E Is for Eighth Street -New York University

 

Washington Square Arch and One World Trade Center in the background. We're looking south from Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue

 

Today's subway ride for the A to Z Blogging Challenge takes us to Greenwich Village again. We're very close to Astor Place and the statue of Sudan. But we're on a different line and we get to see some new sights. When we look south we see in the far distance One World Trade Center and directly in front of us is the Washington Square Arch. This is the area for New York University and many of the buildings surrounding Washington Square Park, where the arch is located, are part of the university.  



The Arch was first put up in 1892, but it proved to be so popular that three years later a permanent arch was designed by the prominent architect, Stanford White. It was completed in 1895.

The Empire State Building in the distance, looking north from Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue

 

This station was not on my original list of stations that I wanted to visit, but the mosaic tiles added it to the list. There are two in particular that captured my interest. The first pays homage to both New York University and Washington Square Arch.  



This rainy day scene captures a moment of daily life in New York City. They are the work of the artist, Tim Snell. This series of murals, Broadway Diary, was done in 2002 and they've become one of my favorites of subway art.

I didn't stop for coffee or a snack when I visited Eighth Street, but my all time coffee favorite from 2016, City of Saints, is just a few blocks away at 79 East 10th Street. If you're exploring the station or the neighborhood it's definitely worth the extra block walk for some of the best coffee in New York.

Thanks for all the comments. I'm glad you're enjoying our excursions all over New York City. Tomorrow we stay on the "R" line and we visit one of the great spaces in Manhattan. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take care. It's still very early spring here, and I'm sending everyone wishes for a some sun and spring flowers this weekend. 
 

Very, Very, Very Good Pizza

I know we're fans of pizza in Buttercupland and pasta, too, so for "V" we're visiting Vapiano in Greenwich Village. It's not exclusively a local restaurant, but it has the feel of a New York restaurant. The pizza and pasta are so good and it's a great place to spend an evening.

The perfect decor for a New York restaurant. 

The menu greets you on the sidewalk of New York 

I generally order pizza, but the pepper and ginger soup sounds so good and I'd like to try the Pasta al Melone, too.  There's also a great bar and seating in the front of the restaurant if you want to linger over an espresso. 

Greenwich Village corner. 

Greenwich Village begins below 14th St. in Manhattan. Parts of the Village follow the winding streets of an older Manhattan, before the grid plan -- numbered avenues and streets -- was instituted. I find it easy to get lost in some of these areas and even after living in New York for almost forty years there are times I still need to use a map.  

In just a little I'm off to Wilmington, Delaware for my college mini-reunion. I had a thought for tomorrow's "W," but I may just do a Wilmington shout-out for "W." The restaurant for tonight's dinner looked really cute ...

As always thanks for your visits and your comments. Wishes for a sunlit weekend!