A stop at the library

by Malgorzata Zielinska

First, we visit the public library in Greenwich Village. The library was built in the Victorian Gothic style, and it's comfortable and cool inside. There are two floors and a basement, where you can look for your favorite books or videos. Especially in the second floor, you really feel the spaciousness of the place. This is due to the high ceiling and large stained glass windows. The light filters through the green and yellow glass flooding the room with pleasurable colors. When you find the book you were looking for, you can take your time and read it for a while in a spacious reading corner.

To get to the basement, you have to go down an old spiral staircase. Down there, you can find a place that has a totally different character. It has low ceilings with old arches, but since the ceiling is painted white, it doesn't have the depressing atmosphere common to most basements. In the library, you can also use the free wifi, and there are some computers reserved for teens.

A special library

The circular staircase inside the tower
winds up to the large reading room.

by Gwen de Backer

July 20th, our first writing class trip in Manhattan.

The Jefferson Market Library located at 425 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village was built from 1874 to 1870. It served as a prison for women in the past. From the outside, it's a very nice landmark even if for the moment there is scafolding hiding a large part of the building. When you get in, you feel that this place has a special atmosphere. We decided to go up first. I really liked the shape of the stairs, the stained glass all around those stairs, and the high ceiling with its steel structure. The main floor, was full of drawings that seemed to have been made by kids. Those drawings were really amazing. Then we went to the basement and there, the atmosphere was different but definitely very special, too. It had low ceiling arches. The whole space had red bricks, and it was really, really nice. Go have a look; I'm pretty sure you'll love it or at least like it.

Art that seem to be made by children in the main reading room.

Stained glass windows above the stairwell.

A place both historic and modern

by Lukasz Sleziak

Last Wednesday, I was in Greenwich Village. It’s one of the oldest places in New York. I visited a library, Washington Square, Hudson St. This area is nice because it is similar to cities in Europe. But I think this place is very nice because it has a youthful atmosphere that is dynamic and modern but at the same time, it’s filled with history: with buildings, shops and coffeehouses that date back to the 18th century. It’s like time stopped here. I saw buildings similar to those in Amsterdam--very small, old, and made of red bricks.

In this place, people from different cultures, countries and continents live together in peace and tolerance. If you go to Washington Square, you will witness this. Of course, Washington Square isn’t only about people; there are other things to experience including the flowers, trees, animals and fountains. You can swim, walk and sing because this place is an oasis of peace and a circus of culture.

I've found that Greenwish Village is a place of peace, culture, tolerance and life.

The charm of a small Village in a big city

by Yulia Kez

I really like old small European towns; they have a special charm, and I probably love them even more than big and famous ones. Greenwich Village, especially Gay Street and the nearby area looks very similar to such towns in Europe such as in England or in Norway. As for me, this special atmosphere is always made by narrow bumpy streets and tiny old houses with flowers on the windows. Actually, I don't remember if there were any flowers, but there really should be in such places. They all makes me feel as if time had stopped a couple of hundred years ago there and since then, nothing has changed. The quietness and peacefulness of this place creates a feeling that Greenwich Village is not a part of New York at all, but it's really cool that the same city can have so many different faces. Perhaps it would be interesting to see people who live there; they seem to be completely different from other locals.

A nice, enjoyable walk on a hot day

At Washington Square Park at the end of our walk. Is anyone exhausted? 

We decided to do our outing last Wednesday because at 90F (32C), it was the coolest day of the week. Still, it was hot, but thankfully, the tree-lined streets of the West Village, which we read about the day before, kept us cool enough in the shade.

We started at the Jefferson Market Courthouse on 10th St. and 6th Avenue, strolled down the same narrow lanes laid out by the Dutch, and saw some of the oldest houses in Manhattan. Our route included the historic Stonewall Inn, the White Horse Tavern (the iconic hangout of literary greats), and the narrowest house in Manhattan. We ended our walk at Washington Square Park, where we sat for a little bit before heading off in different directions.

Be sure to check out what we wrote about our experience in the Village.

There are a couple of theories as to whom Gay St. is named after,
but it goes back three centuries to the Dutch era in Manhattan.

Alice and Yulia browse the stacks at Jefferson Market Courthouse.

A quick stop where literary greats used to hang out.