Fatos em primeiro lugar: nos amamos o East Village! Antigamente parte do Lower East Side, a area e amplamente considerada o berço do punk. Hoje, este vibrante centro urbano oferece otimas oportunidades de exploraçao: de atraçoes culturais interessantes e marcos historicos a bares e restaurantes badalados, este lugar tem de tudo. Nao importa o que voce escolha fazer aqui, e impossivel ficar entediado. Mas por onde voce deve começar? Bom, se voce esta planejando uma visita, leia nossa lista para aproveitar o melhor do East Village.
Explore a cultura
Uma das coisas mais empolgantes para fazer em Nova York e ver um espetaculo. Embora a area ofereça uma variedade de excelentes teatros, nossa primeira escolha e sempre o Orpheum Theater. Fundado em 1904, este lugar e conhecido por popularizar A Pequena Loja dos Horrores e Stomp. Hoje, voce pode conferir de tudo, desde comedias hilarias ate dramas evocativos, tudo sob o mesmo teto. Com sua historia unica e elegancia discreta, nao ha lugar melhor para os amantes das artes cenicas. Famoso por seu historico de ativismo social e pensamento criativo, a vida noturna do East Village e incomparavel. Quem vai a regiao em busca de arte de primeira classe nao ficara decepcionado! Uma joia cultural emblematica e pilar da cena artistica do East Village, o Nuyorican Poets Café e conhecido por dar voz ao slam poetry. Por decadas, a instituicao serviu como um lar para obras seminais de poesia, musica, teatro e muito mais. Com seus artistas excepcionais e atmosfera descontraida, este lugar e perfeito para tomar alguns drinks e aproveitar a vibracao do East Village em toda a sua gloria. Nao ha nada melhor do que ver um filme com alguns amigos. Se voce esta procurando o lugar perfeito, nao se preocupe – nos temos o que voce precisa! Tanto para os cinefilos mais apaixonados quanto para os espectadores casuais, o Anthology Film Archives exibe uma variedade maravilhosamente diversa de filmes de arte. De antigos favoritos e clássicos absolutos a filmes independentes e comédias mudas, há um pouco de tudo para todos aqui. Após um longo dia de tour, este é um ótimo lugar para simplesmente descanar e relaxar.
Explore a área
Se você tem interesse em saber mais sobre a história da região, vale a pena conferir o Museum of the American Gangster. Conhecida antigamente como um dos speakeasies mais notórios da cidade, a instituição agora trabalha para examinar a história do crime organizado nos Estados Unidos. Em sua coleção inusitada e fascinante, você encontrará as máscaras mortuárias de John Dillinger, balas da investigação do Massacre do Dia de São Valentim e cartuchos de bala do tiroteio final de Bonnie e Clyde. Embora o museu seja pequeno, acreditamos que seu acervo faz com que a visita valha muito a pena. Nova York não apresenta escassez de grandes instituições culturais, com o East Village abrigando alguns dos encontros especializados mais interessantes da cidade. Projetado pelo arquiteto ucraniano-americano George Sawicki, o Ukranian Museum é reconhecido como a maior instituição nos Estados Unidos dedicada exclusivamente à herança cultural da comunidade. Em sua coleção inusitada, você encontrará de tudo, desde belas artes e trajes tradicionais intrincadamente bordados até fotografias e documentos históricos. O museu também oferece palestras nas galerias, concertos e workshops criativos para quem tiver interesse.
Depois de muita exploração, você pode querer descansar os pés cansados. Felizmente, o East Village apresenta muitos espaços verdes bonitos, perfeitos para relaxar e tomar um pouco de sol. Antigamente o centro de atividades criminosas na área, o Tompkins Square Park é agora um ótimo lugar para visitar e aproveitar um momento de lazer. Dê um passeio, faça um piquenique ou assista a apresentações musicais ao vivo. Se você estiver viajando durante o Halloween, também recomendamos conferir a Halloween Dog Parade, onde você pode ver os cães da vizinhança desfilando com seus melhores trajes festivos para concorrer a um grande prêmio de milhares de dólares. O que poderia ser melhor do que isso?
Veja marcos históricos incríveis
Repleto de história viva e cultura, o East Village tem muito a oferecer ao viajante curioso com seus belos marcos históricos. Se você é fã de história, não há lugar melhor para encontrar essas estruturas do que no East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. Situada na 59 East 2nd Street, a Catedral Ortodoxa Russa é uma das nossas favoritas por causa do seu exterior incrivelmente impressionante. A catedral foi projetada pelo conceituado arquiteto Josiah Cleveland Cady, que mais tarde construiria marcos emblemáticos como a primeira Metropolitan Opera House e o auditório do American Museum of Natural History. Os visitantes podem fazer tours para ver seus tetos altos, belas pinturas decorativas e entalhes complexos. Seja você um interessado na história da região ou alguém em busca do seu lado espiritual, este lugar vale muito a visita. Enquanto Midtown é conhecida por seus arranha-céus imponentes, o East Village abriga muitas estruturas veneráveis que contam a rica história do bairro. Construída em 1910, a Sinagoga Meserich reflete os fortes laços da região com a comunidade judaica na virada do século. O edifício se destaca por sua impressionante fachada de pedra neoclássica, e seu interior apresenta uma arca imponente e vitrais. Embora o prédio tenha passado por reformas, esta joia escondida ainda remete tanto à experiência imigrante na cidade quanto a um momento crucial da história judaica. Vibrante e repleto de cultura, o East Village é facilmente uma das áreas mais descoladas de NYC. O bairro é mais barato de explorar do que outras partes do The Village, embora não seja menos interessante. Seria fácil passar um dia inteiro apenas admirando a arquitetura e aproveitando a atmosfera do bairro. Seja você um fã de gastronomia, um entusiasta de história ou do tipo artístico, a área tem muito a oferecer. Para descobrir como economizar em sua viagem, confira nosso Passe Explorar e Passe Tudo Incluído. Para mais detalhes, não deixe de se conectar conosco no Instagram e no Facebook.
Take a St Marks Place stroll
Take a St Marks Place stroll
It’s no exaggeration to say that St Mark’s Place is to the East Village what Chelsea Market is to Chelsea, or what Wall Street is to FiDi. This legendary strip has been at the epicenter of the East Village counter-culture ifor decades, from the punk fashions and paraphernalia of Trash and Vaudeville to the poetry archives and performances at nearby St Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery.
Sure, it runs just a few blocks but within that relatively small area lie decades of cultural capital. Neon-lit ramen shops, incense-scented novelty stores, tattoo parlors and manga bookshops sit elbow to elbow and, as with much of Manhattan, there are world-class people-watching opportunities at every turn.
Start at Astor Place and wander east, pausing whenever a crepe stand, lively Japanese izakaya or vintage thrift store catches your eye. Vinyl record stores also abound here, all brimming with classics and punk memorabilia. And where better to pick up a Ramones LP than in the very neighborhood that birthed them.
Street murals add extra layers (and multiple Insta-perfect photo ops) to your stroll, so allow time to wander, peer into alleyways and people-watch from tiny sidewalk cafés. It’s pure East Village magic.
Go barking mad in Tompkins Square Park
Go barking mad in Tompkins Square Park
All that urban exploring will almost certainly have exhausted your poor little feety-weet. Fortunately for you and your tender toes, the East Village has plenty of beautiful green spaces in which to relax and recharge, perhaps while gloating over your vinyl haul and/or guzzling down a legendary falafel wrap from East Village stalwart Mamoun’s.
Once a hotbed of criminal activity, Tompkins Square Park has been fully gentrified for your perfectly safe, crime-free pleasure. Wander its leafy lanes, pause for a picnic on the lawns, check out the plaques commemorating protests and punk rock riots, and take on the local chess sharks at the gaming tables.
Pro-tip: You’re in for a spooktacular treat if you happen by Tompkins Square Park on Halloween. For this is the location for the East Village’s annual Halloween Dog Parade, which is precisely what it sounds like. Expect pooches strutting their stuff in costume, with big cash prizes for the best dressed. Our money’s on the labrador in a lab coat or the shitsu in sheep’s clothing.
Explore more local landmarks
Steeped in living history and several impressive landmarks, the East Village has plenty more to offer the curious, camera-toting traveler. Mosey over to 59 East 2nd Street, where the striking exterior of the Russian Orthodox church there – all bright red bricks and soaring arched windows – is perfect eye candy for your Insta reels. Take a tour to ogle its no-less-impressive interiors: high ceilings, decorative paintings and intricate carvings abound. It’s almost, dare we say, a spiritual experience.
Elsewhere, the presence of the Meserich Synagogue, built in 1910, reflects the neighborhood's strong ties with the Jewish community around the turn of the century. Though now largely a condo, the synagogue’s striking neoclassical façade remains, and is another East Village showstopper, featuring a stunner of a stained-glass window.
Culture and Village vibes
Take in a show
Take in a show
You’re in New York, baby, so of course Broadway beckons, with its bright lights and big-ticket shows like The Lion King, Wicked and Cabaret. But there are also theatrical treasures to be found off-Broadway, including over here in the East Village, where the Orpheum Theater, established way back in 1904 has staged landmark productions of Anything Goes, Little Shop of Horrors and Stomp.
Or, for more intimate performances, hit up the 198-seat New York Theatre Workshop for boundary-pushing productions with up-and-coming actors – shows including Rent, Dirty Blonde and Once all made their debuts here before graduating to Broadway.
Visit the Merchant’s House Museum
The only 19th-century building in Manhattan with both interior and exterior still intact, the Merchant’s House Museum harks back to a bygone era of life in NYC. Merchant Seabury Tredwell and his wife Eliza bought this sweet crib in 1835 and the house (and many of its contents and heirlooms) stayed in the family until around a century later, at which point the house became a museum. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Step inside to find yourself inside a Victorian time capsule, filled with hundreds of antiques and artifacts, from horsehair furniture and vintage children’s toys to oil lamps, a music box and several haunting family portraits. Speaking of haunting, it’s said that many of the former residents of this perfectly preserved family home decided to stick around after they passed. So don’t be surprised if you feel a sudden cold draft along the creaky corridors, or spot a spectral woman in a nightgown out of the corner of your eye.
Hit the East Village vintage shops
Hit the East Village vintage shops
If you’re into quirky vintage finds and thrift store treasures, it’s highly likely you’ll hit the jackpot in the East Village. Hip shops line streets from Avenue A to Third, toting everything from O.G. Levi’s denim jackets from the ‘70s to rhinestone boots, retro band tees and bold costume jewelry.
L Train Vintage is where it’s at for racks stacked with retro denim and classic bombers, or visit the East Village Vintage Collective for more upscale pieces and accessories. Self-styled ‘thriftique’ AuH2O mixes curated women’s wear with killer accessories and, if old-school vinyl’s your vibe, pop into Academy Records nearby to dig through crates of classic LPs. Who knows, this might just be the place to find that original Patti Smith pressing you’ve been seeking for years.
Get bookish at the Strand Book Store
Every New York bibliophile worth their salt knows the flagship store on Broadway, but savvy readers head to Strand’s East Village Annex for a quieter, more neighborhood-y browsing experience. This sweet little corner of literary heaven stocks everything from secondhand novels to offbeat magazines, graphic novels and hefty art tomes. You’ll spot local zines, cool poetry collections, and even (perhaps inevitably) piles of vintage vinyl.
Staff here are enthusiastic about recommendations, so don’t be shy about asking what’s good – or bad. Just wander in on any rainy afternoon and let the bookish hush cocoon you; we pretty much guarantee you’ll walk out with a parcel of new reads tucked under your arm and – perhaps more importantly – dry feet.
The Ukrainian Museum
Often overlooked, this fine repository of all things Ukrainian is well worth an hour or two of your time. Located on East 6th Street just a few blocks from Tompkins Square, it preserves Ukrainian cultural heritage via a number of different strands. The first is via documentation of the legacy of Ukrainian immigration in the USA, including photographs, letters, posters, travel documents and more; indeed the building itself was designed by celebrated Ukrainian-American architect George Sawicki.
Secondly, there’s a whole world of fine folk art to explore, with exhibits that run the gamut from ceramics and traditional costumes to hand-painted pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs). Lovers of fine art will also be in clover – the museum’s collection of Ukrainian painting, drawing and sculpture is second-to-none, including pieces by Nikifor, Emma Andiewska, Oleksa Novakivskyi, Ivan Trush and many more.
East Village eats and drinks
Veselka
Veselka
Carrying on the theme, Veselka has been feeding hungry Ukrainian-Americans (and, well, anyone else with operational tastebuds) from the same Second Avenue venue since 1954. We’re talking proper old-school Ukrainian comfort food: perfect pierogi, beautiful borscht and sensational stuffed cabbage for the win.
Veselka’s unpretentious and buzzy diner-style set-up has been winning hearts (and stomachs) for decades. For our money, it’s the pierogi that steals the show. Order a selection – potato, braised beef short rib, cheese, and sauerkraut, served with sour cream – for the full experience, then follow with hearty chicken paprikash and a dreamy blintz plate with sweetened cheese. Yum.
Pro-tip: Veselka stays open round the clock on weekends, perfect for post-nightlife munchies.
Momofuku Noodle Bar
For something a little lighter, hit up Momofuku Noodle Bar, David Chang’s trendsetting East Village O.G. This is the place that helped put ramen on the NYC map and, more than two decades later, the food still has the power to dazzle.
On the menu: stellar ramen bowls (natch, don’t skip the smoked pork belly, pillowy shiitake buns, and small plates that riff on classic Asian flavors; think pickle plates, hand rolls and fried fingerling potatoes. Frankly it’s making us hungry just writing about it.
The cocktails here are clever, too, with house infusions and a rotating sake menu. Try a vodka-spiked Vietnamese Coffee or go on in on a three-shot sake flight.
McSorley’s Old Ale House
Nothing says East Village quite like McSorley’s. This old-school boozer has hardly changed at all since opening way back in 1854 – yep, it’s an original alright, right down to the sawdust floors. Do the time warp as you step through those storied doors into a world of antique artifacts, newspaper clippings, pub memorabilia and other ephemera from the last two centuries. Look out for Houdini’s handcuffs and unsnapped turkey wishbones dangling from gas lanterns – relics left by the WWI soldiers who never returned.
The drinks menu is minimal. Choose from light or dark ale and pair with a cheese plate for the full, immersive McSorley’s experience. Suffice to say that, despite the limited options, NYC’s oldest pub must be doing something right to have survived for this long – it’s said that some long-dead regulars liked it so much that they’re still hanging around here somewhere, long after their last call.
Death & Co
Death & Co
Which, by a fine happenstance, brings us to Death & Co, a bucket-list (geddit?) East Village stop if ever there was one. Cocktail aficionados flock to this, their final destination (of the day) for high-class mixology in a moody speakeasy-style lounge. Dress to impress and sashay on in for impeccably balanced signature classics and innovative guest cocktails that change with the seasons.
This is craft cocktail chic for the Insta generation. Camera phones at the ready for flamboyant mixology stunts and equally colorful garnishes sure to make your reels pop.
Looking for more NYC neighborhood recommendations? Get the lowdown on Chelsea's best bits and follow your nose to the heady aromas and sightseeing hits of Chinatown.
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