West 4th St, West Village

West 4th is a great street because while it's very commercial and busy, it doesn't lose any of the quaint, old-timey neighborhoodness that makes the West Village so distinct. It also, however, keeps in line with the rest of West Village streets in a bad way: it changes directions and people get lost trying to find it or get off of it all the time. Once you get the hang, though, it's pretty easy. And, West Village residents pride themselves on giving directions so they're usually really friendly about it.
West 4th, up until about Jane Street coming from the West is pretty residential. There a lot of beautiful brownstones and townhouses. Like most streets in this neighborhood, there is a lot of old architecture to gawk at on West 4th. And, a lot of rich people that live in these old places. The corner of Jane and West 4th houses The Corner Bistro. This place is really overhyped, but it is pretty awesome. They serve McSorley's Ale for the McSorley dirt cheap price and a pretty good burger (though not "the best" like many claim). It's really lovely and cozy inside and it has been a bar since 1870. They posed as a butcher shop during Prohibition. I make sure I always take people by for at least a drink when they're visiting from out of town. The corner of West 4th and 12th has Corner Bistros polar opposite of a joint -- but, it's equally as lovely. Cafe Cluny is one of the best brunches in the West Village; and, honestly, all of their meals are fantastic. That place is always busy. I walk home from the gym at 8 am on a Tuesday and that place has at least 10 people in it. The only problem is that the wait can be atrocious and the crowd tends to be a little self-important at times.
The corner of West 4th and Perry marks two pretentious restaurants that I go to all the time because the food is good and the outdoor seating is fantastic: Saint Ambreous and Extra Virgin. You really can't go wrong with either and the people watching on a Spring day is hard to beat . . even if the people sitting next to you think their innerds don't stink. Honestly, all of the dining on West 4th is pretty great. So, you can just walk into pretty much any of them and be happy. The buildings are all incredibly old and beautiful and the food is good. Plus, they're usually all quite bustley so you won't want for ambience.
There's a really funny plaque on the sidewalk at 7th Avenue that states that the little chunk of sidewalk is private property and trespassing is forbidden. Apparently, a guy by the Hess lost his house right there when the city built 7th Avenue so he stubbornly clung to that one bit of sidewalk. I find that hilarious.
West 4th turns into another street (Sheridan) at Christopher Park. It's a tiny park but I do enjoy how many of them there are in this neighborhood. Funny tidbit about Christopher Park: there's a statue of Charles Christopher Amos in the park whom named three streets in the West Village after himself. Two of them remain -- Amos was renamed West 10th some years later. The guy was pretty proud of himself, I guess. He would have definitely lived in the West Village today if he were still around. Fit right in. . . .