West Village

When describing the West Village, it’s hard not to rely on words like “quaint” and “charming.” Aptly named, the neighborhood does indeed resemble a village, with its warren of winding, cobbled streets promising something new to discover around every corner. Eclectic shops selling everything from trendy fashion to assorted oddities make it a browsers paradise. While the West Village’s dining and drinking scene—all cozy cafes, candlelit boîtes, historic taverns, and hole-in-the-wall speakeasies—is pure comfort.

Largely protected by historic landmark status, the West Village is a world away from the kinetic pace of other Manhattan neighborhoods. Yet “Little Bohemia,” as it was once known, has always been an incubator for countercultural movements, avant-garde art, and experimental theater. Though one of the priciest neighborhoods in the city, the West Village consistently draws residents willing to trade space and modernity for their own little pocket of tranquility in one of its historic brownstones or walkups.