NY's East Village
 

I am coming to NY soon with my wife. I have been offered accommodation through Hospitality Company Inc. in one of their studio apartments at 57 East 3rd Street between 1st and 2nd Ave which sounds reasonably ok. However, a friend has informed me this is quite a rough neighbourhood (gangs, prostitutes, drug dealing etc.) and should avoid it, especially at night. Does anyone have any experience of this area and this company. Any help or information would be much appreciated.

The East Village has gentrified to a large degree in the last 10 years. Lots of urban professionals moving in, NYU students, rents are quite high and many buildings have been renovated. In the mid-eighties it was relatively dicey, with Hells Angels, drug houses. Now, it has become trendy, if still a little bohemian and artsy. Late at night I would be aware of my surroundings and just stick to more crowded areas, but you should be perfectly safe. There are lots of restaurants and bars, intersting shops. There's a famous Italian pastry shop around there, can't remember the name of it off hand, been a while since I went there. Enjoy. <BR> <BR>PS you might want to try posting this over at the US message board too, if you want more responses.

Second Avenue actually is pretty gentrified these days, in a gentrified neo-Bohemian kind of way. That is to say, you probably couldn't afford to live in one of the refurbished tenements there. (In view of the hit show, maybe the term should be "Rent-rified"?) It's a crowded and dirty, yes, and I've no doubt you'd have no trouble finding drugs there if that were your aim, but it's not like you'll risk becoming a victim of a drive-by each time you look out your window. <BR> <BR>But have you gotten a particularly good deal on this place? Because it's not exactly adjacent to the usual tourist attractions or a plethora of mass transit options. If you'd like, feel free to contact me off-board, and perhaps I can suggest some alternatives. (Fear not; I'm a New Yorker, not a travel agent!) On the other hand, if you do decide to stay there, I can recommend fantastic Polish, Mexican, deli and knishes right in the neighborhood and an excellent off-Broadway show nearby.

The East Village is one of my favorite spots in NYC, and whenever I go back to NY, I spend a lot of time there. It really isn't very dodgy anymore....I've never felt threatened or unsafe there. <BR> <BR>Definitely take up Escritora on the offer to tell you about places to go in the east village. <BR> <BR>When I've taken friends to the city, I always manage to get them over to Little Poland, one of the best values for the $, and oustanding food to boot!

To clairfy, Little Poland is in the East Village....

Hi Jim, <BR>The East Village -in that area -is full of shops and restaurants and theaters with off-off -off broadway type shows.You will be a short cab ride/or a long walk from the West(Greenwich) Village,and Soho which is the place to go these days.Nights in th East Village can be a little scarey, it is a little rough around the edges, but there are a lot of young people from the University living there and families on low incomes, there are a lot of immigrants, so you will find a variety of food shops, cafes,bakeries. It might be a little like Edgeware Rd combined with Londons Soho...if I remember them correctly.I don't remember ever seeing a prostitute in the area, although drugs may be used, they aren't really out in your face .. <BR>The play STOMP is playing there, there is an area with only Indian restaurants on the street, and a lot of shops that make you feel like you have gone back in time to the 60's-incense,tie dye.. <BR>We are in the area almost every weekend, although only once since the tragedy.But life is going on down there and people are taking care of themselves and others in a nice way.Have a good trip~any questions, just ask~

My sister, Jennifer, lived in the East Village in the late 80s when she was at Parson's School of Design. Well, my mother, Linda, was horrified!! Tomkins Square Park was full of homeless people living under plastic sheeting. They would attack the police if they tried to remove them. I also remember squaters having stand-offs with the police and gas canisters going off. There was this notorious bar called Cave Canem right around the corner from my sister's apt. where there was a pool in the basement and they would have orgies in it. You couldn't walk down the street without someone offering you heroin or crack. Of course, coming from Paoli, PA, I thought this was oh so glamourous!! Well, now it is so changed it reminds me of Pine Valley from All My Children. Jim, I don't know why you would want to stay there now--it is soooo boring. Yea, sure, there are still drag queens like Lady Bunny running around, but still....Just look at Patricia Field--it is practically Banana Republic!! That Rudy Guiliani, he ruins everything!!

Fie on you, re Giuliani bashing! especially these days! It is a little depressing to see Gap store in the middle of the East Village. There's one on Haight and Ashbury in SF as well now. Not to mention the huge K-mart right on the edge....oh yeah, and the starbucks. But then crack dens aren't much my style either....

Jim: Your friend is thinking of the East Village ten, fifteen, twenty years ago. There may be some rough spots left (especially as you farther east into Alphabet City), but for the most part the East Village has changed for the better (in terms of safety). Many people, including myself at times, bemoan the loss of the grit that made the East Village what it was, but, trust me, there's still plenty enough grit to make it interesting. It is a GREAT neighborhood. Indian row, by the way, is Sixth street between first and second avenues, and is a must if you like Indian food. I'd also recommend Veselka for Ukranian/coffee shop food and EV people watching (corner of 2d avenue and 9th street). Have fun.

I heard the Ukranian coffee shop closed, but it's been a while since I've been down there. Indian row is great. Bring your own beer (if you drink beer) as many of the restaurants don't have liquor licenses. If I remember right, there's a little bodega at the end of the street going east. Enjoy. I agree, lots of fun things in that neighborhood.

The Ukranian place on 2d and 7th or 6th Street closed. (It was called Kiev.) But Veselka still lives! <BR> <BR>And not to harp on the Indian food, but my favorite on 6th Street is Calcutta (although there is the rumor that they all share the same kitchen in the back!).

This is my old neighborhood and it is where I still go most nights for dinner. <BR> <BR> I'll check out the block sometime this week but I am sure it is okay. I think it is the Hell's Angels block, which actually makes it safe, and it is also a block from which, in some houses, there is a view of a lovely 19th century cemetery. <BR> <BR> A little street smarts will keep you fine: have your keys out well before you reach your door; keep your eyes open as you approach your door, and do not approach your door if you see anyone at all questionable who is close enough to rush you as you open it. <BR> <BR> I lived around there for 30 years and I love that neighborhood. <BR> <BR> The restaurant people are saying is closed, Kiev, actually just reopened and is terrible. <BR> <BR> My own favorite Indian is Haveli, at 2nd Ave & 6th Street -- though they're all nice. At Haveli you can have a cocktail, it's a bit more expensive and roomier. <BR> <BR> Veselka (2nd Ave 9th St) to me is one of the reasons to live in New York. It's open 24 hours, so you might think of it especially as a place to stop for a second dinner (or breakfast, they won't care) after an evening activity.