The Literary History of Greenwich Village

Tales from an afternoon on the West Village Literary Pub Crawl

One of the great joys of living in New York City is that there is history around every corner, and my favorite way to explore the city is by foot. Yesterday, I went on the Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl, a tour I've taken multiple times. Yet somehow, our guide Rob managed to surprise me with fresh revelations about this historic neighborhood.

A photo I took of the White Horse Tavern in 2017.

Rob began by sharing that, “between 1920 and 1925, 50% of all printed literature in America emerged from Greenwich Village.” It was a statement I found so astonishing that I asked him to repeat it so I could write it down exactly as he said it. Whether that’s true or not (I haven’t been able to corroborate it on Google) directionally, it reflects the spirit of what was happening in the area at that time. The Village wasn't just a neighborhood – it was America's literary powerhouse, producing works that would shape our national consciousness.

Dylan Thomas drinking at The White Horse Tavern.

We started at The White Horse Tavern where Dylan Thomas was a regular. There, Rob described Dylan as a “rock star poet.” It's almost impossible to imagine in our current era, but poets once commanded the kind of attention we now reserve for musical celebrities. In December 2014, The Atlantic published a story on Dylan Thomas describing his “Led Zeppelin-esque reading tours” and sharing that “He was the last of the rock-star poets, because the minute the real rock stars showed up—amps buzzing, drugs twanging—the poets would be shuffled off into inconsequence.”

A photo of Grove Court that I took in 2018 showing the ivy-covered brick walls.

Between bars, Rob walked us by Grove Court, a hidden enclave originally built as housing for the working class and dubbed, “Mixed Ale Alley” because residents could only afford to drink the cheapest alcohol. Standing before the gate he shared that O. Henry's "The Last Leaf" was inspired by the ivy that covered the walls of the buildings. The short story tells of a young girl very sick with pneumonia. It explores the profound connection between art, hope, and healing and is a reminder that sometimes our greatest limitations are the ones we place upon ourselves. I won't spoil the story's beautiful ending—it’s a quick read and powerful story that can be read here.

The wood beams on the ceiling at Marie’s Crisis.

Even the buildings themselves hold stories of the past. At Marie's Crisis Café, a bar named in honor of Paine's American Crisis papers, history literally hangs overhead. The rough-hewn beams crossing the ceiling once belonged to a decommissioned ship, a maritime legacy preserved in this intimate space on the site of the home where Thomas Paine lived and died.

In a city like New York, there's always another layer of history to uncover, another story to tell, another perspective to share. Every corner truly does tell a story – sometimes several—and the joy comes not just in knowing them, but in sharing them with others who are equally enchanted by this remarkable city.

Our guide, Rob, leading us down the streets of the Village to our next literary destination.

If you’re interested in literary history, I highly recommend the Lit Pub Crawl. They offer public tours on Saturdays in Manhattan and Brooklyn and private tours as well.

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Words of the Week

“In a little district west of Washington Square the streets have run crazy and broken themselves into small strips called "places.'' These "places'' make strange angles and curves. One street crosses itself a time or two.” —O’Henry from The Last Leaf

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Photo of the Week

On the way to the White Horse Tavern, on a street I’ve walked down hundreds of times, I saw something I’ve never seen before that has undoubtedly been there all along—a coal hole cover that is meticulously preserved. This cover dates between 1916 and 1926 when Dreier Iron Works operated at 35 Goerck Street in Brooklyn (which was renamed Baruch Place in 1933).

If you’re curious about NYC Manhole covers and coal chute covers, you can read more about them in my Substack newsletter linked below.

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