Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village (also known as the West Village or simply the Village) is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Broadway on the east, the Hudson River on the west, Houston Street on the south, and 14th Street on the north. The neighborhoods surrounding it are East Village to the east, SoHo to the south, and Chelsea to the north.

Present day

Greenwich Village includes the primary campus for New York University (NYU), New School University, and Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Cooper Union is located in neighboring East Village.

Related Topics:
New York University - New School University - Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law - Cooper Union

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The historic Washington Square Park is the center and heart of the neighborhood, but the Village has several other, smaller parks: Father Fagan, Minetta Triangle, Petrosino Square, Little Red Square, and Time Landscape. There are also city playgrounds: Desalvio, Minetta, Thompson Street, Mercer Street, and William Passannante Ballfield. Perhaps the most famous, though, is "The Cage", officially known as the West 4th Street Courts. Sitting on top of the West 4th subway station at 6th Avenue that serves the A-B-C-D-E-F-V trains, the courts are easily accessible to basketball and American handball players from all over New York. The Cage has become one of the most important tournament sites for the city-wide "Streetball" amateur basketball tournament.

Related Topics:
Washington Square Park - West 4th Street Courts - West 4th - Basketball - American handball - Streetball

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The Village also has a bustling performing arts scene. It is home to many Off-Broadway theaters; for instance, Blue Man Group has taken up residence in the Astor Place Theater. The Village Vanguard hosts some of the biggest names in jazz on a regular basis. Comedy clubs dot the Village as well, including The Boston and Comedy Cellar, where many American stand-up comedians got their start.

Related Topics:
Off-Broadway - Blue Man Group - Village Vanguard - Jazz - The Boston - Comedy Cellar - Stand-up

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Each year on October 31, it is home to New York's Village Halloween Parade, a mile-long pagaent of pageant-sized puppets and masqueraders that draws an audience of two million, the largest Halloween event in the country.

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Several publications have offices in the Village, most notably the newsweekly The Village Voice.

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The 1994-2004 NBC sitcom Friends takes place in the West Village, though it was filmed and produced in Hollywood, California. The exterior shot of the Friends' apartment building is actually located at Grove and Bedford streets in the West Village.

Related Topics:
1994 - 2004 - NBC - Sitcom - Friends - Hollywood, California

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