East
Village used to be a part of
the Lower East Side, but when the Lower East Side became a
slum, real estate developers began to promote the
name East Village in the 1980s to dissociate the
neighborhood from the bad reputation of the Lower East Side.
The East Village has
always been a young and hip area. In the 1950s it was home
to the Beat Generation, in the 1960s it was a Hippie
neighborhood and from the late 1970s to the 1980s many punks
lived in the East Village. The legendary music club CBGB,
which is considered to be the birthplace of punk music, is
located in the neighborhood, many bands started their career
in one of the clubs in the neighborhood, such as Patti
Smith, Blondie, the Ramones and the Beastie Boys. The area
is one of the strongest contributors to American Arts and
culture in New York.
Today the East Village
is still one of the hippest neighborhoods in New York.
Experimental clubs and theaters, many bars and restaurants
and innovative fashion still constitute the East Village.
On 6th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenue you can find
the East Village's Little India with many Indian restaurants. Nevertheless, many residents, who have lived there for a
long time, complain that the East Village is not what it
used to be anymore. They say that the hype has destroyed the
revolutionary and alternative character of the neighborhood
and it became very expensive to live there.
More Photos of the East Village >>
Color Photos of the East Village >>
