Waverly Pl, West Village

The corner of Waverly and Bank is where Patricia Highsmith (author of The Talented Mr. Ripley) lived in the 1930's. It's a gorgeous building on a gorgeous street. But, it's pretty dark so I can see why she liked it. The other side of Bank boasts the Waverly Inn. It is one of the more noteworthy restaurants in the West Village and the reputation is completely deserved. It's incredibly expensive but the food is great, the ambience is lovely and the building has been around forever. It was built in the 1840's and has been a restaurant since the 1920's. The aesthetic (from what I understand) hasn't changed much and it definitely looks that way. It's very old world money. I love this place right down to the curmudgeonly old people that frequent it.
The block between 11th and Perry boasts all kinds of history and it's a really stunning block. St John's in the Village Church is right on the corner and though it is a newer building, they did their best to rebuild a replica of the building that stood there before that was destroyed in a fire. It's lovely. Next door to the church is the Rattlestick Theatre. It's one of the best off Broadway theatres in the city and I love that it's right down the street from my place sort of tucked away. Their plays are, in general, most of what I have seen on Broadway and they are only a five minute walk from me. The opposite corner of Waverly houses a building that has had Rebecca Miller, Mira Nair and WS Merwin all as residents. There must be something awfully inviting in that place to the successful creatives because that is one hell of a lineup for one address. Next door to that is the Village Vanguard. It has been around for almost 100 years and is pretty well known as the best jazz club in the city. Miles Davis and John Coltrane both recorded live albums at this spot.
There's a really great, quite famous bookshop on the corner of 10th called Three Lives that I highly recommend everyone seeing. It's the quintessential village shop to me and what's not to love about a little, old book store? The next block (at Grove) houses my favorite building in the city: The Northern Dispensary. It's an abandoned, creepy, rectangular building with a great history. Apparently, the deed states that the building may only be used for public service so it used to be a free clinic where Edgar Allan Poe used to go when he was sick. It later became a dental clinic that was sued in the '80's for refusing to service people with AIDS. It closed after losing the lawsuit and the building has been vacant ever since. It is the scariest building ever but really beautiful. You can still see dental chairs in the top window and it's crazy to think that a building on such prime real estate has sat empty for thirty years!
The next block (around Gay) is one of my favorite blocks in the Village. The corner houses my favorite coffee shop in the city: Joe's. It is fantastic and much cooler than I will ever be. Next door to Joe is the building where Edna St Vincent Millay lived in the early 20th century. It wasn't a fantastic area at the time but the building is gorgeous and the neighborhood was very arty. Directly across the street is where Judy Holliday lived in the 1940's. One of my good friends actually lives in her apartment now and it is absolutely stunning. It's the kind of place that most New Yorkers dream about having one day. I'm obsessed with that apartment. The corner of 6th and Waverly ends the street bizarrely with the Waverly Diner, but I do kind of like this place. It is every bit as depressing as any other diner and the food is marginal at best. But, it has been around forever and though it does nothing for the aesthetic of the street, it somehow belongs there.