New York Songlines: 12th Street

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Corner: The Superior Printing Ink factory was the focus of preservation efforts.

380 (corner): Waywest, converted to co-ops in 1979, was originally the Hubert Warehouse.

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389: Diane Von Furstenberg Studio used to be a stable for police horses.

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Corner (767 Washington St): Tortilla Flats, rowdy Tex-Mex restaurant/bar. Carrie and Miranda go on a double date here on Sex and the City.

328 (corner): Jarnac, French-Mediterranean. "The sort of spot you dream of finding in the Village"--Mimi Sheraton, New York Times

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Corner (775 Washington St): Barbuto, Italian ala California. The name means "Bearded"-- like owner Jonathan Waxman.

357-359: The AIA Guide calls these apartments a "modernist essay in brick."

353: Béyül Asian Antiques & Decorative Arts; the space was once a sailmaker's shop.

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Corner (607 Hudson): Village Nursing Home, a neo-Federal building from 1906. Marion Tanner, who inspired the character Auntie Mame, lived here.

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319-325: These townshouses date to c. 1841.

317: Actor Andrew McCarthy has lived here.

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Abingdon Square

The statue here is a World War I "doughboy."

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299 (corner): A luxury apartment house built in the 1930s by Bing $amp; Bing.

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302 (corner): Another Bing & Bing development from the 1930s

284 (corner): Cafe Cluny, a bistro sibling of Odeon and Cafe Luxembourg. It's named for a town in Burgundy.

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Corner (22 8th Ave): Ink Pad, for all your stamping needs

285: The Beatrice Inn, a classic Village Italian, closed in 2005 after a 50-year run. (Jane Jacobs, Charles Kuralt and Howell Raines were said to be regulars.) It was revived in 2006 as a hard-to-get-in lounge by Paul Sevigny, Chloe's brother. The building, with a Roman tile cornice, was created by merging two neighbors in 1928.

283 (corner): Smorgas Chef, Scandinavian mini-chain

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280: Robert McCloskey lived here in a fourth-floor studio when he did the art for Make Way for Ducklings; he would sometimes buy ducklings to sketch, keeping them in the bathtub.

268-274: Grand old houses

264-266: Greek Revival townhouses from 1841

250: The New York address of Lady Caroline Blackwood, novelist and bohemian; she married painter Lucian Freud and poet Robert Lowell.

Corner (86 Greenwich Ave): Equinox Fitness Center is on the site of the Greenwich Theatre cinema, here from 1936 until 2000. Joan Crawford goes to the movies here in Daisy Kenyon, as do Marisa Tomei and Vincent D'Onofrio in Happy Accidents and Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex in the City. Earlier the address of James & Susan Light's 17-room apartment, where many leading artists and intellectual stayed in the 1910s--including Djuna Barnes, Berenice Abbott and Malcolm Cowley. Dorothy Day was a downstairs neighbor. The building was known as Maison Clemanceau, because French statesman Georges Clemenceau had lived on the site from 1866-69, writing for the Paris Temps--he described this as the three happiest years of his life.

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281 (corner): The Cubbyhole, gay bar that "looks like Bugs Bunny took acid and threw up"--Shecky's.

247: This building, once the offices of the Manufacturers Transit Company, caught on fire on July 18, 1922. The flammable chemicals and whiskey stored here burned for four days, in what became known as the Greenwich Village Volcano. Somehow the building survived, to be converted into condos in the 1980s.

241: This is the address of Hope Davis' character in the TV show Six Degrees.

Corner (103 Greenwich Ave): Day-O, island-themed bar

South:

St Vincent's Material Handling Center

This triangular block was the site of Loew's Sheridan, where writer Ruth McKenney and her sister Eileen would go to from their apartment when they wanted privacy. (It was painted by Edward Hopper, a regular filmgoer here.) Later a garden, the Village Green.

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225 (corner): The Village Den restaurant has been at this address since the 1960s. Features Leo and Friends, a 1999 mural by Greg Constantine that reimagines the Last Supper as a celebrity brunch.

O'Toole Medical Services Building

Was National Maritime Union of America (1964); note portholes. Or are they waves? Now part of St. Vincent’s Hospital.

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St Vincent's Hospital

Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay was given her middle name because her uncle's life was saved here. Poet Kahlil Gibran died here in 1931. And poet Dylan Thomas died here in 1953.

Survivors of the 1912 Titanic disaster were taken here for treatment. This was the main hospital used for treating victims of the September 11 World Trade Center attack in 2001; unfortunately, there were far few survivors needing medical care than they anticipated.

190: Jimmy Herf, a semi-autobiographical character in Dos Passos' Manhattan Transfer, lived at this address.

144: This was the address of nature writer and literary critic Joseph Wood Krutch.

100 (corner): The Mark Twain, a low-rise apartment building c. 1960. Twain lived a few blocks from here when he was a New Yorker.

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171: These apartments, built in 1922, were home to several lesbian couples who were part of Eleanor Roosevelt's circle, including Democratic activist Mary Dewson and her radical partner, Polly Porter; Communists Grace Hutchins and Anna Rochester; and Todhunter School founders Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman.

167: The Co-Operative League of America had its offices here. Later it was the home of James Beard (1903-85), one of America's premier food writers and teachers. After his death, it became the home of the James Beard Foundation, which was initially plagued by unscrupulous management but is now under new leadership.

137-151: Apartment complex noted for its stonework

117: Well-preserved Greek Revival/Italianate townshouse from 1846

The John Adams

South:

Corner (482 6th Ave): Joe Junior's, old-school local burger chain

78-80: Early 19th Century townhouses

New School for Social Research

66: Founded in 1919 with support from John Dewey, Thorstein Veblen et al. in 1919. Became a "University in Exile" for refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Now has war criminal Bob Kerrey as president. This 1930 building by Joseph Urban is noted for its Art Deco lobby and auditorium, and murals by Thomas Hart Benton and Jose Clemente Orozco.

54-64: 1854 Greek Revival townhouses. No. 62 is the address of Peter Tarnopol, Philip Roth's alter ego in My Life as a Man.

30: S. F. Vanni, Italian-language bookstore founded c. 1940

24: This 1851 building was a gift to war hero Winfield Scott, one of the most famous people in U.S. history to have been almost completely forgotten. He ran for president while living here, losing badly to Franklin Pierce. Now houses Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo, NYU's Italian cultural center.

16: Symbolist painter Albert Pinkham Ryder lived here at one point.

14: Site of house and studio of John Rogers, popular 19th Century sculptor.

12: Church House of First Presbyterian, a 1960 building by Edgar Tafel, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright's. The Salmagundi Club was earlier in a building at this address; Theodore Dreiser lived there briefly after coming to New York in 1897.

First Presbyterian Church

Corner: The congregation here traces its history back to 1716; one of its earliest pastors was a 19-year-old Jonathan Edwards. It moved uptown to this location after the Great Fire of 1835. This gothic revival building, designed by Joseph C. Wells and dedicated in 1846, was modeled on Bath's Church of St. Saviour, with a tower based on Magdalene College at Oxford. McKim, Mead & White added a south transept in 1893. The Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick gave a controversial pro-Darwin sermon here in 1922, "Will the Fundamentalists Win?" An enraged William Jennings Bryan engineered Fosdick's removal from the church, whereupon he became the pastor of Riverside Church until 1969.

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77: Edna St. Vincent Millay lived here in 1920-21, moving away from her family so she could concentrate on her work. When her sister moved into the same building, Millay sailed for Europe.

59: This 1931 Art Deco building, built by Bing & Bing and designed by architect Emery Roth, housed the apartment of narcotics agent George Hunter White. He carried out experiments for the CIA here, dosing unwitting subjects with LSD in a program known as MKULTRA. Guitarist Jimi Hendrix lived here at the time of his death in 1970, in apartment 10C. Actresses Marisa Tomei and Anabella Sciorra, designer Isaac Mizrahi and children's book author Maira Kalman have also lived here.

45: The east side of this building is at an odd angle to follow the course of Minetta Brook, now underground. Frank Lloyd Wright's sister used to live here.

41-43: Built for Wall Street banker Frederick P. James (1861).

37: Butterfield House (1962)--fits in well, for a modern building. Built over and named for the home of Daniel Butterfield, the Union general who composed Taps. Elvis Presley is said to have stayed here.

35: This 1840 building was cut in half by the building of 31-33 next door.

31-33: Ardea Apartments, 1895-1901. Originally built by George A. Hearn, department store magnate who was Macy's chief rival, as a residence for his executives. ''Ardea'' is the genus of great herons--perhaps a pun on the builder's name?

29: Was the Ardsley House Hotel; the building dates to the 1870s.

19: Meryl Streep has lived here.

Forbes Building

Corner (60-62 5th Ave): Houses the magazine and a museum of Malcolm Forbes' strange collections, including some important historical artifacts--and the world's largest collection of Faberge eggs. Originally the Macmillan publishing house was based in this "pompous limestone cube" (AIA Guide) built in 1925.

South:

Corner (51 5th Ave): Former New York Gov. Al Smith lived here, remembered as the first Catholic to run for president.

Gotham Bar & Grill

12: Some of the best--and most expensive--food in New York City since 1984. In 1923, this was a sweetshop called Just Born (owned by Russian immigrant Sam Born), where the chocolate covered ice cream bar was invented--also, supposedly, the chocolate jimmy.

22: Cinema Village shows off-beat arthouse films, especially Asian imports. Originally built in 1900 as a firehouse for Engine 72 (disbanded 1957), it became a repertory cinema in 1963. Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez went on an adulterous date here in Unfaithful.

24: Yujin; sushi joint has 29,500 chopsticks hanging from its ceiling.

24: University Stationery

Corner: Buona Sera

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Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Corner (55 5th Ave): Yeshiva University's law school, named for the Supreme Court justice. The corner was once No. 53, which was the address of James Lenox, whose family owned Lenox Hill. His book collection, which included the U.S.'s first Gutenberg Bible and the manuscript of Washington's Farewell Address, helped form the basis for the New York Public Library. His home later became Presbyterian House, a center for church offices.

11: 12th Street Books, used and rare, specializing in art, theater and psychology.

13: Strip House, expensive burlesque-themed steak house

15: Marquet Patisserie; Village Voice raves about the sandwiches.

Corner: Japonica

South:

Corner: Pall Mall antiques

34 1/2: Police Athletic League Building (since 1958). Built 1855 as Grammar School 43, one of NY’s first schools for girls; later 12th Street Advanced School for Girls.

36: Seidenberg antiques is in a notable Beaux Arts loft building from 1895. In 1902, the Commercial High School for Girls opened here, which later moved to Irving Place and became the Washington Irving High School. This was much later the address of Le Q, a pool hall where on February 28, 1992, members of the Tung On Boys, a Chinatown street gang, shot and killed a Stuyvesant student named James Rou and wounded four others, mistaking them for members of the rival Ghost Shadows gang.

40: B. Adler

42: Another Beaux Arts loft from 1894

48: Wenchow Importing

Corner: Broadway Kitchen and Baths

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Corner: University Restaurant; long-time diner

33: Village Temple

35-43: Converted Beaux Arts lofts date from 1894-97. Dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov has lived in No. 35.

47: Other Foods organic cafe

Corner: No Difference shoes; former home of Forbidden Planet, when it was the best comic book store in town.

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60 (corner): Proctor Galleries is in Hewlett House, a 1963 white-brick building.

Corner: Folksinger Pete Seeger lived at a previous building here in 1941; Woody Guthrie stayed with him for a week.

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The Strand

Corner (828 Broadway): Billed as the world's largest used bookstore with "18 miles of books," this store opened 1927 on 4th Avenue's Booksellers Row, and moved to this location in 1957.

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110: Was St. Ann's Rectory, a charming old building with wonderfully peeling paint. Demolished to make way for a NYU dorm.

St Ann’s Shrine Armenian Catholic Cathedral

Built c. 1847 as the 12th Street Baptist Church; was the Temple Emanu-El synagogue from 1856-68. Al Smith, the first Catholic to run for president, worshipped here. Everything but the facade has been demolished, which will now serve as an entrance to a oversized, 26-story NYU dorm.

126: Gallagher's Magazine Archive and Gallery

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Corner: The Petersfield apartments; originally the Fish Building. (Petersfield was the name of Peter Stuyvesant's estate, and the Fishes were a branch of the Stuyvesant family; I assume a connection.)

111: Gametime Nation; a videogame salon, with huge flat-screen TVs and comfy chairs. This used to be the location of Kozmo.com, New York's most notable dot-com failure.

113: Footlight Records; specializing in showtunes

121: Was the New York Edison Company Building.

125: The Zachary, one of my favorite unsung New York buildings.

135: Loeb Hall, New School dorm

139: News at 12, newsstand

Corner: Due Amici pizza, whose clocks keep New York and Rome time

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Corner: NYU's 3rd Avenue North dorm

208: Site of Il Martello, Italian anarchist newspaper

226-230: Virginia, 11-story red-brick building, dates to 1920s.

232: Was nursing school (note cornerstones). Built on site of boarding house at No. 234 where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out in 1901, on their way to Argentina.

Village East Cinemas

Corner: Originally Yiddish Art Theater (1926; main theater has Star of David ceiling); later Phoenix Theater, where Oh! Calcutta (1969), Grease (1972) and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1978) had Off-Broadway premieres.

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Corner: Surprise! Surprise!

201: Brick mill building built c. 1880; converted into apartments, 1981. This was apparently where Trow's Directory, an early 20th Century city guide, was published.

225: Cityscape cow; relic of embarrassing copycat of Chicago art project

229: The Claremount, with beautiful pillars, dates to 1890s.

Corner (193 2nd Ave): Check out the "eyebrows" on the windows.

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Corner: Was Cafe Royal, which according to the New York Times was "the uncontested artistic and intellectual center of the Yiddish-speaking world in America." Closed 1953; now a Japanese restaurant.

300: Angelika Kitchen, popular vegetarian

John's

302: Classic Italian since 1908, said to be a favorite of Toscanini's. When Joe "The Boss" Masseria had rival crimelord Umberto Valenti killed in 1922 in retaliation for an earlier attempt on Masseria's life, he set up the hit by first having dinner with Valenti here. Anarchist Carlo Tresca (a good friend of John's) also had his last meal here before being assassinated in 1943. Later, John Lennon used to eat here with his friend Peter Boyle. Aside from all the history, the food is good, the dripping-candle decor is romantic, the staff is super-friendly and it's surprisingly affordable. The current owners purchased it from John's son in 1972.

Asher Levy School

Corner: Elementary school named for an early Jewish immigrant, a kosher butcher, who won an important victory for religious tolerance when he successfully appealed Peter Stuyvesant's ban on Jews in the New Amsterdam militia.

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Corner (192 2nd): Dick’s Bar, bright orange gay club with a big pig painted on it, was La Bamba, Slugger Ann’s.

303: Sweet little courtyard--unfortunately closed to the public.

331: Sirovich Senior Center, the second-oldest senior center in New York

There used to be a cemetery on this block that was the hangout of a gang led by Humpty Jackson, noted both for his erudition and his dangerous temper. "He carried no less than three revolvers, one in his pocket, another slung under his hump, and a third in a special rack built into his derby hat," reports The Gangs of New York. "With Jackson sitting on a tombstone like a crooked little gnome...his followers disposed themselves upon the graves."

One of the gang members, Spanish Louie--who dressed all in black, including his sombrero--was found shot to death on this street near Second Avenue.

343: Was Evil Sugar Boutique

345: S'Mac, mac and cheese; was Bent Fish Editions, designer T-shirts and voodoo dolls

349: Room Service, Thai, was United Noodles, multi-ethnic; Una Pizza Napoletana, a contender (says Time Out) for the city's best pizza. (Was La Bella.)

351: Leon, well-faked French

Corner: Fuji Apple deli is my local bodega of choice.

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Corner (196 1st Ave): 1st Avenue Gourmet Deli

LES Park

A pleasant community garden.

420: East Side Community JHS/12th Street Academy. In 2007, the principal here was arrested by the security guards for sticking up for one of his students--good for him.

432: Capoeira Angola Palmares, martial artists who can dance you up.

440: Mary Help of Christians, Catholic school and church. This manifestation of Mary was inaugurated by Pope Pius VII, who credited her with helping him get free after being imprisoned by Napoleon from 1808-14. Mary, Help of Christians is the official patron saint of New York, and is also honored by the Salesian Fathers, who run this school (which is not long for this world, a victim of the archdiocese's downsizing).

Corner (191 A): Was Metropolitan Funeral Service

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Corner (198-200 1 ave): Hearth, fancy American; used to be Tappo, another pricey place.

407: This is a new building, but the back part of it is skewed to the Manhattan grid, reflecting property lines that go back to the original layout of the neighborhood. Stuyvesant Street used to extend through this block.

413: The building housing Bikes by George! bears the name ''C. De Bellis.''

429: Salesian Sisters convent

437: Building with Lord of the Fleas vintage shop was beat poet Allen Ginsberg's longest New York home, where he lived on the fourth floor from 1975-96. Punk pioneer Richard Hell has lived as well, as has writer/artist Rene Ricard.

Corner (193 A): Was Milo Printing Company, founded 1911; now moved around corner.

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Corner (188 A): Was The Cock, randy gay bar

504: Ciao for Now, cafe/catering joint

508: Jubb's Longevity, health-food deli run by David Jubb, who has a PhD in bionutrition. Everything here is organic and uncooked.

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505: Mundial, bar named for the World Cup, was Totem, which featured herbal cocktails.

511: Old Devil Moon, Southern food in kitsch shrine. Also home of Master Bakers, makers of erotic cakes.

527: This building was briefly home to painter Jean-Michel Basquiat; in 1987, Nuyorican Poetry Cafe founder Miguel Pinero was a resident.

539: B4: 20th Century Design, featuring art and furnishings from the 1960s and '70s.

543: Kenosha, named for one of the co-owners' Wisconsin hometown, serves part-Indian, part-Midwestern vegetarian food.

545: Wild Lily Tea Room, a styley teahouse is a twin of the Chelsea original. Closed?

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610: Anna Howard Shaw Elementary School; the school's namesake was a Methodist minister, medical doctor, temperance lecturer and peace advocate.

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635 (corner): Campos Plaza is a housing project named for Pedro Albizu Campos, a Harvard-trained lawyer who led the fight for Puerto Rican independence and spent much of his life in prison for seditious conspiracy.

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730: Franklin Roosevelt Elementary School

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