East Village

Empty nesters 41%

Seniors 39%

Parking 29%

Quiet 26%

Income 18%

Top Reviews

For my money, there’s no better neighborhood in NYC than the East Village. It’s the most stylish, most vibrant, most lively area in the city – simply the personification of real New York.I don’t live in the area, but if I were to pick one neighborhood I’d like to call home, it would be the East Village. This is in large part because I’m addicted to all the great food down there. (For french fries, you have to check out Pommes Frites on 2nd Ave. All they do is make french fries, nothing else, and they’re absolutely amazing. Those things are like crack.)

The type of person you’ll find in the East Village is, well, every type of person. It’s so diverse and so novel, and you’re sure to see some interesting characters while strolling the streets, no matter what time it is. (Did I just see a religious cult with shaved heads marching down the sidewalk in robes, beating drums and chanting?

I suppose I did.)

Compared to most other places in the rest of the borough, the East Village is definitely one of the more relaxed. You don’t see much sauntering in Midtown or down on Wall Street, but in the East Village people don’t seem to be in such a hurry.

As for dining, there are a bunch of great bars and outdoor cafes that usually remove most of their front wall in the summer and embrace the street. And while I don’t condone drinking heavily during the day (except weekends and holidays), if one were so inclined to go bar hopping from morning to night, the East Village is the best place to do it.

So many awesome bars, always full of cool and interesting people just enjoying life.

And I think that’s what truly separates this neighborhood from the rest. At the risk of sounding incredibly trite and cliche, the East Village is just plain fun. No other place in Manhattan offers the quirky, laid back attitude of the Village. Whether you’re just visiting or looking for permanent residence, definitely check out it out. You’ll never be bored, that’s for sure.Justin

The East Village Is Why You Live In New York

If you’re passionate about anything, chances are the East Village is too and they do it better than anywhere else in New York. If you love cocktails, Angel’s Share, Death and Co., or Please Don’t Tell will have you reeling out the door and into the street, reeking of elderflower, muddled blood orange, and ginger syrup. If coffee’s your thing, Ost Cafe, Abraco, and Ninth Street Espresso will give you more than just a fix, with third wave rigor and the best beans in the city. Foodies will find that wonders both high (Apiary, Prune, Motorino, or any of David Chang’s East Village strongholds) and low (Pomme Frites, Artichoke, Crif Dogs) abound. You can play this game at home with almost any category you can imagine (bookstores, music, etc.) . The East Village embodies the urban holy trinity of food, drink, and culture. There’s just one catch, and it’s the one you expected: price.

Ironically, the older professionals most likely to be able to afford the exorbitant rents are the ones least likely to appreciate the EV’s hard partying, youth culture. NearbyNYU and New School dorms keep the nabe stoked with young blood, and youngins of every stripe descend on the area every weekend.

When I moved here at 25 I already felt I was at the wrong end of the age bracket (unfortunately I was also at the wrong end of the income bracket). But living in the EV means accepting that St.

Marks will explode with revelers at the barest provocation (I think they’ve even started inventing their own holidays).

Some of the nabe’s former grit is preserved by its border with nearby Alphabet Cityand living there might help those struggling with the rent situation. But even then, you’re dealing with not-great rent and not-great subway access so that you can live where you go out on weekends. If this isn’t essential for you, it’s usually a subway ride away from most places an aspiring EV resident would choose as a safety ‘nabe. That said, if you’re under 35, single, have means and exacting tastes, well, your decision’s almost made.

What's awesome

Restaurants, bars, music venues, everything else

What's not so awesome

just okay on green space, noisy, rents are too damn high

Michel C

For the Artist or for those wanting to be a NYer quickly

East Village has a great vibrancy to it – mostly stemming from the energy of the young and musical types that hang out on the streets and bars 24-7. Although chain stores and restaurants are creeping in and adding a bit of dullness to the edgy and punky scene that dominated this neighborhood for ages, it still retains it’s identity as a place to be for upcoming bands to get their start, for locals to get a cheap drink in dim-lit dive bars, or for a tourist getting a souvenir at a local tattoo shop.

Regardless of the punk-rock image it wears so well, it’s completely safe and the crime it experience din the past is no longer a lingering black eye for this area. It’s more of a tale told by the locals that have lived there for twenty plus years and are appreciating how far the neighborhood has come.

That said, nearby Thompkins Square Park has a great dog run but it’s best to avoid it’s dark paths after 10 pm at night. If you are under 25 and consider yourself independent or against the grain in any way, this is where you’ll spend way too many of your weekend nights.

Enjoy it, there is never a slow night in the East Village. It will turn the most novice newcomer into a true New Yorker in no time

A.C.

Pretty much everyone comes to East Village to hang out at one point or another. It’s often said that upper East/West siders come down to pretend to be “slumming it”, though the rents can be just as expensive. Edgier Brooklyn types may also scoff at how played out it is, but there’s no way they’re not here for a gallery, show, meal or drinks on a regular basis. I still think it’s the center of NYC cultural life. Plus, all the transient partiers and scenesters keep alive the crazy, unpredictable vibe for which this place is famous. Living here is great as well. There are all kinds of people here, and it’s friendly to everyone from families to rockers. I’d add that with the recent trouble in the economy, the area has actually taken a turn for the better. There’s a bit less people going absolutely nuts down here on the weekends, while rents have become (just a little) better for the creative set.NYC L.

Everyone is so stylish around here. I love the East Village, especially hanging out around St. Marks. My dorm is right on Second Avenue, and I can get anything I want within five blocks. I’m right by Union Square for shopping, plenty of restaurants on 2nd and 1st, and there’s lots of little hideaways in Alphabet City.Christy S.

ts amazing square to chill, read and listen to musicKhaled Y.

Union Square and NYU

with part of this nabe taking in the vibes of the NYU crowd, and other parts being an extension of Union Square – this nabe offers a diverse mix of people. You will find families, and youngsters ready to party and take advantage of the nightlife.

There are some good, fun bars here that really open up on the weekend. If you walk down 3rd or 4th you’ll find something to do any night of the week though. During the daytime, the Union Square crowd really seeps into the East Village.

There are hipsters. Don’t be surprised if you see one, stooped up on a fire hydrant like a gargoyle reading a 99 cent strand book. My friend max lives there and agrees that there is great shopping, bars and beautiful people in this area.

What's awesome

people, bars, restaurants, playgrounds

What's not so awesome

hipsters at strand

Richard H.

I just moved into the neighborhood from Seattle, WA and eagerly await my daily dog walk (two great off-leash options, Tompkins Square and Stuyvesant Park!) and explorations around the neighborhood, there seem to be an endless amount of new restaurants from every corner of the world, a million vegan/healthy options and plenty of interesting little ‘must have’s’ that make a neighborhood livable, like a cobbler, locksmith, hardware stores, etc. There are more students than I imagined (New School and NYU) but the old residents are here too and I think it still retains much of the vibe that it’s always been famous for. Great eats, awesome vibe, quintessentialNYC living.Nathalie M.

I love this place.

After living in Greenwich Village for a year I made the transition to the less expensive and larger apartments in the East Village. That has been 7 years ago. The Vibe of East Village is like no other, It’s artists decorate the lampposts, the punks still roam Saint Marks Place and the store fronts are always reinventing the new “in” You can’t beat the bars and restaurants in the area.

It’s always a great place to party and great place to people watch. Close to many trains, this is a place anyone can call home

Erin Alls

East Village: Old School/New School

The East Village is definitely one of the more exciting and trendy neighborhoods to visit or live in in Manhattan. There is such a fantastic mixture of people that it would be hard to pin down just one trend ethnic flavor to the neighborhood.

It’s also one of the more affordable neighborhoods to go out or to live in Downtown.

I have spent many a day and night roaming through the East Village and there are still hundreds of things I have yet to experience, but here are a few of my favorite things….

The East Village has some of the best Ukrainian food in the city. Blintzes, Perogies, or the best Borscht in the world…there’s a perfect location for that on 2nd Ave called Veselka and it’s open 24 hours a day!

There are also so many options for other et