Everyday Life: Transportation, Schooling, Neighborhood Issues

Greenwich Village has always been a monumental neighborhood with its rich history and flourishing present. With several important sites and landmarks, Greenwich Village is an attractive place to call home. The culture of the area is invaluable as it takes the form of a tight-knit community in a big city. What the neighborhood offers in terms of assistance and services is unlike any other place in New York City. With accessible transportation, schools, and social services, Greenwich Village is a place where residents can escape the chaotic scenes of New York City and enjoy the pleasures of a small town in a large city.

Transportation

While the neighborhood is accessible by subway lines such as the 1,2, and 3, it is also rich with buses such as the QM11, Citi bikes, and the PATH train. Such approachable nature of the neighborhood is key to residents who are willing to work away from their home boroughs. Further, the multiple options for transportation are beneficial to commuting students who study at many universities in Greenwich Village.

What is notable about the neighborhood is that it was the first to implement New York City’s first elevated train and the world’s first streetcar/trolley service. On November 14, 1832, the first horse-drawn streetcar named John Mason ran on the Bowery and Fourth Avenue, between Prince and 14th street ¹.  Such introduction of a monumental step to modern transportation allowed for easier navigation around the city and provided more opportunities for people to go to work and attend schools far from their homes.

Housing

Greenwich Village has historically been the hotspot for luxury developments. In 1926, luxury buildings were introduced around Washington Square Park. Such developments attracted wealthy settlers to move to the Village from different parts of the city. Today, there are different options for potential buyers as the neighborhood has wide price ranges for residences. However, the Village is still known for its luxurious living nature that attracts celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Trevor Noah, and Jon Bon Jovi ².

Schooling

Unsurprisingly, the people who take the most advantage of the transportation options present in the neighborhood are the students. Greenwich Village is home to many university campuses such as New York University, Parsons School of Design, and The New School. In addition, there are multiple options for grade-level schooling, as Catholic schools such as Our Lady of Pompeii School and the Academy of St. Joseph are centers for religious education. Further, the Greenwich House Music School is only one example of how the Village tries to accommodate students with various interests.

Crime

Despite the Village’s tight-knit community, crime is still inevitable. Statistically, 1.5428 crimes take place per 1,000 residents ³. What is notable, however, is that the majority of crimes in Greenwich Village are burglaries and grand larceny of motor vehicles. Such crimes occur at higher rates in the Village when compared to surrounding neighborhoods. In contrast, more violent crimes such as murder and rape and more likely to be recorded in the surrounding neighborhoods than in the Village.

Ethnic Tensions

Despite past settlements of immigrants such as the French, Irish, and Italians into tenement houses in the Village,  ethnic tensions were of little concern. The majority of immigrants were from Western European countries and so they were able to coexist with one another despite their differences. Today, the Village is established as a place where the differences between people are tolerated and respected. Further, the freedom of expression is one of the most important aspects of the Village as it is the same grounds upon which many movements such as the Beat Movement and the Gay Rights Movement were embraced and sparked, respectively. Accordingly, it goes without saying that the Village has been for the most part very accommodating to people who come from different walks of life because the neighborhood was built on the ideology of acceptance and integration.

Social Services

Greenwich Village is truly adorned with many services that offer diverse residents and visitors support. The Jewish Enrichment Center is one of the key locations in Greenwich that provide Jewish people a place where they can connect and learn from one another. In addition, at Parent to Parent, located on 75 Morton Street, parents who care for children with disabilities can become more aware of the services that can be offered to their children. On 176 West Street, Greater Works Social Services provides recently released prisoners with a re-entry program that helps them re-adjust to society in order to prevent them from committing crimes. Further, they offer substance abuse counseling and job readiness to improve their members’ outlook on life and drive them to commit to a stable routine.

Neighborhood Issues

One of the biggest problems that plagues Greenwich Village is gentrification. With new developments and the introduction of highly-priced apartments, older residents are displaced from their homes. In addition, many older residents are forced to leave the neighbors they knew for years in search for more affordable price points. Those who don’t leave often feel resentful of younger upstarts who they feel are ruining the communal feel of the neighborhood.

Gentrification, however, has an unexpected benefit to Greenwich Village. With the introduction of expensive property values, crime rates are decreased as the neighborhood would no longer be as accessible as it would have been to potential criminals ⁴. Because there is a tendency for poorer neighborhoods to have high crime rates, the more expensive a neighborhood is, the lower the crime rates are which is why crime has greatly decreased in Greenwich Village in recent years.

Interviews

Despite the positive aspects of Greenwich Village, an elderly woman who was sitting in front of her apartment building on 8th Street shared her own story around the neighborhood. She is originally from Britain and immigrated to the United States at the age of 29 in search for a job. From her time in Greenwich Village, she emphasized that the area is not the same. She claimed that although the neighborhood makes her feel safe, the people changed and are not very open to one another. In addition, she mentioned how she was forced to leave her old apartment on Sullivan Street because of New York University’s request to empty the building she was living in. Her remarks highlight the ups and downs of Greenwich Village and some of the issues that long-time residents face as changes happen quickly.

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A sign that reads “Jerri’s Cleaners: Cleaning the Village since 1964” is attention-grabbing as it leaves passers wondering how a dry cleaning company’s business has changed over the years. One of the workers in the store grew up in Queens and currently lives in Long Island City. He worked at Jerri’s Cleaners for five years and has only fond memories in Greenwich Village. What he loves about the neighborhood is people’s support for local businesses such as O Café. He mentioned that many people prefer to visit local bakeries and coffee shops instead of chain businesses. Further, the development of luxury apartments was noted as he stated that many fashion designers live in Greenwich Village and are in search of luxury complexes.

At Washington Square Park, many types of people can be found for different reasons. Residents can be found walking their dogs, sellers can be found in food carts or selling souvenirs, and students can be found resting between classes. One of the students at Washington Square Park was born in California and lived in India for two and a half years. However, when she came back to the United States, she settled in New Jersey before moving into New York University’s dormitories. One of her hardships in New York City is the cold weather and balancing schoolwork with everyday life. Despite such obstacles, one of her favorite activities in Greenwich Village is walking around the neighborhood at night because she always finds events taking place on the streets. She emphasized her love for Insomnia Cookies which has a branch on 116 MacDougal Street. Her fascination with the diversity of the village was evident as she listed some of the backgrounds of her friends that include Russia, India, and Africa.