Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Arts brings Allen Ginsberg-inspired theater, music, film, dance and spoken-word events
to the park and various neighborhood venues each September.
Astor Place & Around NEIGHBORHOOD
This square (8th St btwn Third & Fourth Aves; R/W to 8th St-NYU, 6 to Astor Pl) is named
after the Astor family, who built an early New York fortune on beaver pelts and lived on
Colonnade Row, just south of the square. The large, brownstone Cooper Union, the pub-
lic college founded in 1859 by glue millionaire Peter Cooper, dominates the square -
now more than ever - as the school now has its first new academic building in over 50
years, a striking, twisting, nine-story sculpture of glazed glass wrapped in perforated
stainless steel (and LEED-certified, too) by architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis.
Russian & Turkish Baths BATHHOUSE
MAP GOOGLE MAP
( 212-674-9250; www.russianturkishbaths.com ; 268 E 10th St btwn First Ave & Ave A; per visit
$35; noon-10pm Mon-Tue & Thu-Fri, 10am-10pm Wed, 9am-10pm Sat, 8am-10pm Sun; L to
1st Ave; 6 to Astor Pl) The historic bathhouse is a great place to work out your stress in one
of the four hot rooms; traditional massages are also offered. It's authentic and somewhat
grungy, and you're as likely to share a sauna with a downtown couple on a date, a well-
known actor looking for a time-out or an actual Russian.
West Village & Greenwich Village
Once a symbol for all things artistic, outlandish and Bohemian, this storied and popular
neighborhood - the birthplace of the gay-rights movement as well as former home of
Beat poets and important artists - feels worlds away from busy Broadway and, in fact,
almost European. Known by most visitors as 'Greenwich Village,' although that term is
not used by locals (West Village encompasses Greenwich Village, which is the area im-
mediately around Washington Square Park), it has narrow streets lined with well-
groomed and high-priced real estate, as well as cafes and restaurants, making it an ideal
place to wander.
Washington Square Park & Around PARK
This park (Fifth Ave at Washington Sq N; A/C/E, B/D/F/V to W 4th St-Washington Sq, N/R/W
to 8th St-NYU) began as a 'potter's field' - a burial ground for the penniless - and its status
as a cemetery protected it from development. It is now a completely renovated and in-
credibly well-used park, especially on the weekend. Children use the playground, NYU
 
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