Walking tour of the West Village

The West Village feels set apart from the rest of New York City, centrally located but architecturally distinguished by its well-preserved, generally low-rise buildings. Your pace naturally slows to take in the beauty of the streets -- even though it's not exactly undiscovered territory, as you'll be reminded when Sex and the City Tour buses zoom by. So instead of focusing on cupcakes, give the neighborhood its due for its rich history.

What's even cuter than a vintage streetscape? Half of one. That's why starting your tour just a half-block above the north side of Washington Square Park makes sense: Washington Mews and MacDougal Alley are two picture-perfect, dead-end alleyways, parallel to each other and sneaked into Manhattan's rigid grid.

Head west on Eighth Street, and coming into view will be one of the area's iconic structures, Jefferson Market Courthouse, now the Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library (425 Sixth Ave., nypl.org/locations/jefferson-market). Once slated for demolition, the 1877 building, with its grand clock face and elaborate Gothic detailing, is a tribute to preservation efforts.

Turning just west and south will lead you to Sheridan Square's Christopher Park, from which you can see two landmarks at once. The mysterious circa 1831 Northern Dispensary (165 Waverly Place), filling a small piece of land shaped like a pie slice, is a former dental clinic that has been vacant for 20 years, although the stout brick building, with its old-timey sign, adds charm to the view.

A stone's throw away and facing the same small patch of park is the historic Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher St., thestonewallinnnyc.com), where, on a hot June night in 1969, bar patrons fought back against police harassment and launched the modern gay civil rights movement. Not only is there history on-site, the bar offers two-for-one drinks specials until 8 p.m.

Taking Christopher Street west and hanging a left on Bedford Street takes you to what is reputedly Manhattan's narrowest house: 75½ Bedford St. It's currently being renovated, but the storybook quality of the building is still readily apparent; as a bonus fact, the great poet Edna St. Vincent Millay once lived there and is honored by a plaque.

Just around the corner, Millay co-founded the Cherry Lane Playhouse, now the Cherry Lane Theater (38 Commerce St., cherrylanetheater.org). For almost 90 years, the stage has been home to groundbreaking plays from the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Clifford Odets, Eugene O'Neill, Harold Pinter and David Mamet; currently, Vanessa Redgrave stars in "The Revisionist."

It's time to head up Hudson Street to reward yourself with a beer (or the drink of your choice) at the same literary watering hole where two famous Dylans once tippled (though not together): the White Horse Tavern (567 Hudson St., no website), a favorite of Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan, not to mention Norman Mailer and many others. Drink a toast to your West Village walking tour while you're at it.