Looking to pound shots, get drunk, and forget what you did? Yeah, same.
What better place to accomplish all of that and some than in the West Village? Well, there isn’t one, which is why you should go there this weekend and wreak havoc on your liver.
All jokes aside though, the West Village is the best neighborhood in NYC for you to get wasted this weekend (alright, maybe not the cheapest, but definitely still the best).
I mean really, where else could you, amidst historical landmarks and celebrities, leave it all behind and completely forget your entire night?
But don’t get too down on yourself for forgetting what happened. I’m sure you had a great time.
That being said, read on to find out why the West Village is the best 'hood in NYC to get completely blackout wasted. (You know, in case you forgot.)
1. Speakeasies
Who doesn’t love a good speakeasy? No, I mean really, how can a true New Yorker not love a good ol' fashioned hidden bar or restaurant?!?
It’s always fun to be reminded that alcohol was once illegal in this country, and that people still found a way to get messed up anyway. It makes this whole drunken debauchery thing seem way more badass than it really is.
The Garret, hidden above Five Guys (you have to walk up a stairwell behind the burger counter to get in), is one of the best speakeasies in the West Village to get your drink on.
So is Little Branch, which probably has the most delicious cocktails in all of Manhattan.
Employees Only, another West Village speakeasy, is also pretty dope and known to serve burgers until 3:30 a.m. Which rocks... because you need food to go the distance, right?
2. White Horse Tavern
Do you want to drink at a bar where James Baldwin, the Clancy Brothers, Bob Dylan, and Jim Morrison used to meet up and drink?
How about something even crazier? Dylan Thomas died right outside that very same bar, White Horse, and you can still drink there today.
Jack Kerouac used to drink at there so often that someone scrawled on the wall in the bathroom: “JACK GO HOME.”
Recently, I knocked a few back with a literary comrade there, and we basked in the bar's history oozing from its walls. And then we got completely ossified. Get at us!
3. Late-night eats
So, the food in the West Village isn’t your typical dollar slices and hot dogs (although, of course they also have dollar slices and hot dogs).
But do you have a bit more specific taste? Does your turnt-up self prefer to shove fancy cheddar poppers down your drunk throat rather than pizza? Then hit up Hook’s Cheddar Poppers at Fedora, on West 4th-- they’re open until 2 a.m. on the weekends.
Would you rather binge on something healthy? Great, then go get some vegetables at Croque Forestier on Grove Street, which serves roots, greens, and leek vinaigrette, all cooked in red wine and honey, until 2 a.m.
Or are you in the mood for a burger? Then give your taste buds an early stocking stuffer, and head to Pub Burger on 8th Avenue, they serve food 1 a.m. So you can go back out, have a burger, and then go drink some more.
Yeah, you’re welcome.
4. Comedy
All the best comedy clubs are in the West Village. No, really.
Comedy Cellar, Greenwich Village Comedy Club, and the Comedy Village Comedy Club are all there. If you haven’t been to at least one of these three comedy clubs, you just got yourself a Saturday night.
Comedy clubs are the perfect spot to get drunk, because they have a two drink minimum, and because you’ll be laughing and having a jovial time. You’ll be drowning in the mirth of the comic’s absurd observations, and there’s no better time to pour beer directly down your throat.
Is it a good look to get wasted and make out with more than one of the comedians on the same night, right after the show? I’m not sure, but I’ve totally done it. #NoRegrets
,5. Nightlife
Are you into the nightlife scene? Well then, we’ve found the neighborhood for you.
The Monster, Down the Hatch, Fat Cat, and The Other Room, just to name a few. They’re all here, and they’re all where it’s at.
If you’re looking to get very dressed up and have a very high chance of encountering celebrities, the West Village is definitely your next move. Or you can head a few blocks north to the Meatpacking District and really get it in.
Also, if you're into jazz, Village Vanguard is the spot.
So grab your high heels, your knee length dresses, pockets full of your favorite vice, and head downtown to drink the night away. But try not to pass out when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and see how hot you look, alright?
6. Brunch
The West Village is notoriously phenomenal for brunching. Yes, brunching is now a verb. Or maybe it always was?
Do you want to spend an entire Sunday pouring good champagne and great food down your throat? Thought so. Tartine, Rosemary's, Agave, just to name a few.
Or maybe you want to enjoy the most delicious plate of eggs benedict while you pound mimosas? Also thought so. Extra Virgin, the little owl, Blue Ribbon, if you need a few more.
Perhaps you want to spill out the door of that brunch into the eclectic, sun-soaked West Village streets? Yeah, that all sounds pretty good to me too. The Spotted Pig, The Market Table.
Those should be enough spots for what, the next 6 months?
7. Gay bars
So, Stonewall is famous because it’s where, for the first time, gay people revolted in 1969.
Who doesn’t want to go to Stonewall and get their drink on with all that category-breaking history vibrating right underneath your feet? It’s also a really good place to hit up if you’re gay and trying to pick up.
Same with Henrietta Hudson, which is one of the only gay bars to lean heavily toward being a lesbian bar. And it's also an awesome place to drink up... and pick up.
But after your night at Henrietta Hudson and Stonewall, don’t forget to grab some chocolate swirl at Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, one of the best places to lose yourself in the delectability of ice cream in this entire city.
If you enjoyed this article, check out 9 Spectacular Rooftop Bars You Need to Hit Up for NYC Happy Hour!