1 Ave, East Village

While Union Square is one of the city's nicest spots, with its farmers' market, generous splash of greenery, and nearby wealth of bookstores, cinemas, and clothing stores, its southern border becomes far less pleasant the further east one goes. While around and below Astor Place, the endearingly gritty-gentrified feeling of the East Village prevails, with some of the city's best low-cost (but rising) dining, far less scenic is East 14th Street. A major transport street, with numerous bus and subway stops, this wide thoroughfare is filled with cheap neon-signed fast food joints and corner-store pharmacies, a far cry from the flea markets, boho theatres, and falafel restaurants available a few blocks further south. As a convenient, well-lit way to walk from the East Village into Union Square at night, it's a worthy option, but it is far less of an attraction as a destination in its own right. If you're looking to purchase or rent in the area, consider heading further south - East 10th, 9th, or 8th Streets are good options, as are the cafes lining avenues A, B, and C. That said, if you're looking to buy electronics, the stretch of 14th Street just east of Union Square has a number of appliance and electronic stores.

East 13th is pretty busy all the time because of it's proximity to Union Square. There are a lot of residential spaces, of course, but I wouldn't really want to live here. It's just too much noise and too many people.
My favorite Coffee House in the West Village has a branch at 13th between 5th and Uni. It's called Joe the Art of Coffee. The coffee is seriously good, the crowd is always good and the music is always good. You can't really beat this place as far as a great coffee shop goes. There's a lot of New School happening on this block, though, so just keep in mind that there are gonna be a lot of students hanging around any of these places (i.e. Joe, The bagel shop, the deli).
The corner of 13th and Broadway marks a really beautiful building called The Roosevelt Building. It was built in 1893 and it's architecturally glorious in the old kind of way. There is a Cosi on the ground floor of the building that I often go to when I'm working. They have ample seating, healthy food and free wifi. And, this particular Cosi actually has a bar which I find weird but kinda cool. It's a great place to eat, get some work done and people watch because the area is full of street traffic.
Directly across the street is a giant movie theatre. It's always crowded but it's the theatre that I go to most often (seeing as there aren't any on the west side now). It's the most accessible movie theatre downtown, and, luckily they show a lot of movies so you can actually get a seat if you get there early enough. Apparently, it has always been a theatre of some form -- Newland attended a show at this site in Age of Innocence -- so, obviously Edith Wharton was a fan.
!3th between 3rd and 4th is a really arty block. It houses the Classic Stage Company which is an enormously popular off-Broadway Theatre company. A lot of famous people have performed here. Directly next door is Peridance which is one of the biggest schools in the city for Ballet and Modern Dance. I have taken a number of classes here and they are serious about their dance. There are no beginner classes. Everyman coffee is a coffee shop for would-be artists and that's right here too. By would-be artists what I mean is hipsters. The place is crawling with them.
The block between 2nd and 3rd is very commercial. There's a Kiehls store, Momofuku (an insanely popular noodle bar which I will never understand -- Ippudo is so much better), and some hair salons. There is one peculiar thing about this block, though, there is a vacant lot and a vacant brownstone -- or, at least last time I checked it was still vacant. Doesn't sound that strange, I know, but nothing is ever vacant in New York -- especially not a whole house and a plot of land.
2nd Ave used to be an open field where they would hang people so I wouldn't go walking there at night if you're afraid of ghosts. To be honest, I wouldn't go past 2nd Ave at night for any reason. The former Alphabet City may be picking up as a whole, but north of 10th still scares the bejeezus out of me. Even during the day.

East 11th Street has retained more from the 90's than other parallel east-west thoroughfares. It's calmer year round, and the block between 1st and 2nd avenue is nice to walk on because of the large school yard that affords views through the block to East 12th. Part of the street was renamed for a woman who was electrocuted to death near the corner of 1st avenue in the early 2000's. Overall, a good walking street, with generally low traffic speeds.

The upper streets of the East Village are pretty much populated by a wealthier crowd, though there are a few twenty-somethings who maintain the far eastside of the street (at the far eastside of the East Village). Yet just like any East Village street, there are plenty of restaurants to visit, and the business scenery is constantly changing.

I love this street, its one of the most fun areas to go out in the East Village. East 11th street not only the always packed and exciting Webster Hall, but also a multiplex that shows main stream and indie movies alike. On E 11th and 3rd ave there is a great bubble tea house called Sts Alps Tea House that has a wide variety of delicious teas to pick from, not to mention some delicious Hong Kong cuisine. There are some great markets on E 11th street too, including an organic market and a Japanese market. It is such a fun street to visit, in the daytime or at night. During the day, it's a great browsing street. I highly recommend coming by here!

I love this street. Elephant and Castle is a wonderful place for brunch. Try the poached eggs and avocado salad!! The village never disappoints, as it is rich of the unique culture which draws people from around the world to New York. An artistic neighborhood, you’ll find many small boutiques nearby and if you need some art supplies, go to New York Central Art Supply. As it is close to NYU, it has many of the conveniences of a college neighborhood, though isn’t terribly overrun by students. There are plenty of bars nearby if you’re looking for a happy hour drink! This is a wonderful neighborhood, and I think there is something for everyone!

(L train, E 1st Ave)