West Village

The West Village remains New York City’s most stubborn rejection of the rigid Manhattan grid. It is a neighborhood of sun-dappled cobblestones, angled intersections that confuse even long-term residents, and residential townhouses that look exactly as they did a century ago. Once the epicenter of the American bohemian movement and the birthplace of LGBTQ+ liberation, the area has transitioned into one of the most expensive zip codes in the country. Today, the creative pulse survives within its legendary subterranean jazz clubs and narrow theaters, even as the sidewalk traffic leans toward fashionable professionals and celebrities seeking a degree of anonymity. Life here happens at a slower pace than in Midtown; it is a landscape of ivy-covered brick, meticulously curated boutique windows, and corner bistros where long lunches are still the norm. Despite the gentrification, an air of intellectual curiosity persists, anchored by historic institutions and the ghost of the Beat Generation.