8th St Between University Pl and Broadway

   

On the outer boundaries of NYU's village campus, this street of endless stores has always stuck me as out-of-place. While much of neighborhood is filled with local shops and unique storefronts, this entire stretch may as well be known as Logo Lane. Sure, a few of the places along here are non-chain stores, and there are even slight signs of regression (Johnny Rocket's recently vacated a location here), but otherwise the endless parade of glowing signs is rather disheartening.

This overloading of retail has created a mini Times Square out of 8th street – a grim sign of what could happen to St. Mark's Place a few blocks to the east if development continues unabated.

Broadway Between 3rd St and Bleecker St

    

Running parallel to a bulk of NYU buildings, it often feels like a college campus down here. While a lot of the architecture begins to show signs of SoHo-influences, a few of these campus buildings sit like sore thumbs amongst them.

Being only a block from Houston, three blocks from Washington Square Park and two blocks from The Bowery, Broadway doesn't really feel like it's anywhere. Skirting so many major neighborhoods, the block doesn't have an identity of its own, but rather just has an over-abundance of retail to make up for any lacking character.

Bleecker St Between Lafayette St and Bowery

   

This little segment of Bleecker Street always stands out on a map thanks to it being the terminus for Mulberry, Mott, Elizabeth and Bleecker itself. Yes, Bleecker: Where streets go to die. The block is dark and generally not very crowded, but that's not to say it isn't welcoming. The 6 train stop on Lafayette has more entrances right next to each other than should be allowed. The Bleecker Theater is a small, but cool space on the wester side of the block which houses a variety of shows.

The block is rather sparse, most of the storefronts are either closed, or seemingly private. Even the restaurants closer to Bowery act as if they have something to hide. There's a bike line that runs down the left edge of the street which then cuts in to the center near the traffic light – which, and I'll admit I'm no city planner, seems really dangerous.

Bleecker St Between Mulberry St and Broadway

   

The convergence of Lafayette and Mulberry Streets at Bleecker creates for a fascinating block which whittles itself down to nothing more than a sliver. The small, triangular building which sits on the plot could put the Flatiron Building to shame with it's absurd lack of space. Bite, a small eatery fills this unusual storefront as best it can. In a way, a kitschy eatery with a one-word name is one of the few things that could thrive here.

Bleecker is well-known in Greenwich Village for it's wide selection of bars, bars and more bars. However, this far east, and despite the subway stop, the street is still fairly calm. Bigger deal joints like The Bleecker Street Theater are practically hidden amongst the hardware stores. Walking down the block reveals a number of "practical" stores such as photo printing, shoe repair, and a locksmith.

There are some particularly beautiful examples of architecture, but many of them seem to have been neglected over the years. I would say it's a shame, but sometimes deterioration befits a block more than restoration.

Houston St Between MacDougal St and Thompson St

Lined with restaurants and places to shop, the western end of Houston St is a good deal different than its eastern counterpart. Gone are the bars and trendy clubs, instead you'll find churches, apartments and quiet(ish) side streets. Sure, there's still the bustle of Greenwhich village just a few blocks north, but compared to the inane noise of the LES/East Village, this is nothing.

The side streets that peek out into the middle of the busy intersections all seem very anonymous and similar. Houston is a massive street - complete with a middle island; something only a handful of other streets in Manhattan share (Park Ave, B'Way, and Delancey come to mind). All-in-all, this part of the block feels much more like a neighborhood, whereas a bit to the east it feels like a destination.

4th St Between Lafayette St and Mercer St

As you cross Broadway on 4th street, you can clearly see the two major options that you have to the north and south here: Uptown is the bustling land near Astor Place and Union Square – with it's criss-crossing roads. Downtown you have the insanity of Houston Street...the doorway to SoHo.

The first block of this street is a very quiet one, at least compared to the bustling avenues that bookend it. The corner used to be home to Tower Records before it was unceremoniously closed a few years back; only to be replaced by a series of depressing retail pop-ups, it now sits vacant.

Across from the empty store is "Other Music", which was probably a much more clever name when Tower was still around. Next door appeared to be a high-end stereo retailer, while the rest of the block was pretty much nothing.

After Broadway you officially enter NYU territory. Several school buildings and local hangouts dot the block and students mysteriously come out of nowhere – so watch out!

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