West Washington Pl, West Village

West Washington Place was the place to be in the Edith Wharton era, and the block or so of street is still quite lovely. Most of this area is completely overtaken by NYU but it is still beautiful and the majority of the old buildings on this stretch haven't yet been destroyed by the university. The corner of Washington Place and Barrow houses a building that has had quite a liberal history. It was an off Broadway theatre company known for being on the cutting edge at the turn of the 20th century, a Liberal Society where the likes of Lena Horne and Billie Holiday performed and then another boundary pushing theatre company. It closed in the 50's and now it's, you guessed it, NYU territory. But, the building is still there, at least. Directly across the street used to be a "tea room" that was quite famous for a woman that read palms and tea leaves for the rich, bohemain set. It's a shame that that kind of thing isn't around in the neighborhood any longer; but, unfortunately, the area is so expensive that there's no room for the boho set.
Across 6th Avenue is a condo building that used to be the home of a speakeasy where people like Edna St. Vincent Millay hung out. The owners opened 21 Club uptown which is one of the coolest old timey places in the city and I imagine this place was quite similar in aesthetic. Next door, at 82 Washington Place, was the home to both Willa Cather and Richard Wright -- at separate times, naturally. Across the street from that was a speakeasy that ee Cummings used to have dinner with his cheater wife all the time. And, next door to that is the Stoned Crow -- a great little bar where other writers probably go with their cheater wives. . . . kidding . . . maybe.
There's not a ton to do on West Washington Place outside of enjoy the architecture, avoid NYU punks and stroll to the park, but it's a beautiful street that is definitely worth visiting.