Check out cutting-edge art in the East Village’s numerous small galleries such as Kenkeleba House and the EVAC, then enjoy a beer at McSorley’s Old Ale House, the city’s oldest continuously operated bar. Bask in the sunshine with your canine companion at the Tompkins Square dog run, the first and largest in New York City, or bike the paths of the John V. Lindsay East River Park. Savor a soak at the old-school Russian & Turkish Baths before heading to one of the numerous bars to check out up-and-coming bands. There’s no chance of being bored in the East Village.
Hardware merchant Seabury Tredwell and his family moved into this five-story brick home in 1835. Today visitors can tour the house, which includes many of the 19th-century furnishings and clothing of the family and its servants.
Off-Off-Broadway theater La MaMa has been showcasing and supporting innovative and avant-garde performing arts since 1961. Its resident companies are, as you’d expect, an eclectic bunch, encompassing Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, Asian-American modern dance troupe H.T. Chen & Dancers, and the Theatre of the Two-Headed Calf. Recent shows included a panel discussion of the legacy of performance artist Penny Arcade and a multidiscipline show about Frederick Douglass and photography.
Dance parties, comedy shows, the occasional burlesque evening and book party, and of course, lots of rock-and-roll: That’s what the Bowery Electric is all about. Wednesday through Sunday evenings there’s always something happening on this venue’s two floors. Whether you want to dance to Taylor Swift, catch up on up-and-coming indie bands, or laugh till you snort, you’ll find something here to keep you entertained.
At the country’s largest museum devoted to Ukrainian art and culture, you’ll find fine art and folk art, from embroidery to pysanky (Easter eggs elaborately decorated using a wax-resist method). Maps, coins, archival photographs, and other artifacts illustrate the history of Ukraine as well as that of Ukrainians in America.
Community Gardens
Forty or so small community gardens are sprinkled throughout the East Village. Oases of greenery nestled between buildings in what had once been abandoned lots, they offer everything from stages for small concerts to vegetable plots to sculpture displays. Among the most notable are the Creative Little Garden, with plenty of benches for relishing the flora and quietude; the 9th Street Community Garden & Park, which includes a fish pond and a barbecue area; and Campos Community Garden, with an area where kids can learn the joys of gardening.
