In our last blog post I began talking about the rich culture of Greenwich Village, but there’s just too much to talk about in one blog post. Today we’ll focus on two famous spots that you’ll pass by on the New York food tour with Sidewalks of NY. First is the Cherry Lane Theatre, located on Commerce Street. Perhaps you’ve passed by the red awning before not realizing its cultural significance. It is the oldest, continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York. It was originally a farm silo in the early 1800s and later a tobacco and box factory before members of the Provincetown Players converted it to a playhouse.

Next up is Stonewall Inn. Perhaps you’ve heard of this famous bar and the Stonewall riots of 1969 –an event to be considered the most important one leading to the gay liberation movement in the U.S. They first opened their doors in 1967, making quite a name for themselves as a popular gay bar. But at the time, the bar, like many others, were subject to police raids. A few months after the riots in ’69 began, they closed their doors. Various other businesses took over the space. In the 1990s a new bar simply called Stonewall setup shop in the west half of the original Stonewall Inn.

Learn more about these two historical spots on your next New York food tour.