THE WEST VILLAGE - Rough Guide to New York City - page 146

A small, restored structure originally built in 1841 by Richard Upjohn (architect of Trinity
Church), the Church of the Ascension was later redecorated by Stanford White. Duck in-
side to see the gracefully toned La Farge altar painting and some fine stained glass on view.

THE FORBES GALLERIES
62 Fifth Ave at W 12th St. Subway N, Q, R, L, #4, #5, #6 to Union Square; F, L at 14th St. 212 206 5548,

www.forbesgalleries.com . Tues, Wed, Fri & Sat 10am-4pm. Free. MAP
This museum contains a rather whimsical collection of treasures assembled by the Forbes
family, owners of the publishing empire. The 10,000-strong host of tin soldiers, over 500
model boats and early Monopoly boards, will appeal primarily to aficionados and kids,
though the galleries also hold temporary exhibitions of a diverse range of artwork, from car-
toons to rare Art Deco gems.
JEFFERSON MARKET COURTHOUSE AND PATCHIN PLACE
425 Sixth Ave at W 10th St. Subway A, B, C, D, E, F, M to West 4th St; #1 to Christopher St-Sheridan Sq.
212 243 4334. Library open Mon, Wed 10am-8pm, Tues, Thurs 11am-7pm, Fri, Sat 10am-5pm. MAP
Known for its fanciful clock tower, the nineteenth-century Jefferson Market Courthouse
is an imposing High Victorian-style edifice, complete with gargoyles, which first served as
an indoor market but went on to be a firehouse, jail, and finally a women's detention centre
before enjoying its current incarnation as a public library. Adjacent to it and opening onto
West 10th Street, Patchin Place (closed to the public) is a tiny mews constructed in 1848,
whose neat rowhouses were home to the reclusive Djuna Barnes for more than forty years.
Patchin Place has also been home to e.e. Cummings, Marlon Brando, Ezra Pound and Eu-
gene O'Neill.

BLEECKER STREET
Subway A, B, C, D, E, F, M to West 4th St; #1 to Christopher St-Sheridan Sq. MAP
Cutting across from the Bowery to Hudson Street, Bleecker Street , with its touristy concen-
tration of shops, bars, and restaurants, is to some extent the Main Street of the Village. It has
all the best reasons you come to this part of town: all-day cafés, late-night bars, cheap re-
cord stores, traditional bakeries and food shops, and the occasional good restaurant or
pizzeria.
At Sixth Avenue, the Italian-Renaissance style Our Lady of Pompeii Church , built in
1929, hints at the area's Italian past; Faicco's butchers and Rocco's (best known for its
crunchy nut cannoli ) are still here, as well as celebrated deli Murray's Cheese . Bob Dylan
lived for a time at 161 West 4th St, and the cover of his 1963 Freewheelin' album was shot a
few paces away on Jones St, just off Bleecker.