Greenwich Village and Lower Manhattan

Here is a famous bohemian neighbourhood of New York. From 1950s poetry gatherings to today’s comedy cellars, from legendary jazz clubs to modern small jazz bars it still is the place where music and bohemian soul is alive. Spare a couple of nights out here at Greenwich. The Blue Note and the Village Vanguard are the classical jazz bars where once the most jazz musicians like Coltrane played. There are other new bars as well such as Smalls or the Zinc, where we had the chance to a marvellous Cuban pianist Axcel Tosca and his band. 

The comedy clubs are places where five to six performances take place at one session; each comedian gives a ten minute talk to a live audience; you may run into Louis CK if you have the chance in Comedy Cellar (Gotham in Chelsea is another comedy club). Greenwich own its intellectual and bohemian air also thanks to the New York University. If you walk from Greenwich to Union square don’t forget to stop at the bookstore Strands where you will find everything from new books to the second hand ones. You may then walk south to explore the neighbourhoods of Soho and Tribeca. A nice breakfast place in soho is Bubb’y which is famous with its pancakes. Another famous bistro in Soho is Balthazar. Next to Soho and Tribeca are neighbourhoods of China Town and Little Italy. China Town is much smaller than its versions in other bi cities like San Francisco.You may then take the subway or take a long walk to Southern Manhattan until the Financial District. 

If you take the subway to Downtown Manhattan and stop at World Trade Centre you will go out into an extraordinary building called The Oculus. Designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava it is built where the town towers of World Trade Centre used to stand. The famous architect also designed the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro for the inauguration of the Olympic Games. You will then go out from the mall of the Oculus and walk to the September Eleven Memorial site. A big square which has another square in it, on which the names of the people who lost their lives in the attacks are written on brown marble, water going down as if to the eternity, the site is very simple and impressive.