With a thriving design, literature, intellectual, and music community, the area offers live music, poetry, antiques, and art nestled amongst one of the most varied assortments of ethnic restaurants and vibrant nightlife in all of Manhattan.

Ripe with history, the East Village is often considered as the birthplace of several artistic movements, including punk rock, and is home to the City’s oldest continuously operated saloon, McSorley’s Old Ale House, which opened in 1854.

The area houses several university communities, including part of New York University, the New School, and the renowned Cooper Union, one of the most selective colleges in the United States with programs in architecture, art and engineering.

The East Village has experienced a major resurgence in recent years, as striking architecture, trendy cafés and new boutiques continue to enhance the historic character and charm of this colorful neighborhood.

Famous for its nightlife and club scene, the neighborhood was instrumental in the development of folk music and jazz. Legendary night clubs The Village Vanguard and The Blue Note continue to host some of the biggest and greatest names in jazz weekly, and many popular restaurants and bars keep the area constantly booming.

Every year on October 31st, Greenwich Village is home to New York’s Halloween Parade, the largest Halloween event in the country. Thousands of people gather and participate in the mile long parade of outrageous costumes, parade floats, masqueraders, pets and more.

Make sure to explore the historic Washington Square Park and watch the street performers and chess players who often frequent the area. Greenwich Village is also known for its prominent role in the gay liberation movement, home to the landmark Christopher Street and the Stonewall Inn, both centers of the gay rights movement.

The area is also a thriving residential community, home to many celebrities who relish the more creative, laid back atmosphere of the neighborhood.

Old-world shops stand next to avant-garde boutiques, and much of the area’s rich history is preserved in monuments, museums and landmarks.

Art galleries and nightclubs are always alive with events, from music performances to poetry readings. Day or night, there is never a dull moment on the Lower East Side.

As the area developed, it boomed into a thriving art scene, with many galleries and studios occupying the large industrial loft spaces of the neighborhood.

Over recent years, this downtown neighborhood has morphed again into a chic and picturesque retail destination. You’ll find funky boutiques, big name retailers, charming restaurants, cafés and bars all contributing to the area’s hip reputation.

The quaint, tree lined streets and historic brownstones are a sharp contrast to the sky scrapers and tall commercial buildings that characterize much of Manhattan. The area is further distinguished by streets that are “off the grid,” meaning they are set at an angle to the other streets in Manhattan and were not part of the 1811 Commissioners’ Plan that created the city’s main grid plan.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a relaxing stroll in the beautifully revitalized Hudson River Park, a waterside park located on the West Side Highway/Hudson River, with a variety of playgrounds and recreational facilities.

Due in part to the progressive attitudes of many of its residents, the West Village has traditionally been a focal point of new political movements and cultural and artistic ideas, such as the gay rights movement.

Located at the north end of the West Village is the Meatpacking District, filled with upscale boutiques, night clubs and restaurants.

Easily accessible from the many subway lines that converge in the center of the neighborhood, visitors can partake in a plethora of exciting activities. Whether you choose to relax in the serenity of Union Square Park or to visit the upscale boutiques, restaurants, bars, art galleries and off-Broadway productions all located in the surrounding streets, there is something for everyone.

Union Square is famous for the renowned Green Market (open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays year round) where visitors can delight in more than 1,000 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables and the Holiday Market (November 23 through December 24) where over 100 artisans sell hand-crafted treasures and gifts.

Union Square is now a National Historic Landmark, with a long history as a gathering place for political demonstrations, community events and even the first Labor Day Parade in 1882.

The name Alphabet City is derived from Avenues A, B, C and D, all located in the area and Manhattan’s only single letter street names. Local attractions include lovely community gardens and Tompkins Square Park, where you are sure to find dazzling street performers daily.

Alphabet City is home to the historic Nuyorican Poets Café, which began as a living room saloon for creative expression in the 1970’s and has emerged as one of the country’s most highly respected arts organizations dedicated to providing a stage for community artist’s traditionally under-represented in the mainstream media.

The Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway musical and hit Hollywood film, Rent, was based in Alphabet City.

Today the area boasts many eclectic galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and bars, making the neighborhood a nighttime and weekend hotspot.

NoHo is home to cultural centers such as the Angelika Film Center & Café and The Joseph Papp Public Theatre, and features off-Broadway productions, plays, dance, music, digital, and children’s artists.

NoHo also has a large historic district, with several landmarked buildings from the area’s previous commercial history as a major retail and wholesale dry goods center.

Visitors can explore the converted buildings that are now home to lovely museums and art galleries.

Previously a part of Little Italy, Nolita gained its new name when hip young New Yorkers took over and gave it a new chic feel. Included in this stylish neighborhood are famous and historic landmarks such as St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral and the Puck Building.

The neighborhood has since grown into a chic area south of SoHo boasting elegantly refurbished lofts, office buildings, trendy boutiques and galleries. Now featuring some of the highest rents in Manhattan, the area attracts successful artists, young professionals and celebrities.

TriBeCa is home to one of the most prominent film festivals in the world, the TriBeCa Film Festival. The festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal to help revitalize downtown Manhattan and to celebrate New York City as a center of filmmaking.