The rich history of the East Village begins as farmland, then an upscale neighborhood in the 1830’s with Colonnade Row, Greek Revival, and Federal-style townhouses. The neighborhood’s prestige grew with the influence of new commerce and residents following the Erie Canal’s opening in the 1820s. As the wealthy moved uptown in the 19th Century, it transformed into an immigrant melting pot, with Germans, Italians, Eastern European Jews, Greeks, Hungarians, Poles, Romanians, Russians, Slovaks and Ukrainians. It became a center of Yiddish theatre in the early 20th Century, and then a center of gravity for Manhattan ’s bohemian counterculture in the 1960s; with legendary nightspots like the Electric Circus on Saint Mark’s Place, the Pyramid Club, and the Fillmore East. Its unique contributions to New York history and architecture has been preserved by local advocacy for its Landmark Districts. A number of cultural institutions, including the Anthology Film Archives, the New York Theatre Workshop, and the New Museum, call the East Village home; contributing to its association as a vital center of NYC’s creative life. In addition to nightlife, you’ll find a variety of affordable eateries and a energetic parade of people. The Cooper-Union and NYU are the educational institutions anchoring the area with a student population that adds vitality 24/7. Today, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s join the boutiques, designer galleries, cocktail lounges and dive bars. You can explore Indian restaurants on Sixth Street, Japanese ones on Ninth, and every cuisine imaginable. Cultural highlights include leading off-Broadway theaters, the New Museum, and the Brant Foundation located in a former ConEd substation. The East Village is east of the Bowery and Third Avenue, between 14th Street and south to Houston Street.