Christopher St, West Village

Gaudy, garish, and gay - in more ways than one - this West VIllage cross-island thoroughfare is one of Manhattan's most LGBT-friendly street. With rainbows - denoting acceptance and welcoming - in every shop corner (if monikers like "Oscar Wilde's Bookshop" - recently closed down - didn't give it away), this may not be the place for conservative out-of-towners, but ultimately Christopher Street, like nearby St. Mark's Place, is more tame than game. The few novelty shops and gay bookstores are mostly for show - a swanker gay scene happens a few blocks uptown in Chelsea - and sometimes it seems that Christopher Street's eclectic charm is strictly for the tourists, who come to see the historic Stonewall Inn. That's not to say there isn't a great deal going on - at night, the street positively swarms with people as bars open their doors - but the general vibe is generally less exclusive or harsh than in neighboring Chelsea. The street itself is architectually beautiful, with brick houses shaded by leafy branches and a sense of Old World charm, but you may be better placed living on a nearby street that attracts less crowds and noise.

Christopher Street is one of the more trafficky streets in the Village. I wouldn't want to live on it because of the traffic noise and how fast the taxis speed down it. But, it's also one of the livelier streets in the village. The Christopher Street Pier at the Hudson is beautiful and crowded. It's one of the lovelier piers (re done in 2003) and is a pretty big cruising spot for the gay youth. There are a bunch of gay bars and gay sex shops right across West side Highway. But, there is also the site of the first prison in NY (the 2nd prison in the country). It was really progressive -- they taught inmates trades -- and, apparently, a tourist attraction. It was closed in the 1800's because it was plagued with smallpox and riots. The Archive is at Washington. It used to be a Federal Archive building and is now a massive luxury apartment building. It was built in 1892 but I'm not sure when the apartments were put in. The building is gorgeous and old and the apartments are gorgeous and state of the art. They are also quite big for the neighborhood and ridiculously expensive.
Christopher and Greenwich houses the last NYC stop / station for the PATH transit to New Jersey. It's actually quite nice as far as trains go. Lucille Lortel theatre is at Bedford. It has had a number of famous people perform within its walls. Neil Labute is the current resident playwright. So, if you can go to a show there, it's a good idea. There are a bunch of gay bars and shops surrounding the theatre. Fat Cat is at 75 Christopher and it's such a sweet bar. They have shuffleboard, a ton of pool tables and a variety of other games to go with your boozing. It's a great time with a group of friends. Directly across the street, is a plaque that is the last remaining piece of the Voorhies house. The house was taken by the government to demolish for 7th avenue but the family kept one tiny piece of sidewalk wherein they put a plaque to note that the piece is not public property -- therefore, you are, technically, trespassing by standing on it. 59 Christopher used to be a bar called the Lion's Head. It was a bar for "drinkers with a writer's problem." Norman Mailer, Jimmy Breslin and Frank McCourt all hung out here.
Christopher Street has the biggest gay constituency in the city and 2nd in the country behind the Castro. It also has a lot of history and some really cool buildings.

A lot of people recoil from this area when they hear its Gay Street but you don’t have to be gay to get the best from this vibrant area. There are a numerous great bars, coffee shops and retail outlets catering for everyone and there is a friendly vibe in the air. If you have that many hang ups that you are willing to write off a really cool place in New York then so be it but you don’t know what you are missing out on.

Christopher St is a street in the West Village. It stretches form 6 Av to the Hudson River. This is a street where I would like to live. There is a vibrant nightlife and is close to many public transportations (the NJ path train stops here). In a while, one can also reach the great greenway on the Hudson River. It can be a little noisy, but definitely a great street where to live.
For the ones interested in history: Christopher Street has been an important center of New York City’s gay rights movements.

Things can get a bit Rowdy on Christopher street but that's the way I like it. The nightlife is worth every bit of noise that is offered up because of it and the street and it's history stands for something extremely important. The gay rights movement started in the area and the entire neighborhood has historical significance to that movement.

Christopher Street is an amazing area to visit. It's a beautiful street with a great deal of history to it and it has become a true symbol of the gay right movement. Walking around on Christopher Street offers great places to stop. Segal's sculptures on Sheridan Square are a point of interest and the McNulty's Tea and Coffee Company is also located here. There is a great nightlife in the area that caters to the gay population. It's a fun and festive place.

It's gay street, basically. I ended up down it by accident, but just went down the road for a quick look around. If gay street is your kinda thing, you're going to love it. The experience would be great, with plenty to do, see, and eat. There's bars, clubs, karaoke, great restaurants, pretty much anything a good street needs is located here.

The gayness of this street is infectious. Male-dominated Pieces is a great dive bar for the twenty-something crowd (though it does feature karaoke on a few nights...). Monster and Stonewall are for the middle-aged crowd. The Oscar Wilde bookstore has a great selection of LGBT print media. Duplex is good for the caberet bar market. Full of history, the Stonewall Inn was the site of what typically is thought of as the start of the gay rights movement in American history.

This review actually refers to Gay St: This short curving street is a perfect introduction to the strange street pattern in the west village, which refused, for some reason, to adopt the same street grid layout that was put in place in the city from 14th street upwards. I put this on the English pushing the Dutch back to Holland but perhaps not…Gay street is one of the streets in the village where everyone would like to own one of the beautiful brown brickstone houses.

There is no where else on this planet I would want to live but right here. We have any kind of entertainment for any age group..or just take a free walk along our new park on the beautiful Hudson River Park or a bike ride,rollerblade,trapezing,skateboard setup, music concerts and we haven't left the park YET!.....I just like my specialty food shops where I'll go for my cheese,handmade Italian sausage etc..then the restaurants are endless and fabulous...literally in one square mile of where I live, you NEVER have to leave because everything is here..not the theaters or Lincoln center & the museums...I make exceptions for those places..and take trips uptown..come and visit..I'll take you for a walking tour of the historic brownstone homes