.

History

In its earliest history, Greenwich Village was referred to by Native Americans as a tobacco field, then was settled by the Dutch in the 1600s, who turned the area into a pasture. Because the area is located on what was once marshland, tall skyscrapers were never built in Greenwich Village because of the instability of the ground. That has preserved the less cavernous and more neighborly spirit of the Village.
The English conquered the Dutch settlement of New Netherland in 1664, and Greenwich Village was developed as a hamlet that was separate from the larger New York City to the south. In the early 1800s, a yellow fever epidemic in New York encouraged people to flee to Greenwich Village. More than 20,000 victims of the yellow fever epidemic are buried beneath the grounds at Washington Square Park.
Throughout the 1900s, the Village was a gathering place for artists, writers and musicians, a center of bohemian activity and attractive for many years because rents were low. During the 1920s and 1930s, Greenwich Village was home to dozens of vaudeville and small theaters, attracting actors, dancers, musicians and playwrights to live and work there. Among those who called Greenwich Village home during that period were composer Cole Porter, dancer Martha Graham and actor Harold Clurman.
In the 1940s, the Village became a hub for writers, and remained a writer's enclave for the next century. Among the literary crowd who called the Village home were James Baldwin, Lillian Hellman, Dashiell Hammett, Eugene O'Neill, ee cummings, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginberg and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
The Village blossomed as a center for art, writing and music during the 1950s when the abstract expressionism art movement was born. Living and working in the Village during that period were Jackson Pollack, Willem de Koonig, Robert Motherwell and others. Any Warhol moved there in the 1960s.
The Village is perhaps best known as the place where writers of America's so-called "Beat Generation" were located. The Beat Generation of writers, poets, artists and students moved to Greenwich Village in the 1950s, including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Dylan Thomas.
Greenwich Village also played a major role in the creation of the 1960s folk music movement. Bob Dylan lived there and the music created in the Village mirrored what was happening at the same time in San Francisco. Dozens of music icons got their start in the Village's nightclub and coffeehouse scene during the '60s, including Peter, Paul, and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, Joan Baez, The Velvet Underground, Richie Havens and Jimi Hendrix.

Geography

Greenwich Village is bounded on the east by Broadway, on the west by the Hudson River, on the north by 14th Street and on the south by Houston Street. It is surrounded by the neighborhoods of the East Village, Chelsea and Soho. If you're planning a visit to Greenwich Village, be aware that the street layout is more confusing than the easy-to-follow grids of midtown Manhattan.
Most of the neighborhood's side streets are narrow and curved and some abruptly end. Instead of numbered streets, many of the Village's streets are named. The charm of the area is personified by its low-rise townhouses, tiny gardens and courtyards and it serpentine layout of streets. Washington Square Park and its famous arch is at the heart of the Village; people of all sizes, shapes and colors hang out to commune with nature there.
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Significance

Greenwich Village has become a significant center of life and activity for gays and lesbians, which can be traced back to the historic Stonewall Rebellion. Today, gays and lesbians are attracted to live in the Village because of its atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance.
On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a small private club in the Village with a clientele of mostly lesbians and gay men. The Stonewall had been targeted earlier in the week by police who were also raiding other gay bars on the charge of the illegal sale of liquor. Patrons and employees were ejected from the bar, identified and loaded into waiting police vans. But when one patron struggled against the police, the gathering crowd of onlookers reacted violently and began throwing stones and bottles at the police. Fire hoses were turned on the crowd to end the rioting. As word of the riot traveled, gays and lesbians around the country and in Europe became more defiant and demanded their civil rights, inspired by what was then called the "Stonewall Rebellion." To this day, Greenwich Village, especially Christopher Street where the Stonewall Inn once stood, has become synonymous with the gay and lesbian lifestyle.

Considerations

If you're planning to visit Greenwich Village, you can stay at a wide range of hotels from the basic to the finest. Some of the most popular are as follows:
The Washington Square Hotel is family-owned and has been a haven for writers, artists and visitors for more than a century. This historic hotel features 160 guest rooms and an art deco-styled lobby and lobby bar.
The W Hotel Union Square is an upscale modern place with all the amenities.
The Soho Grand and the Tribeca Grand both include luxury accommodations and expensive digs.
The Holiday Inn Soho is the most basic of accommodations at a pretty good price.
You're better off without a car in Greenwich Village, because parking is expensive. There is no need for a rental or even a taxi because you can easily travel around the Village on foot or via the subway.

Misconceptions

One of the biggest misconceptions about visiting New York City, including Greenwich Village, is that it will cost you an arm and a leg. Granted, hotel rates are expensive, but if you do your homework, you can find rooms in the city for reasonable prices, especially in the summer months when tourism is at its slowest.
In the Village, try taking a free walking tour of St. Marks Place & 8th Street.
Hang out at Washington Square Park to take in the scenery and the people of the Village for free. If you're in the Village in July, attend the Square's free concert series.
On the weekends, shop to your heart's content without busting your wallet at Market NYC, located on Mulberry Street. Young designers sell clothing and accessories in this school gym every weekend at reasonable prices. If you like consignment stores, try the consignment chain store INA. The women's clothing location is on Prince Street and the men's consignment shop is a half-block north on Mott Street.

Resources

• Washington Square Music Festival
• New York Magazine
• Timeout New York