Avenue C, East Village

Avenue C is a little far east for my liking but it's definitely growing on me as it becomes more populated. Like the rest of the Alphabet City part of the East Village, the neighborhood is predominantly young people: artists, students, hipsters, etc. It's gritty compared to the rest of downtown but my good friend has lived just off of C for years and she complains that it lost its filth and the old school residents aren't too pleased about that. It's loud and dirty and the buildings look like they popped out of "Rent." My friend, again, complains that Rent is what ruined the neighborhood: all the "arty" people wanted to move here after seeing the musical. I think it has just the right amount of filth now. All of the bars and restaurants are divey and the bars are what people come for. The apartments are, generally, really small, old and walk up. And, anything past C is scary late at night, in my opinion. But, there are a lot of parks and gardens, and I think this street is going to really disappoint the filth lovers here in the next couple of years. It's really popular.
Village East Pizzeria is the oldest pizza place in the neighborhood. It's not my favorite, but pizza is never bad. Plus, it's nice to keep a long-running, family establishment in business. . . at least, that's what I tell myself every time I buy a slice there for no reason. There's a lovely garden at 9th and a string of restaurants and bars directly across the street. The Sunburnt Cow is an Australian joint in that string that I go to every now and then. And, the Australians aren't messing around with their bars here. It's pretty much only Aussies, so if you're into that (which I am), this is one of the spots to be. I have no idea what a sunburnt cow is supposed to signify, though: maybe it's an Australian thing. There's a little bar just below 8th, speaking of bars, that I haven't ever been to, but there are the craziest gargoyles on the upper ledge of the building. Most people miss them but they're a sight worth checking out. And, there's another cool bar at 4th that has a backyard which is rare. I guess what I'm saying is that the people this far east like their bars.