East Village

The concept of "La Bohème meets hipsters in vintage clothing," better known as the musical Rent, pegged the East Village as a community of artists, activists, and other social dissenters—and this is still the essential vibe here, although the neighborhood has become more upscale in recent years. These days, for example, St. Marks Place evokes less of the gritty, counterculture scene it once had in favor of more of a pastiche of young hipsters and Japanese expats.