Like central Greenwich Village to its east, this part of Manhattan followed a similar path from being farmland to a 19th-century residential neighborhood away from the bustle of downtown and eventually an area with a decidedly bohemian edge. Its 19th-century past is visible in stately rowhouses, most in brick, and some streets that remain cobblestone to this day. Even occasional street names recall this period: When cholera or other outbreaks hit the Financial District, banks would temporarily move their operations to Bank Street. For much of the 20th century, the West Village would be associated with the writers and artists who called it home — Willa Cather, e.e. cummings, and Jack Kerouac among them. This legacy lives on in institutions like the Cherry Lane Theatre (on Commerce Street), the Lucille Lortel Theatre, and, more recently, the new location of the Whitney Museum, which opened in 2015.

Among the appeals of the West Village are the many small boutiques and cafes on its quiet side streets: Turn a corner and you may find a cozy restaurant with a half dozen tables and a young chef at the helm. There are still, however, several notable concentrations of commercial life. Bookstores, designer shops, and one of the neighborhood’s newer attractions — Magnolia Bakery — can be found on Bleecker Street. Christopher Street was long synonymous with NYC’s gay and lesbian community. While there is now competition on that front from businesses in Chelsea, Clinton, and other neighborhoods, many bars and restaurants catering to LGBTQ customers can still be found on Christopher Street and nearby. At the northern end of the West Village, the formerly gritty Meatpacking District is now filled every night of the week with drinkers and diners, while shoppers flock to its boutiques by day.