The East Village has a young and rebellions vibe. I remember graduating college and moving to the East Village (it was the coolest place to be) and was the most exciting thing I could think of doing with my life. It’s teeming with edgy bars and new, up and coming restaurants and so has quite the nightlife. It would take years before you could try each restaurant or bar just once.

Where.

The East Village occupies the area south of 14th Street and north of Houston between 3rd Avenue over to Avenue A, where Alphabet City starts. The two neighborhoods are very similar, in fact I’d say Alphabet City is a small enclave within the East Village.

Attractions.

Although back in the day there were more, there are still tons of cool thrift stores and boutique shops. In general the East Vil still has an artsy and edgy vibe to it, so simply walking around and checking out the scene is something to do. During the warmer months there are always live punk rock shows in Thompson Square Park. 

That’s a nice segue in the music scene. There are lots of small clubs/venues to bounce around on a Friday night or really any day of the week depending on the caliber of band you wish to see. 

I love shopping for vinyl throughout the neighborhood too.

Transit.

The East Village isn’t the easiest to get to, if I’m being honest. It really only has one train line, the F/B/D Line, or the Bleeker Street 6 Train stop if you’re okay to walk 15 minutes. It also has 2 L Train stops connecting the two cool hoods of The East Village and Williamsburg. The plus side to being a bit remote is that the neighborhood never feels ‘touristy.’