East Village was a great neighbourhood to stay at for our first visit to NYC! We stayed at Charlotte's apartment for two weeks, which is close to the subway, lots of bars and restaurants, and there's also a WholeFoods nearby. Apartment is very cosy and personal with lots of charming details - it's hard to put down a cup without having to move something that (in one of Charlotte's friend's words) "once belonged to her grand-grand-grand-something" :-) Charlotte is a thoughtful host and keeps contact with you throughout your stay to make sure everything's okay. Also every morning you have the company of beautiful birds outside the window clinging to Charlotte's bird feeder, very lovely. All in all a lovely apartment and highly recommendable neighbourhood.