Greenwich Village Book

In Greenwich Village find out how in 1895 the Washington Square Arch, symbolic portal to Greenwich Village and the East Village, was officially christened in gala pageantry attended by Grover Cleveland. Read about Village Bohemians like Marcel Duchamp (Nude Descending a Staircase) and John Reed (The Day in Bohemia and Ten Days that Shook the World), who demanded independence for Village residents and visitors from the top of the arch in 1916, declaring it "Little Bohemia." Marvel at the exploits of Maxwell Bodenheim, Joe "Professor Seagull" Gould, Ruth (My Sister Eileen) McKenney (who lived at 14 Gay Street), Edna (named after St. Vincent's Hospital) Millay, Elanor Roosevelt, Barbara Streisand, Tiny Tim, Sam Shepard, Edward Albee, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol, and other Village "Bohemians."

Locate Keith Haring's Village murals and shop and Haring's Pop Shop, Religious Sex on St. Marks Place, Alphabets, Little Rickie, Grover van Dexter's Second Childhood, and Bleeker Bob's eclectic record emporium.

Take a bar run to old McSorley's, the Eerie Pubs, the Lion's Head, and the White Horse, where Dylan Thomas drank all night. Meet celebrities at Angelina Boone's Pennyfeathers on Sheridan Square or have an egg cream at Stingy Lulu's or the Gem Spa.

Eat the best croissant this side of Paris at Chez Claude. Sip espresso and cappuccino at the Reggio, Caffe Dante, the Bleeker Street Pastry Shop, or De Robertis Pasticceria.

Listen to poetry at the Cornelia Street Cafe of see anew play at Theater for the New City, La Mama, the Nuyorican, of the Ridiculous. Visit the site of the first off-off Broadway theater, the Caffe Cino. Check out the jazz and cabaret scene at Five Oaks, Marie's Crisis, the Vanguard, or the Blue Note.

Enjoy the gastronomical-pizza at John's Southern cooking at the Pink Tea Cup, Polish fare at the Kiev or the Veselka, falafel at Mamoun's, pastrami, kielbasa, chopped liver, sauerkraut, yellow mustard, and Cel-Ray tonic at Katz's. Buy some fancy foodstuffs at Dean & Deluca's and Balducci's. Have your coffee ground at the Porto Rico.

rTake a unique, self-guided tour down wild Christopher Street to the Stonewall, Boots and Saddles, and the Caffe Passione. Follow in the footsteps of freewheelin' Bob Dylan down the twisting alleys of Minetta on a "Positively Fourth Street" walk. Follow the zigzag/East-West walk and see East Village skinheads and their green-haired girlfriends wearing nose rings walking their pitbulls in Tompkins Square Park. Take all the walks, including the Broadway Shopaholic Walk to buy Avirex leather jackets, complete stereo sets, and futon mattresses, an walks through the historic West Village and SoHo.

Added Attractions: Robert Heide's Village play American Hamburger, Tom Lohre's artwork, Phil Cohen's photographs, detailed maps, Greenwich Village history, original poetry, ghost stories, architecture, and much more.

Greenwich Village is a center of the cultural universe, renowned for its art scene and bohemian character. This book presents a what-to-do, what-to-see, where-to-eat, and where-to-have-a-good-time for everyone. This is an indispensable guide for visitors who want a more personal look at this special neighborhood.