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Turn left on Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue) and go
south one block. On the west side of the street, the
triangle formed by West 10th Street, 6th Avenue, and
Greenwich Avenue originally held a market, a jail, and the
magnificent towered courthouse that is now the Jefferson
Market Library.
West of 6th Avenue on 10th Street is the wrought-iron
gateway to a tiny courtyard called Patchin Place; around the
corner, on 6th Avenue just north of 10th Street, is a
similar cul-de-sac, Milligan Place.
Next, proceed to Christopher Street, which veers off from
the south end of the library triangle. Christopher Street
has long been the symbolic heart of New York's gay and
lesbian community. Within a few steps you'll see Gay Street
on your left.
Continue on to cross Waverly Place, where on your left
you'll pass the 1831 brick Northern Dispensary building. At
51-53 Christopher Street, the historic Stonewall riots
marked the beginning of the gay rights movement. Across the
street is a green triangle named Christopher Park, not to be
confused with Sheridan Square, another landscaped triangle
to the south.
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Across the busy intersection of 7th Avenue South,
Christopher Street has many cafés, bars, and stores; several cater to a gay
clientele, but all kinds of people traverse the narrow sidewalks. Two shops
worth a visit are McNulty's Tea and Coffee Co. (No. 109), with a large
variety of tea and coffee blends, and Li-Lac Chocolate Shop (No. 120), a
longtime favorite for its homemade chocolate and butter crunch.
West of 7th Avenue South, the Village turns into a picture-book town of
twisting tree-lined streets, quaint houses, and tiny restaurants. Starting
from Sheridan Square West, follow Grove Street past the house at No. 59
where Thomas Paine died - now the site of Marie's Crisis Cafe - and the
onetime home (No. 45) of poet Hart Crane.
At the next corner you could choose to follow
Bleecker Street northwest toward Abingdon Square. This section of Bleecker
Street is full of crafts and antiques shops, coffeehouses, and small
restaurants.
If you forego Bleecker Street, continue your walk on Grove Street. |
The secluded intersection of
Grove and Bedford streets seems to have fallen through a
time warp into the 19th century. One of the few remaining
clapboard structures in Manhattan is 17 Grove Street. Around
the same corner is Twin Peaks, an early-19th-century house
that resembles a Swiss chalet. Heading west, Grove Street
curves in front of the iron gate of Grove Court, a group of
mid-19th-century brick-front residences.
Return to Bedford Street, turn right, and walk until you get
to No. 86. Behind the unmarked door is Chumley's, a former
speakeasy. Continue a couple of blocks farther to the oldest
house in the Village, the Isaacs-Hendricks House. The place
next door, 75˝ Bedford Street, at 9˝ ft wide, is New York's
narrowest house. Bedford Street intersects Commerce Street,
one of the Village's most romantic untrod lanes, and home to
the historic Cherry Lane Theatre. Across the street, past
the bend in the road, stand two nearly identical brick
houses separated by a garden and popularly known as the Twin
Sisters.
more...
East Village- Lower East Side
Walking Tour /
6th
Avenue and West walking /
Washington Square Area
walking tour /
A
Greenwich Village Walking Tour /
A SoHo and TriBeCa Walking
Tour
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