Whether it’s the mushrooming of modern new condos or the reclamation of some beloved parks, few neighborhoods have changed as much over the past couple of decades as the East Village. The growth of New York University to the West has helped drive the East Village’s renaissance, so that old-fashioned retail like hardware stores stands cheek-by-jowl with shops where you can buy all kinds of trendy luxury. Much of the East Village housing stock is tenement-style walkups with co-ops for sale or rentals that make great shares, but some offer hidden delights like roof decks and garden access to their residents. If it’s an elevator and a Bulthaup kitchen you’re seeking, head over near Avenue B to check out the jazzy new condo developments.

More In the East Village, architecture fans have a lot to love, including Ageloff Towers, two back-to-back prewar co-ops which offer Art Deco details including high-design marble lobbies and Assyrian terra-cotta facades. In recent years, the East River park has gotten a new soccer field and a rebuilt amphitheater, but the green center of the neighborhood is Tompkins Square Park bordering Avenue A. If people watching is your thing, you couldn’t have a better view: check out its fun playgrounds and state-of-the-art dog run, beloved by pooches from all over the East Village. Neighborhood eateries range from pocket-sized French bistros to a string of two dozen Indian joints to pierogi palaces. Less