THE WEST VILLAGE: There is no neighborhood like the West Village (Greenwich Village, the village). Its a diverse neighborhood that has a life of itself, flowing with artists and musicians, and actors.

In the mid-19th century, however, as the city spread north of 14th Street, the Village became the province of immigrants, bohemians, and students (New York University [NYU], today the nation's largest private university, was planted next to Washington Square in 1831). Its politics were radical and its attitudes tolerant, which is one reason it became a home to such a large lesbian and gay community.