Sight Seeing in Greenwich Village
Sight seeing in Greenwich Village can be fun as long as you visit the right places. One site worth checking out is Washington Square Park. The park, spanning 9 1/2 acres, attracts nearby New York University students as well as street musicians, jugglers, skateboarders, and plenty of tourists. Many people go here to walk their dogs or let their kids play. As fun as Washington Square Park can be, those who believe in ghosts might want to avoid it. The park began as a cemetery and there are still between 10,000 and 20,000 people buried under Washington Square Park to this day.
The Forbes Galleries, located in the lobby of Forbes Magazine’s headquarters, are free to enter. The galleries include the BC Forbes Gallery, Jewelry Gallery and the Carrere Gallery. Exhibits within each gallery change frequently. Group tours can be booked in the galleries and picture taking is not permitted. Children under 16 cannot get into the galleries unless an adult is with them. Group reservations can be made in advance by calling The Frobes Galleries.
Greenwich Village, located in Manhattan, can be a fascinating place to visit. The Village offers cultural experiences and many unique boutiques for shopping.
May 1, 2012 No Comments
Unique Shops and other attractions in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village is well known for its eccentric residents and offbeat ambiance. For some truly unique shopping, this is the place to visit. Located in Manhattan, Greenwich Village is populated by many current and former New York University students.
For music lovers, Disc-o-Rama is one store that must be checked out. They carry both new and used CDs and the average CD price is $12. While Disc-o-Rama carries a general selection of music genres, Generation Records is the place to shop for underground rock, alternative and heavy metal albums. This unique store carries both CDs and records, as well as concert DVDs. Music fans looking for imported albums are likely to find what they need at Generation Records.
British visitors coming to Manhattan will feel right at home at Tea & Sympathy, a restaurant specializing in English tea. Customers can also purchase candies that are popular in England, but hard to find. Anyone who enjoys royal weddings, such as the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, will be delighted with the selection of souvenirs frequently found at royal weddings. This unique attraction is both a restaurant and a store, which sells tea pots and gift baskets with a British theme.
Those who use herbs and organic treatments should be sure to check out the Aphrodisia Herb Shoppe. Here, customers can purchase teas, healing herbs, vitamin supplements and hard to find spices. Shoppers can also purchase oils, dried fruits and varieties of salts.
Shopping in Greenwich Village is a unique experience that must be done when visiting Manhattan.
April 25, 2012 No Comments
New York City’s Village Parade: A Halloween Gathering
One of the most famous and well attended annual events in Manhattan is the Village’s Halloween Parade. This parade has been around since 1974 and has grown in both size and popularity over the years. It is the United States largest Halloween event that is open to the public.
The Village Parade is televised every year and averages one hundred million viewers per year. Cultural anthropologists have studied this parade and it has also been featured in dozens of travel guides and national magazines.
Unlike most parades, the Village Parade always takes place after dark. Over the years the parade has become a more formal event than it was in the early days and is now seen as an alternative festival.
The theme of the Village Parade is different every year and is decided on by Sophie Michahelles and Alex Kahn, who are puppet artists that participate in the parade every year. They do this so that those who participate in the parade can plan their costume to fit the parade’s theme. A lot of research goes into choosing a yearly theme. The research is focused on the symbolic meanings and rituals of cultural celebrations.
One of the most unique aspects of the Village Halloween Parade is that after the parade is over, participants attend various costume parties at nearby restaurants, bars and nightclubs. This allows them to continue the fun of the evening and allows them to mingle with other participants.
April 25, 2012 No Comments
The Beat Goes On in Greenwich Village
Artists and trendsetters are still drawn to Greenwich Village.
Feeling nostalgic? Just find your way to Greenwich Village, where the Hippie beat goes on. Although there are modern updates in the Village, the atmosphere remains the same as it was during the 50s and 60s. This culturally diverse settlement in New York City continues to embrace peace, love andcommunity. Just as before, it is a magnet for artists and trendsetters.
Known for its Bohemian lifestyle and as a famous hangout of the Hippies and Beatniks in the 50s and 60s, Greenwich Village is a fascinating place. Nightlife in the Village is still hep, just as it was when Bob Dylan performed. Folk music and psychedelic rock continues to be popular. The coffee houses, like Caffe Reggi and Cafe Figero that were popular hangouts of the “Flower Children,” are still thriving. Music lovers can still find vinyl records among CDs at Bleecker Bob’s Records. The old basketball court on 4th Street is always busy with street ball players.
The Arch at Washington Square Park is a good starting place to visit the Village. Walking through the Park among skateboarders and dog walkers, visitors are entertained by musicians and street performers. The carnival atmosphere is exciting, but the Park has peaceful places where one can join a game of chess or just sit to watch the fascinating passersby.
The Village has many historically significant homes and buildings. The abundant coffee houses, cafes, and restaurants can curb anyone’s appetite.Shopping can be extremely interesting. Among current items, shops in the Village still carry merchandise favored during the Hippy Movement. Hippies usually chose items connected to the earth and environment. Their clothing included tie-dye and bright-colored fabrics, beads, and sandals. Nostalgic shoppers should look for incense burners, peace signs, and signs declaring “flower power.”
Visitors will enjoy the lingering Beatnik vibes that continue to make Greenwich Village unique.
January 12, 2012 1 Comment
What Was Greenwich Village Like Before the Beatnik Era?
Greenwich Village Before the Beatniks.
Greenwich Village had a vivid life before the arrival of beatniks. This square mile of Manhattan is a magnet for expressive, varied personalities. History from generations gone by is cultural oral tradition – stories told by elders to children about the life of ancestors.
History and Location:
This square mile is a portion of Manhattan stretching from 14th Street to West Houston and from the Hudson River to Broadway. The village is one of New York’s oldest neighborhoods with surrounding areas including NoHo, SoHo and Union Square.
With a history two centuries in the making, give credit for expansion to epidemics. Then 1826 comes along and the area becomes a military parade site and park – with another population explosion. Most settlers went to West Village, an area attractive to writers, artists and academics.
Notes about Notables
Take a general tour and you will find places where notable personalities would gather:
• Hanging Tree
• Aaron Burr Carriage House
• St Luke’s in the Fields (a branch of Trinity Church)
• Home of Edna St Vincent Millay
• Paul Revere’s Workshop
• John Lennon’s Recording Studio
• Rumored Sites of the Underground Railroad
• CIA Safe Houses
People from generations prior to 1960 made Greenwich Village the place it is today. The common thread running through these generations is the designation of a gathering place.
Folklore Preserves Culture
Cultural change gives definition to a generation to benefit historians. Commonly, one generation morphs into another. This village has a continuum. It was a “Republic of Dreams” and our “American Bohemia” among other monikers.
New York has been the traditional destination for rebellious folk. This particular square mile is significant as the anchor of American cultural history. Folklore loosely preserves culture and the storytelling comes from older villagers telling new villagers about former villagers. This Greenwich Village is the poster child for folklore.
January 9, 2012 No Comments
Fall World Music Experiences in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village in the fall is really a place to be. The cool air, the changing leaves, the students settling into NYU. There are always fun things to see in Washington Square Park, and there are plenty of restaurants around the area. One of the best parts about fall in Greenwich Village, though, is all the world music experiences you can have. Here are just a few things that are coming up this fall.
At S.O.B.’s, you can enjoy Samba Soul every Saturday night. The fun music and lively atmosphere is the perfect pick-me-up for a gloomy, cloudy fall day. Another great way to liven things up is to hit African Night at St. Nick’s Pub every Saturday night. Another every week occurrence in Greenwich Village is World Beat Wednesdays at Rehab every weeks at eight in the evening.
For something totally different from what you’re used to, you can check out the Grand Masters of Gypsy Music at Mehanata Bulgarian Bar on Fridays at nine. Israel Vibration performs on September 12 at B.B. King Blues Club and Grill, and that’s going to be an interesting show on the world music scene.
Greenwich Village is a great area where there are people from all sorts of cultures, and many of the restaurants offer not only ethnic food but also total ethnic experiences. On any given weekend in The Village, you can experience music from many different cultures. Check out the many ethnic restaurants in the area. You can also ask the locals where the regular local bands perform on a regular basis. There’s nothing like a fall evening enjoying something lovely to drink, a good meal, and some excellent eclectic music in The Village.
October 21, 2010 No Comments
Get Involved in the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade
The Greenwich Village Halloween Parade is a huge local event that’s been going on for decades. Locals in The Village and all over New York City show up in droves both to participate in and watch the parade. Whether you live in New York or are just going to be visiting at the end of October, you can get involved in this parade.
One way to get involved in the parade is to simply wear a costume and march in it. There aren’t any limits on what you can wear. Just be creative because some of the best costumes in the world made by amateurs are to be seen here! All you have to do is show up on Sixth Avenue between Spring and Broome Streets. You’ll want to get there between 6:30 and 8:30 on Halloween night. Don’t be late or you might miss it!
As long as you’re in costume, you are allowed to march in the parade. Even if you have little kids, they can walk in the parade with you, too. You can march with the parade all the way up Sixth near whatever music group, float, or group you wish. After the parade, many participants head to Webster Hall for an after party.
One of the biggest pieces of the Halloween Parade are all the huge puppets that march down the street, too. Whether you have experience as a puppeteer or not, you can volunteer to man a puppet in the parade. You can get more information on how to volunteer in the parade at the official website: www.halloween-nyc.com. The parade organizers are always looking for more volunteers, so even if you’re just going to be in town for a bit, see how you can get involved.
October 21, 2010 No Comments
Upcoming Exhibitions at The Whitney
The Whitney Museum of American Art is one of the main attractions in Greenwich Village. With thousands of on-site paintings and other artistic displays, it’s hard to get through the whole museum in a day. Even though it has tons of items on site all the time, The Whitney also has lots of traveling and changing exhibits. Here’s what’s coming up in the near future.
Sara VanDerBeek’s “To Think of Time” exhibit is headed to The Whitney in mid-September to December. This exhibit features interesting photographs of temporary sculptures that she puts together on her own using many different sources. VanDerBeek makes and photographs her interesting semi-abstract sculptures in her studio and takes them apart as soon as the photographs are finished.
Paul Thek: Diver, a Retrospective is an exhibit honoring the late Paul Thek, who came into his own in New York City in the 1960’s. This exhibit features displays and art forms of many different types, including paintings and sculptures by this renaissance man. This exhibit will be at The Whitney from the end of October until the beginning of January.
Another long exhibit from October through April will honor the American tradition of realism around the time of Edward Hopper. The displays will feature paintings from 1900 to 1940. It will center around Hopper and those he worked with, including some younger artists who worked alongside him during the realism movement.
All of these exhibits are arranged by the museum’s best curators, and they’ll definitely be worth checking out if you’re headed to Greenwich Village. Even if none of these Whitney displays particularly attract you, you can still certainly have a great time browsing through the many paintings that live full time at the museum, as well as the artwork in many different forms and media.
October 21, 2010 No Comments
What’s Coming Up at The Village’s Cherry Lane Theatre?
Thinking of visiting Greenwich Village soon? You’ve got to see the up and coming plays at the Cherry Lane Theatre. This famous theater features some of the most interesting new plays of the time, and it’s always got something going on. Get familiar with the plays that are coming up this season so you can figure out which play you want to see most.
Now playing is Winter Miller’s Paternity. This interesting play about love, marriage, and babies puts a new spin on the question of what makes relationships work. In the play, a single woman is pursuing motherhood, but she doesn’t know how to go about it. She’s getting all sorts of advice from different family members and friends, and she’s totally shocked at the advice she gets. The play has been received very well with audiences at Cherry Lane, so come enjoy this great play before it goes off theater.
If you’re interested not in watching plays but in learning to write them, you can check out Cherry Lane Theatre’s Master Class. At this annual class you can be tutored by some of the greatest playwrights in the world right now. The classes take place periodically throughout the fall and winter season. You can check out more information on the theater at www.cherrylanetheatre.org.
If you want to know what’s happening at Cherry Lane right when you get ready to go there, just check out the website for a list of what’s playing. The theater runs continuously, so there’s always something going on. Paternity would definitely be a good addition to your Greenwich Village trip, especially since it’s been so popular with playgoers of all sorts since it’s been released at Cherry Lane.
October 21, 2010 No Comments
September Happenings in Greenwich Village
If you’re getting ready for a fall trip to Greenwich Village, NY, there are plenty of fun things to see and do. Besides all the regular attractions in the area are there, of course. There are lots of pubs, clubs, museums, and theaters that you can enjoy any time you head to The Village. You can also enjoy some of the happenings in the area whenever you visit, since there’s almost always something going on. Here are a few things that are happening in September:
Washington Square Park Taste of The Village: This wine and food tasting experience is becoming one of the hot new annual events in The Village. This year, it’s September 15th. Admission is $40 per person, but it’s well worth it for all the food and wine you can get at this event. This event is held under a huge tent in the park, so it’ll take place rain or shine!
The Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit is a twice-a-year happening every Memorial Day Weekend and the weekend that follows and every Labor Day Weekend and the weekend that follows that. The event showcases fine artists and craft artisans from around the New York metropolitan area, the nation and the world. Attendees come from all over and are a cosmopolitan mix, including art lovers, tourists, faculty and students from the area’s many schools and professionals such as interior designers.
There are also tons and tons of concerts and live music events always going on in The Village. From noise bands to jazz, you can find it all at Village venues, including bars and pubs and regular concert venues. This September, you’re going to find bands like The Danny Grissett Trio, State of Emergence, and The Juicy Grapes. The Peter Evans Quintet, Kendra Ross, and many other artists will also be in town. You can easily find a live music even at the last minute.
To find more specific listings of smaller venues and even new local bands, check out www.thevillagevoice.com. The Village Voice is one of the major local papers that goes around in Greenwich Village, NY, so it’s going to give you information even on some of the smaller events in town.
October 21, 2010 No Comments










