East Village

EAST VILLAGE

Photo: Thomas Rafael

The East Village is a neighborhood in Manhattan reaching from Houston Street to 14th Street, along the East River to Third Avenue. The East Village lies east of the area known as Greenwich Village (or the West Village), and includes the neighborhood known as Alphabet City (so named for encompassing Avenues A, B, and C). Some consider the East Village to be a portion of Greenwich Village, but it was more rightfully a part of the Lower East Side, re-named by real estate agents looking to gentrify the area. The East Village shares a common history with Greenwich Village for being a home to a vibrant artistic and cultural scene. The East Village is especially known for the role that it played in the Beat generation, countercultural and punk movements, particularly through art, music, and theater. Today, a few of the hallmarks of that era remain, but many are gone, including CBGB, the nightclub that claimed the title of the "birthplace" of punk music, once located on Bowery. The East Village is home today to many students who embrace the experimental, bohemian history of the area. Taste this flavor yourself by heading down to St. Marks Place -- full of eclectic boutiques, dive bars, tattoo parlors, and ethnic restaurants, or head over to Alphabet City, which was the setting for the now world-famous musical Rent.

Molly O'Neill

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