Thoughts on the East Village, Culture, & Getting Sleazy

It has a vibe similar to the Theater District in Boston, which you can only say if you've spent a significant amount of time in both (yes, visiting one a good number of times and living in the other counts as "significant").  That is to say, hipsters galore.  But you want to forgive the East Village, because they have really good mac and cheese at S'Mac.  There are people everywhere, wandering, working, searching, tourists and shopkeeps and NYU students and movie buffs on their way to where Sally left Harry in Washington Square Park.  Probably that guy at the store on the corner, selling Iceberg lettuce and crimson peonies, is a burgeoning actor - maybe he's in the off-off-off Broadway show around the corner.  Probably that woman behind the counter self-published a book.  Probably that old couple on the bench have lived here forever, coming to accept the changes in their neighborhood over the years.  And you can be sure they're all eco-friendly, in every way possible.

You don't need to think about whether politics hang right or left in that part of town.  As the streets and avenues count down, you can make your assumptions.  But it doesn't matter.  Because, as you move away from the tourist traps of Times Square (guilty pleasures for natives) and the bustle of suburban commuters in big city jobs, you can see that neighborhoods exist in Manhattan.  And, by God, it's a beautiful thing.  Everyone has a story, but they're quieter here.  Buying groceries matters.  People can make movies about the novelty shops and tiny cafés on quiet streets.  There are big names on the marquees of little theaters; there are little movies hitting it big on the avenues.  Locals know their waiters and restaurant owners welcome newcomers with easy familiarity.  It's just one little neighborhood on the Lower East Side, but visit once and I bet it'll be your favorite.

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