Barrow St, West Village

Barrow street isn't a street that is frequented by tourists but it is rich in history, retains the picturesque village aesthetic and has some of my favorite bars.
The corner of Barrow and West End Highway is a place called Kellers. It was a leather bar in the 50's (yes, I said "leather") and is known as the birthplace of disco which I think is pretty cool. The twin houses (on the corner of Commerce and Barrow) was built by a sea captain in the 1830's. He moved his two feuding daughters into the two identical houses only separated by a garden in an attempt to get them to reconcile. I'm not sure if they ever did but I think it's a really cool story. And, the houses are really quite spectacular.
The building on the corner of Bedford and Barrow (81) has one of the coolest / maybe scariest bits of history to it -- even for New York. It was the building that the CIA used for LSD experiments in the 1950's. The best part? The experiments were done on unwilling and unknowing "volunteers" and the LSD was administered by prostitutes. What? I mean, at least, if you're going to be tripping on LSD, the Village is the most lovely of all places to be? Pretty interesting. . . .
58 Barrow is the secret entrance to Chumley's. It was a former Speakeasy and has always been a place that served alcohol. It was a huge literary hangout (Eugene O'Neill, Edna St Vincent Millay, Steinbeck, etc all hung out here.) It was such a cool bar, but, sadly, has been closed since a chimney collapsed a few years ago. It's supposed to open later this year and I really hope it does.
One of the oldest houses in the village is at 25 Barrow: worth taking a look.
The restaurant One if by Land, Two if by Sea is just down the street and it's pretty amazing. It is incredibly romantic and incredibly expensive. It's cozy and old wordy . . it even has a working fireplace which is amazing on a snowy night. The food is great and the service is gruff. Cool fact: it used to be Aaron Burr's carriage house which I think just magnifies the old timey feel. I love this place.
Barrow Street Ale House is a really cool bar that used to be a big jazz hang where the likes of Miles Davis and John Coltrane would jam. Commerce (Commerce and Barrow) is a really popular and pretty good restaurant. It's a little bright in there for my liking but the food is consistently good -- strawberry rhubarb is pretty tops -- and it is always really jamming in there. The corner of Barrow and Hudson is this total dive bar that I love, Barrow's pub. It is a serious dive with a ton of regulars who have lived in the village forever. The bartenders are a little older but they're all really cool. On Saturday's, the show, Accomplice is there so you may even get a quick taste of some murder mystery theatre over your beer in a dirty glass.

Barrow Street is an access point for visitors and residents alike. It acts as any easy street to navigate into the more famous areas of the city. While it acts as a gateway to other areas it also has a few notable stops of it's own. Barrow Street Ale House is extremely popular with local sports fanatics as the street overs dozens of screens to watch sporting events on. It's a nice atmosphere if you don't mind an intense group of fans. Rockmeisha is an Asian inspired tapas bar that is a bit more low-key than the Ale House. Overall there are some great points of interest along the way and the street serves as a nice gateway to other areas. It's a convenient and comfortable atmosphere that is enjoyable, to say the least.

Barrow street consists of many establishments including an Episcopal church named St. Luke in the Fields and a square called Sheridan which was named after an Indian fighter commander. Barrow Street gives tourists/residents easy access to other major streets through out NYC like Washington, Greenwich, Hudson, Bedford, Bleecker Street, and West.