42 Downing Street

About West Village

Picture a romantic comedy set in New York City: The heroine invariably lives in a cozy walk-up on a cobblestone street in a neighborhood with cute boutiques and trendy cafes on every corner. This movie is set in the West Village. In reality, the West Village is just as picturesque: The neighborhood is tucked between Greenwich Village and the Hudson River and is one of the quietest and most sophisticated pockets of Downtown Manhattan. Primarily residential, with a distinct lack of office buildings, the leafy, off-the-grid streets are peaceful during the day but get livelier at night. That's when well-heeled residents, fashionistas, and literati can all be found mingling over oysters at the area's many low-lit cocktail bars.