Walking Manhattan. Ellen Levitt
self-made millionaire, Rouss honored the city that gave him his fortune by changing his middle name to Broadway. Next door, at #557, is the headquarters of Scholastic, the educational publisher. The building, from 2001, only looks old. (When the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, came out, Scholastic—which published the series in the US—held a block-long street fair and was swamped with fans.)
At #561, the “Little Singer Building” (nicknamed to distinguish it from the sewing machine company’s now-demolished skyscraper farther downtown) has wonderful ironwork and textured terra-cotta pieces all over. Finally, don’t overlook #583, the 1897 Astor Building. For some time, the New Museum of Contemporary Art was located here, but now it’s residential. Perhaps best described as Beaux Arts gone wild, it has lavishly decorated bay windows sandwiched between Corinthian columns, plus terra-cotta gewgaws everywhere they’ll fit: cartouches, arches, gargoyles, you name it.
At Houston Street, turn right and walk to Lafayette Street to see the Puck Building, which once housed the printing facilities for Puck, a humor magazine published from 1878 to 1916 and named for the imp from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This redbrick Romanesque Revival building from the 1880s has two gold-leaf statues of the magazine’s mascot to admire. Catch the train at the Broadway–Lafayette Street station at Houston Street.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Capitale (Old Bowery Savings Bank) capitaleny.com, 130 Bowery, 212-334-5500
The Bowery Ballroom boweryballroom.com, 6 Delancey St., 212-260-4700
Judith Charles Gallery judithcharlesgallery.com, 196 Bowery, 212-219-4095
The Bowery Mission bowery.org, 227 Bowery, 212-674-3456
New Museum newmuseum.org, 235 Bowery, 212-219-1222
Sperone Westwater speronewestwater.com, 257 Bowery, 212-999-7337
Soho Contemporary Art sohocontemporaryart.com, 259 Bowery, 646-719-1316
Garis & Hahn garisandhahn.com, 263 Bowery, 212-228-8457
University Settlement at the Houston Street Center hsc.universitysettlement.org/hsc, 273 Bowery, 212-475-5008
The Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral oldcathedral.org, 263 Mulberry St., 212-226-8075
Elizabeth Street Garden elizabethstreetgarden.org, bounded by Mott, Elizabeth, Prince, and Spring Streets
Lombardi’s Pizza firstpizza.com, 32 Spring St., 212-941-7994
Parisi Bakery parisibakery.com, 198 Mott St., 212-226-6378
Nolitan Hotel nolitanhotel.com, 30 Kenmare St., 212-925-2555
FDNY Engine 55 363 Broome St.
Italian American Museum italianamericanmuseum.org, 155 Mulberry St., 212-965-9000
Ferrara ferraranyc.com, 195 Grand St., 212-226-6150
Alleva allevadairy.com, 188 Grand St., 212-226-7990
International Culinary Center/L’Ecole Restaurant lecolenyc.com, 462 Broadway, 212-219-3300
ROUTE SUMMARY
1 Walk west on Grand Street from Chrystie Street.
2 Walk right on Bowery.
3 Walk left on Houston Street.
4 Walk left on Mott Street, dipping in and out of Prince Street to the right.
5 Walk left on Broome Street, then head in the other direction across Mott Street.
6 Walk left on Mulberry Street.
7 Go left on Grand Street to Mott Street, then double back on Grand.
8 Walk right on Centre Market Place.
9 Turn left on Broome Street, then left on Centre Street.
10 Make a right on Grand.
11 Walk right on Broadway.
12 Go right at Houston Street to the subway.
CONNECTING THE WALKS
Walk 9 (Central Greenwich Village) begins at West Houston Street and Broadway, just before you turn on Houston to reach the subway. To reach the start of the West Village tour (Walk 10), walk about eight blocks west on Houston to Varick Street.
Slow your stroll to appreciate the charming touches that abound on Soho’s buildings.
8 EAST VILLAGE: CLUBS, COLLEGE, CULTURE
BOUNDARIES: E. Houston St., Ave. A, E. 10th St., 3rd Ave.
DISTANCE: 4.2 miles
SUBWAY: F train to 2nd Ave.
The East Village is somewhat quieter, somewhat grittier, and somewhat less known than the Washington Square area, or even the West Village. But this is a neighborhood with a great deal of charm, considerable historical importance, cultural choices (and ghosts), and other C’s: cinema, cemeteries, Cooper Union, and churches.
The East Village draws young and old alike with its varied offerings of music, theater, dance, ethnic meals, fashion, and knickknacks. There are sweet little parks and stirring monuments. The northern segment has two historical anchors in the Cooper Union, a highly competitive college where presidential hopeful Abraham Lincoln spoke, and St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, Manhattan’s oldest place of continuous religious worship.
The East Village also has legendary places that are gone but still commemorated, such as punk-rock haven CBGB, the 2nd Ave Deli (which moved), Mars Bar, the Amato Opera, and others. A visit here is nostalgic at times, forward-thinking at others.
On March 26, 2015, the block of Second Avenue just south of St. Mark’s Place was rocked by a gas-line explosion and fire that killed 2 people, injured 22, and left more than 80 homeless. The blast leveled three buildings and badly damaged four others. In the true spirit of the city, area businesses, houses of worship, and nonprofits have stepped up to help the displaced.
Exit the subway on the First Avenue side. Just next to the station is First Park, a charming little sliver of a park and playground.
Make a left onto First Avenue and then a right on East First Street. Peretz Square, a long, thin triangle of a park, is to your right. At #108 is a brick building that used to be a synagogue and a performance space and is currently pricey residences.
BACK STORY: HILLY’S PLACE
CBGB stands among the most notorious, iconic, and influential rock-and-roll venues in the United States. Along