New York Online - Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village, commonly referred to as the Village, used to be a major bohemian enclave. Nowadays, it is a residential area, which is particularly popular with prominent actors, actresses, musicians and other celebrities. Nevertheless, today's Greenwich Village is still a leading center for performing arts with a wide array of comedy clubs (such as ''the Boston'', ''Comedy Cellar''), jazz clubs (such as ''Village Vanguard'', Off-Broadway and Off-off-Broadway theaters (such as ''Astor Place Theater'').
The centerpiece of Greenwich Village is the historic Washington Square Park, which ranks among the most famous of 1,700 public parks of New York City. The park, a popular meeting place and a picnic area for New Yorkers, is known for its intense cultural activity and leisure facilities. Its landmarks, including the Washington Square Arch and the fountain where Bob Dylan sang his first folk ballads, are worth seeing.
Greenwich Village has always been popular with writers and poets. Hence, walking along its streets to see the places connected with the lives of famous American authors is a good idea. Here comes a list of streets which are a must to all American literature enthusiasts:
- Washington Square – it is here that two prominent American writers lived. Namely at 7 Washington Square Edith Wharton, the Pulitzer Prize winner for ''The Age of Innocence'', lived. 21 Washington Square was a birthplace of Henry James, the American novelist best known for ''The Portrait of a Lady'',
- 21 Fifth Avenue at 9th Street – the house, designed by St. Patrick's Cathedral architect, was home to Mark Twain, often referred to as ''the father of American literature'', who stayed here between 1904-1908,
- West 10th Street was also popular with writers as Mark Twain (at No.14), Hart Crane (at No.54), a well known poet, and Edward Albee (at No.50), the ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' author, lived here,
- Patchin Place, a dead end street with the famous brick row houses which were once home to such outstanding writers as E.E. Cummings, Eugene O'Neil, Theodore Dreiser and Djuna Barnes,
- 43 Greenwich Avenue which is one of the places the author of ''Lie Down in Darkness'', William Styron, resided in,
- 5 Bank Street, between West Street and Greenwich Street, was home to Willa Cather, an eminent novelist, who wrote as many as six novels while living here,
- 238 West 4th Street, it is here that Edward Albee wrote his famous play ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'',
- Bleecker Street – a street renowned as home to James Rufus Agee, the author of Pulitzer Prize winning''A Death in the Family'' (No. 172), Theodore Dreiser, known for ''An American Tragedy'', (No.160) and James Fenimore Cooper (No.145), famous for the ''Leatherstocking Tales'' series,
- Washington Mews, a quiet street lined with houses which were transformed from stables in the early 20th century, where at number 14A John Dos Passos, one of the Lost Generation writers, lived.
There are not only houses, once homes to prolific American writers, worth seeing in Greenwich Village. If in the area, one should also pay a visit to ''Chumley's'' (in Bedford Street), ''White Horse Tavern'' (in Hudson Street) and ''San Remo'' (in Bleecker Street) where famous novelists, poets and playwrights met.

Come here to follow in the footsteps of distinguished American writers!