Nest Seekers International

East Village

The East Village has come into its own as a neighborhood in recent years, forming a distinct personality within Greenwich Village, and a grittier counterpart to its sister West Village. Like much in Manhattan, though, this is fast-changing...

While still a bit scruffier than its western counterpart, and with more "tenement"-style walk-ups than buildings with doormen and elevators, this area, stretching east of 5th Avenue & University Place, and from 14th Street south to Houston Street, is now at the cutting edge of what’s hip and happening. First and Second Avenues have been transformed in recent years with new restaurants, bars and some of the best clubs in town. And while many up-and-coming bands still prowl the clubs, streets and studios down here, this is no longer quite your father’s East Village: the old stomping grounds where The Ramones, the Talking Heads, and Blondie rocked to prominence, home of the Bowery and CBGB’s, can no longer be called a "less desirable part of town". Even the previously rundown and dangerous area further east, known as Alphabet City (Avenues A, B, C, etc), now brims with clubs and restaurants and has been incorporated into the greater East Village.

Older residents, often immigrants, live side-by-side with students and hipsters…smart new restaurant and bistro arrivals rub shoulders with all manner of ethnic food staples (notably, Indian and Ukrainian joints abound!). And with slightly more affordable rents for many, and its overall shaggy haircut vibe, the East Village is a natural draw for young people...and the young at heart.