Little Italy and Greenwich village

My partner is celebrating his 50th birthday in NY (it was a surprise I booked) and he is keen to go to Little Italy and Greenwich Village - I%26#39;m wondering if that is a priority as we only have 4 nights and I%26#39;m thinking that there is so much to see.

What do you think?

Little Italy and Greenwich village

Greenwich Village should be fun. But what in the world does he think Little Italy is that he would want to go there?

Little Italy and Greenwich village

As GWB%26#39;s post indicates, Little Italy is not much--it%26#39;s four blocks of mostly tourist trap restaurants with a few old-school dairies still around. That%26#39;s not to say you shouldn%26#39;t go, but rather that you don%26#39;t have to budget much time to see it. Walking at a slow pace it will take you about 15 minutes to traverse its entire length.

DiPalo%26#39;s Fine Foods (Grand and Mott) and Alleva Dairy (Grand and Mulberry) are two shops worth a stop--both are still run by their original families, and Alleva is the oldest Italian dairy in the US. Another point of historical interest is Umberto%26#39;s Clam House, at Broome and Mulberry, which is where mafioso Joey Gallo was gunned down.

Most New Yorkers warn people away from eating there, as you can see in this thread, but the thread also lists a couple of recommendations:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k1047516鈥?/a>

Arthur Avenue in the Bronx is the center of what New Yorkers call ';the real Little Italy.'; You can learn much more about that at this link:

www.arthuravenue.com

For Greenwich Village, you might consider taking a walking tour, such as those offered by Big Onion, described here:

www.bigonion.com/description/index.html

and/or a food tour of GV, like this one:

http://www.foodsofny.com/

Another good idea is to get ';City Walks: New York'; box, which is a collection of cards that show 50 different scenic walks in the city. There are 3 in GV, I believe. Here%26#39;s the Amazon link, though I%26#39;m sure your own lovely Clifton Bookshop could order it for you as well.

amazon.com/City-Walks-York-Adventures-Foot/d鈥?/a>

....but while I agree with above, it is his birthday, and if he wants to go to Little Italy, go, but go for lunch or a walk around or a coffee and dessert (Ferraras is famous).

www.nycityweddings.com/website/鈥?/a>

It%26#39;s near Chinatown, Soho and the Lower East Side.

Crans,

Just a note, but the current site of Umbertos is not the original site where crazy Joey Gallo was shot by Big Frank Sherian. If you enjoy this type of History I%26#39;d really rec. a book called ';I hear You Paint Houses.'; It has the full account of Joey Gallo and his final days.

I would definately walk down Mulberry Street, it is worth it for the architecture alone. So what if it is not what is used to be, what is, worth a look IMHO.

And there are some decent places to eat there, not every place is bad, please, give me a break. There have been many trip reports with people stating they have had a nice meal there. Whenever this subject comes up the ';brooklyn'; in me starts to come out.

He wants to see it, so have a walk around, then walk into Nolita, Soho %26amp; Greenwich Village, it will make for a great day.

We had fun walking down Canal Street near Little Italy, where you will find cheap, tacky things for sale along with knock off purses and fake Rolex watches. I would not get inolved in purchasing those fakes, but it is a fun area to walk thru, in my opinion.

We at at Puglia%26#39;s in Little Italy. It is very informal and the prices were decent. The house wine had a real kick. There was a singer who was so bad he was good. He loved to sing Happy Birthday.

Little Italy is small so check that out . . .it won%26#39;t take long anyway.

It is so close to Soho and the Village which are a must in a NYC visit. There is great shopping all over! If you eat in Little Italy, eat at Amici%26#39;s on Mulberry. It is the only restaurant that my boyfriend and I eat at when we walk down there on a nice day. Prices are great! Food is Awesome! And the host is really friendly. If you go at night on a week-end you may have to wait a few minutes-nut worth it. Even for lunch its great! If you go to the Village. .which you must. . .got to dinner at Monte%26#39;s on MacDougall Street in the West Village. Again the prices are great and the food is amazing - won awards! It is one of the oldest restaurants in New York (late 1800%26#39;s) Then go around the corner to Terra Blues if you like blues music and kick back for a drink - or have dessert at the many cafes around there.