Located on Manhattan's Lower West Side, Greenwich Village is bordered on the north by 14th Street, on the south by Houston Street, on the east by Broadway, and on the west by the Hudson River. This area remained rural long after New York City sprang up around it, causing it to escape the street-grid plan implemented in the rest of the city. The twisting, haphazard patterns of the Village streets now reflect the non-conformity of many of its residents. Its population is known for ethnic and class diversity, including a large number of blacks and Italians in the south, Irish and other European groups in the west, and wealthy white Protestants whose mansions surround Washington Square in the north.
But it is in the eastern part of the Village that our lodging house is found--the haven of artists and free thinkers from every culture. This is the area where writers, painters, actors, philosophers, and political radicals congregate in cheap studio apartments and boardinghouses. Throughout the Village, these bohemians meet in French cafés, Italian restaurants, "black-and-tan" saloons, and avant-garde nightclubs, practicing their crafts and discussing the state of the world.
Of course, the Village isn't all artists and intellectuals. Aside from the upper-class socialites in the Washington Square area, most of its residents are poor, unskilled laborers, and like every neighborhood in New York, it has its scoundrels. The Hudson Dusters are a gang led by three men known as Circular Jack, Kid Yorke, and Goo Goo Knox. They operate out of an apartment building on Hudson Street and dominate the Lower West Side, though they often tussle with smaller gangs. Violent and unpredictable, known for throwing wild cocaine parties and demanding goods from local merchants, the Dusters are feared all over the Village.
As long as you know which areas to avoid, of course, there's no place like Greenwich Village for a good time. Here are some of the girls' favorite haunts:
Washington Square Park - At the foot of Fifth Avenue, in the very heart of Greenwich Village, lies our beloved park. Its trees and flower beds are always picturesque, but the park is best-known for its beautiful fountain and the Washington Arch, a seventy-seven-foot marble monument to our nation's first president. Also found here is a monument to the Italian military hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, erected by the Village's biggest immigrant community.
The Black Cat - Found right here on Bleecker Street, this whitewashed brick restaurant/nightclub may be the most bohemian spot in the Village. Packed with genuine artistic types and curious tourists, it's one big roar of noise and one big cloud of cigarette smoke. The pianist always knows exactly which tune the crowd wants to hear, and folks take to the dance floor with any partner they like, regardless of race or gender.
Maria's Restaurant - Located at 82 West 12th Street and operated by the lovely Marietta Da Prato, this Italian restaurant holds famous chicken nights and spaghetti hours. It can be a bit pricey for newsies, but it's worth it to hear the music, poetry, and monologues that many of the guests spontaneously offer. If you've got enough moxie, you can even join in on these exuberant bursts of creativity yourself!
The Laughing Butler - An experimental theater on Christopher Street that welcomes newsgirls onto its stage along with everyone else--everyone, that is, who has some singing, dancing, or acting talent and a flare for creativity. A run-down wooden building with a crooked sign above the door, the Laughing Butler is nevertheless famed for the range of entertainment it offers, from vaudeville to opera to Shakespeare to political rallies, and for its special fondness for all things scandalous and strange.
Heartwick's Saloon - This establishment on Thompson Street is what's known as a "black-and-tan" saloon due to its racial integration. Black, white, and mulatto folks all talk, drink, and play dice and cards together. Not usually a respectable place for girls, but this one is owned and run by Mrs. Heartwick's younger son, Arthur, who lives in a room above the saloon. He's always willing to look out for her girls and give them a drink or two on the house.
Naturally, there are also plenty of Village establishments that aren't recommended for young ladies. These include the Black Rabbit at 183 Bleecker Street and the Golden Rule Pleasure Club over on West 3rd. The former is said to be a gathering place for feminine men and masculine ladies, where shows of the most depraved nature are put on for the crowd's amusement; the latter is a basement brothel divided into many small rooms, where young men with painted faces and girlish manners offer their services to other men. And if a curious Village newsgirl ever wanders into such a place...well, she certainly doesn't go talking about it.
Maybe you want to stray beyond the Village? There are places to go and newsies to visit! From our house, it's a mere twenty-minute walk to the boys' house on Duane Street, about the same to the Bowery Lodging House, and an hour's walk to Brooklyn Heights if you want to meet the famous Spot Conlon (I'd recommend hitching a ride on the back of a trolley).