Bleecker Street (Manhattan)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the song "Bleecker Street" by Simon and Garfunkel, see Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.

Bleecker Street looking west from The Bowery. Photo: Shankbone

Bleecker Street is a famous street in New York City's Manhattan borough. It is perhaps most famous today as a Greenwich Village night strip. The street is a spine that connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but was once a major center for American bohemia.

Bleecker Street connects Abingdon Square, the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Hudson Street and Ninth Avenue in the West Village, with the Bowery in the East Village.

Nearby sites include Washington Square Park and music venue Cafe Wha?, where Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, Kool & the Gang, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, and many others began their careers. The legendary club CBGB, which closed in 2006, was located at the east end of Bleecker Street, at the corner Bowery.

1 Public Transportation
2 History
3 Landmarks
4 Notable Night Spots
5 Notable residents
6 Cultural references
7 External links

[edit] Public Transportation

Bleecker Street is served by the 6 Train at Bleecker Street station. Southbound (downtown) passengers are able to transfer from the to the Broadway-Lafayette Street station for service on the B, D, V, and F trains.

[edit] History

Bleecker Street is named for Anthony Bleecker, (1770-1827). a lawyer, poet and friend of Washington Irving and William Cullen Bryant because the street ran through Anthony Bleecker's farm.

Originally Bleecker Street extended only as far west as Sixth Avenue. Then in 1829, Bleecker Street was joined with Herring Street extending Bleecker Street northwest to Abingdon Square.

[edit] Landmarks

Bayard-Condict Building

[edit] Notable Night Spots

The Bitter End at 147 Bleecker Street
Cafe Au Go Go was at 152 Bleecker Street
The Village Gate was at 160 Bleecker Street

[edit] Notable residents

James Agee lived at 172 Bleecker Street, above Cafe Espanol (1941 - 1951)
Robert Frank

[edit] Cultural references

Long-running television series Friends featured Bleecker Street signposts in several cut-scenes.
Humorous web comic Alien Loves Predator features Bleecker Street in some episodes and also on an "AlP" T-Shirt
Bleecker Street is mentioned in the Steely Dan song "Almost Gothic" from the album Two Against Nature.
The Marcy Playground song The Vampires of New York mentions "All the whores on Bleecker Street."
Simon and Garfunkel have a song titled "Bleecker Street" on their album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
Bleeker Street is mentioned in the song "Punkrocker", featuring Iggy Pop, by The Teddybears.
Bleeker Street is also referenced in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, notably in The Wolves Of The Calla