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West Village, Manhattan: Crooked Streets, Stonewall's Legacy

West Village, New York

Pictures from West Village

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Stonewall Inn Grove and Bedford Streets Cherry Lane Theatre Hudson River Park at Pier 45

The West Village's off-grid, angled streets predate Manhattan's 1811 Commissioners' Plan, a legacy of the Dutch hamlet of Noortwyck, where Governor Wouter van Twiller farmed 200 acres starting in the 1630s. The name "West Village" itself only emerged during preservation efforts of the 1950s and '60s, coined to distinguish the area west of Seventh Avenue from the part of Greenwich Village around Washington Square. By 1916 it was known as "Little Bohemia," home to small presses, galleries, and experimental theater, and the White Horse Tavern — open since 1880 — drew writers like Dylan Thomas, James Baldwin, and Jack Kerouac through the 1950s and '60s. Its defining moment came on June 28, 1969, when the Stonewall Uprising began at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street, a milestone described as the single most important event leading to the modern gay liberation movement.

  1. The first U.S. National Monument for LGBTQ+ rights, centered on Christopher Park across from the Stonewall Inn.

  2. American art on the Hudson River edge of the West Village, with rotating major exhibitions.

  3. New York's oldest Off-Broadway theater, still staging new work since 1923.

  4. New York City's oldest jazz club, operating on Seventh Avenue South since 1935.

  5. Rita Sodi and Jody Williams's seasonal Italian osteria on Grove Street.

  6. An all-day Grove Street cafe running from morning pastries to late-night digestifs.

  7. Handmade pasta and seasonal Italian cooking on West 10th Street.

  8. A cash-only neighborhood bar famous for its Bistro Burger.

  9. A 12-room guest house in two 1841 landmark townhouses.

  10. Budget bunk and single rooms in the historic Jane Street building.

Little Bohemia to Stonewall

The West Village's bohemian identity dates to 1916, when the area earned the nickname "Little Bohemia" for its concentration of small presses, art galleries, and experimental theater. That creative undercurrent carried through the mid-20th century at spots like the White Horse Tavern, open since 1880, where Dylan Thomas, James Baldwin, and Jack Kerouac drank in the 1950s and '60s. The neighborhood's most consequential moment came on June 28, 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street and the resulting spontaneous protests sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The site was designated a National Monument in 2016 — the first in the U.S. dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights — and the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center opened in Christopher Park on June 28, 2024, the uprising's 55th anniversary. Much of the West Village also falls within the Greenwich Village Historic District, designated by the city on April 29, 1969 and, at over 50 blocks, its largest historic district for four decades until extensions in 2006 and 2010.

Getting there by subway

The West Village is well covered on its edges: the A/C/E and L trains stop at 14th Street-Eighth Avenue, the 1/2/3 at 14th Street (Seventh Avenue), the 1 (with the 2 late nights) at Christopher Street-Stonewall and at Houston Street, and the A/B/C/D/E/F/M hub at West Fourth Street-Washington Square. PATH trains to New Jersey also stop at Christopher Street and Ninth Street. Interior blocks are a five-to-ten-minute walk from any of these stations.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to the West Village by subway?
The A/C/E/L converge at 14th Street-Eighth Avenue, the 1/2/3 stop at 14th Street (Seventh Ave), the 1 (with the 2 late nights) serves Christopher Street-Stonewall and Houston Street, and the A/B/C/D/E/F/M meet at West Fourth Street-Washington Square. Interior blocks are a five-to-ten-minute walk from any of these.
Where does the name West Village come from?
It emerged during preservation efforts of the 1950s and '60s to distinguish the area west of Seventh Avenue — with its off-grid streets predating the 1811 Commissioners' Plan — from the part of Greenwich Village around Washington Square.
Can I visit the Stonewall National Monument?
Yes — Christopher Park, across from the Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street, is open to the public with tours, events, and a photo exhibit on the park fence, and the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center opened there on June 28, 2024.
What is "Little Bohemia"?
It's the nickname the West Village earned starting in 1916 for its concentration of small presses, galleries, and experimental theater, a bohemian identity that carried through the White Horse Tavern's literary regulars in the 1950s and '60s.
Where can I stay in the West Village?
Incentra Village House, a 12-room guest house in two 1841 landmark townhouses, and the West Village Eurohostel — the former Jane Hotel, in a 1908 building that once housed Titanic survivors — are the two verified in-neighborhood options.

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