Feature

50 Ways to Love . . .
Greenwich Village (21-30)

In the first of our series of highly personal, brazenly arbitrary neighborhood tours, our intrepid staff writer sings the praises of her neighborhood.

By Vanessa Grigoriadis

21
Marylou’s. Maybe this restaurant (photo above) became a happening after-hours joint because of its architecture (there’s no way to spy on the basement bar from the street), or maybe because it’s full of so many relatively unsavory characters (who do their best business at night). Regardless, there’s no beating the after-2 a.m. scene in here for downtown, um, color. 21 W. 9th St. (533-0012).

22
The Village may be home to many artists, but there’s a surprising dearth of art on view. New York University seeks to redress this shortcoming with Broadway Windows, an installation space on the corner of Tenth Street and Broadway. Now on view: David Jelinek’s “Hangers,” a grown-up’s version of having fun with pipe-cleaners.

23
The city’s best mainstream option for dancing may be on the tackiest strip of Bleecker Street, but the location seems not to matter to the scenesters and starfuckers -- yes, Life boasts the highest number of after-hours VIPs at any club -- who have been flocking to the place for over a year. And it’s the only club that doesn’t go bridge-and-tunnel on Saturdays. 158 Bleecker St. (420-1999).

24
NYU Dorms. It’s so sweet the way the kids sit on the sidewalks at the beginning of the term, trading stories about where they came from, complaining about their roommates, checking out each other’s tattoos -- even playing harmonicas. They think they enrolled at a school with a campus!

25
Fat Beats. Periodically, this hip-hop record store will send an employee down Sixth Avenue to shill. “Wu Tang!” chanted one diminutive teen recently, as passers-by looked on, perplexed. “Wu Tang!” Not many people were able to put the kid together with the store. But it’s probably better that way, because the Fat Beats clientele is appealingly similar in aesthetics -- all boys, all about 15, all wearing baggy jeans with dangling key chains, etc. And we wouldn’t want to mess that up. 406 Ave. of the Americas (673-3883).

26
Outside of Kim’s Video. Pick yourself up a pierced-n-goateed twentysomething who thinks Kubrick’s rad, Eisenstein’s the man, and couldn’t hum a few bars of the theme to Philadelphia even if you promised to jump him. 350 Bleecker St. (675-8996).

27
Bagel Bob’s. It is criminal that you can’t find a decent bagel in the best neighborhood in New York. Short of ordering home-delivery from H&H, your best option when you’ve got the jones is this pastel University storefront which stays busy all day long, since it serves up the only good bagel around, and, this being New York, it’s the only thing many people will eat. After 4 on Mondays, bagels are 50 cents apiece. 51 University Place (533-2627).

28
Piadina. Although it’s a solid Friday night choice, the decent Tuscan fare, okay service, attractive crowd and pleasant smoking section seem not to justify the lengths to which people will go to get a reservation here -- plus the pasta is over-priced and you can only pay in cash. So here’s the main attraction: Stupendous lighting. Vain, yes. But still. 57 W. 10th St. (460-8017).

29
Books About Greenwich Village. Isn’t it a bit of thrill to have your choice of several dozen maps, guides, and coffeetable books about this most deserving and legendary of neighborhoods?

30
Bar 6. This is the easiest neighborhood spot around for an after-dinner drink -- provided you’re a little dressed up, which sometimes defeats the purpose of a neighborhood spot good for an after-dinner drink. Regardless, the music is tops -- D.J. Devon spins on Tuesday night -- and the slightly cramped tables for two in the bar area encourage conversation between those you came with and those whose feet you’re stepping on. 502 Sixth Ave., at 12th St. (691-1363).