Hudson Street

This is Jane Jacobs' street as she famously describes in The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Still, today, this corridor exudes a quintessential neighborhood feel, where independent retailers, specialty shops, and destination trattorias mingle with laundromats, pharmacies, diners, and other signs of everyday living. The Hudson River, just steps away, serves as a reminder that Manhattan—this metropolis built up of steel, glass, stone, human ambition—is an island surrounded by waterways, with all the beauty and vulnerabilities that affords. 

The following places of note include Hudson Street and its adjacent arteries.

Places of Note

from north to south

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

bakery  

This elegant outpost of Frédéric Vaucamps Parisian bakery—the only one outside Europe—is a visual feast of fluffy merveilleux cakes, pain au chocolat, and sweet brioche loaves with chocolate ganache. But the litmus test of any pâtisserie being the croissant, that’s the thing to get here if you’re feeling indulgent but not decadent—the perfect treat in a casual, everyday sort of way.

Gaze in from the sidewalk for the best view of all the pastries on offer and bakers at work. For immediate consumption (there's no seating inside the shop), consider taking your pastry bag to Jackson Square, just up the block, which has a promising array of benches and stalwart fountain under a scattering of trees. Sandwiched at the intersection of 8th Ave and Greenwich Ave, the square is a peaceful spot to nibble, people-watch, daydream.

37 8th Ave.  website

Hawkins New York

home goods 

Every inch of this small, impeccably curated shop offers inspired goods for the home: serving plates, candlestick holders, table lamps, silverware. Favorite items include the house line of linen napkins, copper Louise vases, and candles with scents based on associations with place, including olfactory notes for Hudson, Marfa, and Aix-en-Provence.

17 8th Ave.  website

If you have occasion to take the train up to the town of Hudson, 2:45 hours away on Metro-North from Grand Central, they have a spacious storefront on Warren Street.

La Bonbonniere

diner

Basic and beautiful in its simplicity, La Bonbonniere carries on as a mainstay of the neighborhood in an era where the city's classic diners have become an endangered species. Grab a barstool for a view of the kitchen talent at work or one of the no-frills sidewalk tables under the awning for fresh air and people-watching. It’s hard to go wrong with the grits and eggs, thick slices of brioche French toast, pancakes with whole berries folded in on the griddle, or the superior home fries. Cash only.

28 8th Ave.  

To avoid a wait on weekends, arrive before 10am or in the late afternoon after the brunch crowd.

Calliope

home goods

The owners—Caroline Ventura, the jewelry designer behind BRVTVS, and Michael Ventura, CEO of design firm Sub Rosa—live in the building upstairs, and their shop feels like an extension of a home ruled by the most discerning taste. Located on a quiet block off of Hudson, there's an element of charming surprise in finding the shop at this address. The staircase leading up from the sidewalk (which, at first glance, you might assume to be private) enhances the feeling of entering a special little world. Inside, the handsome wooden shelving along one full wall, with tracks for an adorable rolling ladder, showcases a collection of thoughtful items to inspire your daily living. In addition to selling objects, they offer Field Trips: experiences around themes like reportage photography, cocktail mixing, and flower arranging.

349 W 12th St.  website

St Tropez Wine Bar

restaurant

The wall of windows interfacing with one of the loveliest blocks along West Fourth Street will be the first thing to lure you in from your ramble. Once inside the open-plan interior, cozily packed in with tables and customers, you'll quickly realize that you're both hungry and thirsty. An excellent list of French wines by region offers a delightful selection for by-the-glass drinkers. The lunch special consists of a main and glass of Bordeaux for $20, and happy hour boasts $1-dollar oysters. The bar seating offers the most charming vibe: you’ll have an action view of bottles being whisked off the wall and benefit from the attentive service of the friendly bartenders. The kitchen—small but mighty—works its magic in plain sight at center back. 

304 West 4th St.  website

The Elk

coffee shop

Situated a few steps away from Hudson Street, The Elk serves up beans by Brooklyn-based roastery Parlor Coffee. A variety of sweet and savory dishes complement the espresso menu, magically delivered from the nowhere-to-be-seen kitchen via dumbwaiter. Copious amounts of blond wood and octagonal tables outfit the space, which feels part Pacific Northwestern, part Scandi. A section of the shop features home goods for sale, like Boy Smells candles and Common Good cleaning products, and their magazine rack is stocked with popular lifestyle publications—Cereal, Kinfolk, Gentlewomen, Monocle.

Sipping a drink on the bench outside in the late afternoon light, while the neighborhood dogs parade by, is a distinct delight. Or take your drink to-go and set off a few blocks west for the riverfront, with its landscaped walkway and a long pier extending from Charles Street.

128 Charles St.  website

The Meadow

provisions

An extensive assortment of chocolate bars from around the world makes The Meadow one of the city’s premier purveyors of chocolate. The floor-to-ceiling array of bars is arranged from milk to dark, with a separate section for mixtures—chocolate plus nuts, dried fruit, etc. The shop also carries finishing salts, bitters, and vases of stems from which you can create a sweet bouquet of flowers to accompany your gift—for some special friend or for yourself.  The newest delicious thing to come onto the floor is Salt & Straw's pints of ice cream. (The Meadow ships their own salt to the ice cream maker in Portland for the production of the salted caramel flavor.) Be sure to snag a taste of the truffle popcorn that the staff have considerately popped and placed by the register. 

Items of note: Grab any and all bars in stock of the bean-to-bar maker The Smooth Chocolator.

523 Hudson St.  website

Sea Grape Wine Shop

provisions

This neighborhood wine shop is a bit like browsing through a good friend’s pantry—very approachable and not too delicate of an endeavor. The bottles, not exactly in disarray, spill off the shelves in a pleasant manner. Stacked boxes of wine throughout the store announce specials and featured wines. Regulars will waltz in straight to their favorite bottle and be out in 15 seconds all told. Whether you’re picking up wine for your host or having a stay-in evening, and in need of a liquid muse, this shop will set you up right.

512 Hudson St.  website

Malatesta Trattoria

restaurant

A few blocks west of Hudson Street, this corner trattoria is a charming and unfussy spot for superb Italian. The space is cozily dim and candlelit, with butcher paper-lined tables, brick walls, and windowed doors that open onto the sidewalk. The menu highlights their housemade pasta and rotating specials. Weekends get packed, especially on warm nights—Malatesta has one of prime outdoor seating situations in Manhattan—so weeknights offer the ideal experience. Order a plate of the spaghetti alla chitarra to accompany your carafe of the house Sangiovese and settle in. Cash only.

649 Washington St.

Malatesta has a sister restaurant named Malaparte, some six blocks north, with comparably delicious dishes. Where Malatesta feels young and free, Malaparte is the slightly more polished older sibling that accepts card and boasts a small bar. 

St Luke in the Fields Garden

green space

Sharing the grounds with St. Luke’s school, the semi-enclosed garden is open to the public through the southern gate on Hudson Street near Barrow. It has a touch of the Secret Garden about it—a quiet respite hidden away from the city. A circle of four benches in the center invite afternoon reading sessions with a cup of coffee in hand.

485 Hudson St.  website

Hudson Clearwater

restaurant

The place has a slow, easy sensibility, outfitted in a combination of rustic wood, brick, and marble. Sunlight filters in from three sides, particularly through the gathered curtains on the street-facing windows. A series of four spaces gives you choice in your dining experience: the sidewalks tables out front amidst the street bustle; the front dining room with a marble-topped bar; a back dining room, reached by ascending a few steps, with additional bar seating; and an ensconced patio through the back door. It’s a great weekday or weekend spot for eggs, with options like scrambles and huevos rancheros on the New American menu. For a morning cup of coffee and side of a housemade English muffin, served with two mini vessels of  butter and preserves, the front bar is a lovely perch while you wake up to your day.

447 Hudson St.  website

Words & images by Cities of Note

"Lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seeds of their own regeneration, with energy enough to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves."

— Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities

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