East 10 St, NoHo

East 10th in this stretch has some amazing, old buildings and quite a bit of history for such a small area. There isn't a ton to do in the way of wining and dining, but it has some great things to see. Unfortunately, the charm of the street in this neighborhood is a bit besmirched by all of the commercial activity, noise and traffic. It's not the most homey street but it's not an awful street to live on or walk down either.
The corner of 10th and University has this great looking apartment building with a great flower shop on the ground floor. And, across the street from that is what used to be the Albert Hotel and is now the Albert Apartments. It was a big writer's haunt when it was the hotel. Robert Louis Stevenson and Tolstoy both stayed here. Thomas Wolfe lived there as did John Phillips and James Taylor. Both California Dreamin' and Rainy Day Man were written in this building. So, if you're a writer nerd (like I am) this is a great spot to lurk around. There are a ton of antique shops on this block, so if you're more into old things than old writers then this is also the place to be. I'm not big on antiquing seeing as most apartments in New York are way too small to hold old, big things. But, it's really fun to browse in this area. Il Cantinori is an awesome Italian restaurant in the midst of all the shops on this stretch. It's lovely and famous outside of being the place that Carrie ate alone on her birthday in Sex and the City. The corner of the block is marked by an old building with a bar called Silver Spur on the ground floor. That bar is the site of where Robert Randall lived. He owned most of Greenwich (I kind of consider this particular block to be in Greenwich, truth be told) and he set up his properties in a trust so tight that they still aren't moveable. This counts for the reason why Greenwich is pretty ugly compared to the West Village: a large part of the real estate can't be touched.
The block at Broadway and 10th is a really gorgeous block if you stop to ignore all of the traffic and look at the buildings. The south side of the street has an apartment building that used to be a department store and the north side has Grace Church. You can't miss Grace Church. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. It's a massive, gothic church built in 1846 though it looks much older. There are classical concerts here on weekdays at noon and you combine the music with the beauty of this building and you're in for something else. I'm not a religious person but this church is a religious experience if you catch my drift.