Visiting ‘The Village’

Ask anyone to list their top five American cities and New York is always going to be up there. Whether it’s museums, restaurants, Broadway shows, sporting events or bars, The Big Apple has them all in abundance.


But forget Times Sqaure, The Statue of Liberty and Central Park – one of the city’s highlights is Greenwich Village, located on the west side of Lower Manhattan.

The earliest mention of ‘The Village’ in the history records dates back to the late 17th Century and the neighbourhood has long been associated with artistic movements and bohemian culture. By the 1950s, the district had a lively alternative music and theatre scene and residents would flock to local coffeehouses and cafes to listen to poets and beat writers reading their work. Over the following decades, scores of musicians became established names with the likes of Bob Dylan, The Clancy Brothers, Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone all cutting their teeth there.

These days, Greenwich Village is a lot more commercial than it was in its bohemian heyday but it still plays host to some of New York’s better clubs and eateries. Make sure it’s down on your ‘to-do’ list when visiting “the city that never sleeps”.