Sights and Flavors

The First Presbyterian Church is known as “Old First,” and was designed by Joseph C. Wells 1. It was built from 1844 to 1846. This current site was actually a relocation from the original site which was on 10 Wall Street. The church relocated to this location due to encouragement from James Lenox, one of the wealthiest men in the city and an elderly member of the congregation. The style of the First Presbyterian Church is a Gothic Revival style, in complete contrast with the rest of Manhattan’s landscape.
The Jefferson Market Library is right in the middle of bustling Greenwich Village. It is a branch of the New York Public Library. It was originally built as the Third Judicial District Courthouse from 1874-1877 and was designed by Frederick Clarke Withers 2. In the 1880s, American Architect and Building News voted it the fifth most beautiful building in America. Beginning with trials against rioters of The Triangle Shirtwaist Company, the Jefferson Market Courthouse dealt with many women’s rights trials by 1927. In 1929, the market and prison were replaced by the Women’s House of Detention. Then in 1973, the House of Detention was replaced by a community garden. Following this, in 1977, the building was deemed a National historic landmark. The building was last restored in 2012, and is currently under renovations.

Délice & Sarrasin is a traditional French Vegan restaurant. Its name literally means “delicious Sarrasin,” sarrasin being the special buckwheat flour that is used for French savory crepes 3. Christophe Caron runs the restaurant alongside his mother Yvette and father Patrick. The goal of Délice & Sarrasin is to bring France’s “authenticity and unique flavor” to America. The food is all homemade by Yvette herself. The restaurant has been open since 2015.
On June 28th 1969, residents of the Stonewall Inn rebelled against police who were harassing member of the LGBTQ community 4. At this time, police raids had become common for Gay bars as there were laws against Gays consuming alcohol and dancing with each other. This occurred at 1:20 in the morning. The Pride Parade is held annually to celebrate Gay pride and the history of Stonewall Inn. The inn continues to flourish today, ranging from various events every night.
Arthur’s Tavern is called “the home of the bird,” and has been around since 1937 5. This is a sign seen right outside the tavern. It is the last operating jazz and blues nightclub, playing all different types of jazz: straight ahead jazz, New Orleans style jazz, real Chicago blues live music. It used to be regularly hosted by the famous Charlie Parker and Roy Hargrove.
Dō, Cookie Dough Confections is a shop started by a woman named Kristen Tomlan from St. Louis, Missouri 6. The store contains vats of cookie dough, with flavors ranging from nutella, s’mores, cake batter and peanut butter snickerdoodle. They’ve expanded to cookie dough Sunday bowls, cookie dough sandwiches, cookie dough cakes and more. We waited on line for an hour and a half, but the cookie dough was definitely worth it. The store is super busy. It was featured on facebook and went viral. Dō has been featured in time magazine, the New York Post, People Magazine, Forbes and more.
The location of Electric Lady Studios was originally a nightclub 7. In 1968, Jimi Hendrix bought the nightclub and converted it into a recording studio where he recorded the Electric Ladyland sessions. Electric Lady Studious was the only artist-owned recording studio at the time and was designed to suit Hendrix, who had a relaxing, psychedelic appearance. Some other artists who have recorded here include: John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, AC/DC, the Clash, and Weezer. More current projects include Frank Ocean, Lorde, and the soundtrack for A Star is Born 8.
Washington Square Park is possibly the most well-known location in Greenwich Village. In 1826, New York City bought the land west of Minetta Creek and turned it into the Washington Military Parade Ground 9. As a consequence, the area surrounding the park became extremely desirable. The George Washington Memorial Arch was constructed in 1889 (100 years after his inauguration). Washington Square Park used to be very unsafe at night, and was known to house many crimes such as drug deals and robberies. It is now one of the most famous and well-known tourist spots in NYC.
  1. “First Presbyterian Church (Manhattan),” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Presbyterian_Church_(Manhattan) ↩
  2. “About the Jefferson Market Library,” The New York Public Library, https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/jefferson-market ↩
  3. “About,” Delice & Sarrasin, http://delicesarrasin.com/about/ ↩
  4. “The Stonewall Story,” The Stonewall Inn, https://thestonewallinnnyc.com/the-stonewall-inn-story/ ↩
  5. “Arthur’s Tavern History,” InterJazz, http://www.arthurstavernnyc.com/history.html ↩
  6. “Our Story,” COOKIE DO, INC, https://www.cookiedonyc.com/pages/our-story ↩
  7. “Electric Lady Studios,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Lady_Studios ↩
  8. “Home,” Electric Lady Studios, http://electricladystudios.com/ ↩
  9. “Washington Square Park,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Square_Park ↩