We’re used to ringing buzzers to get into apartment buildings, which is one reason why it feels intimate 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 on St. Marks. Each offers a view into the Village’s layered history and insight into how the area stays vibrant: through creative adaptation and loyal neighbor-patrons.

Here’s your cue to get to know the Village on another level.

Credit: Kate Owen

Credit: Zuri Saddai

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.

9 St. Marks Pl #3 | Website

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.

230 E. 9th St. 2nd FL | Website

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 an architecture or design afficionado, it’s an unbeatable resource for keeping ahead of the curve.

7 E. 7th St. (Foundation Building) | Website

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.

28 W. 8th St. | Website

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.

29 W. 8th St. | Website

Cocktail Kingdom

Suppliers and laypeople are welcome at the eponymous hospitality group’s second-floor showroom, which stocks a small selection of artisan barware.

31 W. 8th St., FL 2 | Website

Moshava Coffee

Laptops are banned on the cafe’s first floor, which makes the loft feel “reserved” for remote work. Warm accents like a decorative fireplace and window seating keep the ambience far from corporate and offer a peek into the cafe’s past as a dwelling place—Man Ray’s, in fact.

47 W. 8th St. | Website

Mellow Bar Nail Salon

Up until the late 1930s, an elevated train ran up sixth avenue. Second story displays and even storefronts gave commuters a chance to “window shop.” The loss to time is our gain at places like Mellow Bar, whose windows overlook Ruth Wittenberg Triangle and Jefferson Market Library’s garden.

406 6th Ave. FL 2 | Website

Garden-Level Dining Area

Second Floor Library

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 garden level is the real surprise to the uninitiated, with its English tavern-esque dining room and bar and a pool hall that’s even further below the main entrance.

47 Fifth Ave. | Website

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.

434 6th Ave., FL 5 | Website

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'.

414 6th Ave. FL 2 | Website