Breakfast

Grey Dog is a local coffeehouse known for their warm atmosphere, fast service, and excellent coffee. Their food is made fresh and on the premises – including their special Grey Dog Breakfast platter of eggs (any style), French toast or pancakes, and bacon or sausage. They also have homemade granola and an Irish Oatmeal served with fresh bananas and/or berries.

Morning Activity

Washington Square Park is the largest open space in the Village located on Fifth Avenue at W 4th Street. There you can view the Washington Arch, a 77-foot-high monument commemorating the presidential inauguration of George Washington. Residents gather here to watch street performers and to enjoy the scenery. Here’s an interesting fact: there are actually over 20,000 bodies of yellow fever victims buried under the park and during the 1800s the park was the site of many public executions. The Hanging Tree is located at the northwest corner.

Lunch

Truly a local spot, Gaetana’s offers a wonderful atmosphere and the best Brick Oven pizza and Italian fare in the village. All of their pasta and sauces are made fresh in the premises, and the service is continually raved about. The owner, Frankie, personally makes sure the customers are taken well-care of. Try their famous stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer, and order their Linguine a la Giovanni e Roberto – a grilled calamari dish sautéed in garlic and oil and tossed over linguini.

Afternoon Activity

Village is probably the best area in the city to walk. The scenery is beautiful and quiet, with traditional residential homes, secret courtyards, and small gardens plotting along each block. There are barely any skyscrapers which allow more sunlight to reach the streets, and overall the area serves as a nice escape from the overly commercial and touristy spots like Times Square. There are cute and quaint shops to stop into and bakeries along the way.  The boutiques can get on the pricier side, but the items are very unique and bargains are not too hard to find. Here is a recommendation for a mid-afternoon snack to re-energize yourself during the long walk.

Dinner

Tartine is French restaurant and bakery known to be a hidden gem in the West Village. The staff is friendly and attentive, and the entrees are reasonably priced.

If you can’t make it here for dinner, definitely come for dessert. They offer classic French fares such as Dacquoise – a chocolate ganache, praline butter cream, meringue and hazelnut dessert covered with toasted almonds, Crème Brulee, and a Cholate Maccaron a la mode, which is a chocolate meringue filled with chocolate ganache.

Dessert

This bakery is a small, cozy place solely dedicated to making delicious, homemade cookies. They offer the largest selection of cookies in the area (for $1 a piece) including the traditional chocolate chip, chocolate mint, oatmeal raison, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, oatmeal cranberry blueberry, etc. They also have weekly specials, bars, brownies, and sweet beverages.

Night Spot

Swing by one of the finest jazz clubs and restaurants in the world located in the heart of the Greenwich Village. Blue Note Jazz Club is a premier jazz club and cultural institution striving to uphold the history and progression of jazz. The New York Times continues to rave about the club since its inception 25 years ago, and at any given night, it isn’t uncommon for visitors to run into celebrities like Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Liza Minelli, and Quincy Jones. Blue Note offers music every night at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. On Friday and Saturday nights, Blue Note has a Late Night Groove Series beginning at 12:30 a.m. and offers a Sunday Brunch for $24.50 a person at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. weekly.