A Guide to What’s Going on Up (and Down) There
Salmagundi Club
Maybe it’s because we’re used to only ringing buzzers to get into apartment buildings, but there’s something that feels intimate about entering a cafe, studio, boutique—what have you—that’s above or below street-level.
The not-quite-hidden gems on this page range from a Gilded Age mansion on 5th Avenue to a live-work studio above a karaoke bar on St. Marks. Each offers a view into the Village’s layered history and insight into how the neighborhood stays vibrant: through creative adaptation and loyal patronage. And that’s where you come in.
Below, explore the Village on another level. Then hit the stairs (or ring the elevator).
9 St. Marks Pl #3
New Vibe Yoga
“Tranquility” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when you think of St. Marks. New Vibe Yoga—which Time Out ranks as the best studio in the city—is a minor miracle with eccentricities befitting the block. It’s on top of Sing Sing Karaoke; owner Alex Schatzberg lives in the studio. In the summertime, yogis pluck fresh fruit from trees on the rooftop terrace.
Courtesy Cha-An Teahouse
230 E. 9th St. 2nd FL
Cha-An
Another oasis just above St. Marks is a nondescript Japanese tea house where you can spring for a formal ceremony or order savory and sweet treats (like a matcha parfait) a la carte.
Foundation Building, 7 E. 7th St.
Cooper Union Third Floor Hallway Gallery
Cooper Union is easy to get into….as a visitor. The straightforwardly named exhibition area hosts small-scale shows that cater to students and faculty, meaning they aren’t exactly 101-level. But if you’re a fan or architecture or design it’s an unbeatable resource for staying up-to-date.
Courtesy 8th Street Wine Cellar
28 W. 8th St.
8th Street Wine Cellar
There are a number of businesses just below sightline on 8th street, but this wine bar keeps an especially low profile. Inside, it’s a local’s scene in the best possible sense, 20 years in-the-making.
31 W. 8th St., FL 2
Cocktail Kingdom
Suppliers and laypeople are welcome at the eponymous hospitality group’s second-floor showroom, which stocks a small selection of artisan barware.
29 W. 8th St.
Atelier Women’s
A couple of chicly outfitted mannequins in a second-story display clue passersby in to the upstairs. Still, buzzing to enter and ascending the terrazzo steps rewards the curious. The store lives up to its nom in a tucked back former living area.
47 W. 8th St.
406 6th Ave. FL 2
Mellow Bar
Up until 1938, an elevated train ran up Sixth avenue and second-story businesses gave commuters an opportunity to “window shop.” The loss to time is our gain at places like Mellow Bar, whose windows overlook Ruth Wittenberg Triangle.
47 5th. Ave
Salmagundi Club
Choose your own adventure at the foot of the historic arts club’s stunning staircase. Up, there’s a library straight from a story book filled with antique tomes. But the subterranean level is the real surprise to the uninitiated, with its English hunting lodge-esque dining room, bar, and spacious pool hall.
434 6th Ave., FL 5
Joffrey Ballet School
Occupying several floors that soar above Sixth Avenue, Joffrey Ballet School easily takes a height contest. Floor to ceiling windows give dancers of all ages and skill-levels a view from the West Village to the water.
414 6th Ave. FL 2
C.O. Bigelow Surgical
The storefront is a pilgrimage site for good reason (those headbands; that rosebud salve) but in-the-know Villagers head to the “secret” second level for compression socks. The quality and quantity of products for specific conditions far surpasses nearby chains'.
