West Broadway: Art on the Street

There are plenty of things to love about West Broadway: it has plenty of fancy stores, art galleries, and brunch places, and unlike Broadway proper, it's possible to walk down the street without getting run into by a Uniqlo bag-wielding flock of tourists. West Broadway also has plenty to offer for those who don't want to spend big (or who simply don't want to step into the decidedly icy atmosphere of the designer boutiques). Stroll by on the weekend, and you'll find the street lined with artists displaying their work on easels and tables.

It's an art gallery in its own right, and it's always fun to see the artists behind the artwork—sitting in the shade reading the newspaper and drinking a coffee, of course. Expect diversity in size, medium, and price: there's everything from touristy cityscapes for $5 to expansive, paneled abstract works in the $300 range.

Even if collecting isn't your thing, it's worth checking out. It's free and it might even inspire you.

Greenwich Village: The Olive Tree Cafe

The Olive Tree Cafe is a wonderful bar/restaurant on MacDougal Street. It's connected to the Comedy Cellar, a hot-spot for stand up in the Village, and it offers reasonably priced eats and drinks in a fun atmosphere. (Read: blackboard table tops which you can draw on with chalk, Charlie Chaplin films playing on the wall, and lovely sketched portraits hanging on the walls).

For a modest little place connected to a comedy club, the Olive Tree has a surprisingly extensive drink menu. There's a whole page of martini variations, plus champagne cocktails and the usual suspects. Sipping a mojito ($8) and watching Chaplin's tramp stop an eccentric millionaire from drowning himself has become a favorite after-work tradition of mine.

As for food, the Olive Tree serves Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare such as falafel and Israeli salad, though burgers and (ridiculously addicting) fries are available as well.

The Olive Tree Cafe is open daily from 11 am to 4 am. Take the A, C, E, B, V, D, or F to West 4th.