Meet your guide at the arch in Washington Square Park in the heart of the Village. Begin your tour with stories of the 2 times residents attempted to declare the neighborhood a sovereign state, first in 1916 and again the following year. See the place where 6 Villagers broke into the arch, climbed to the top, and unsuccessfully sought independence.
As you follow your guide through the streets, hear about the artists and innovators who flocked to the area, including Jackson Pollock, Allen Ginsberg, and Eugene O'Neill. Scope out the spots where authors like Dylan Thomas and Jack Kerouac drank—often too much—and the building which, at various times, housed the likes of Mark Twain, Andy Warhol, and Salvador Dali.
Thanks to the progressive attitudes of many of the Villagers, it's no surprise that the district became the focal point of new political and cultural ideas. Complete your tour by learning about the women's suffrage movement led by Crystal Eastman, scope out the spot of the nation's first racially integrated nightclub, and pause at the site of the Stonewall riots, considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement.
