Washington Mews, New York

Perhaps one of New York’s worst-kept best secrets, Washington Mews seems like the place where the city hides its calm... A tiny cobblestone lane just steps from Washington Square Park, it looks like it fell out of a history book and landed in Greenwich Village by accident. Ivy-draped, two-story houses line the path, giving the whole place the air of a neighborhood that politely declined to join the rest of Manhattan in the 21st century.

Its story goes back to the early 1800s, when this narrow strip served as the backstage area for the grand Greek Revival mansions on Washington Square North. The elite had the fancy façades out front and, back here, the horses, carriages, and staff. Those first carriage houses were simple and practical—proof that even New York’s most fashionable residents once relied on a small army of stablehands to keep things running...

Jump ahead to the early 20th century, and the Mews started reinventing itself. With carriages fading out, those old stables found new life as studios and petite homes. A mix of wealthy residents and Village creatives moved in, and architects like Maynicke & Franke gave the buildings fresh façades in neo-Federal and Arts-and-Crafts styles. The result was a street that suddenly felt half-New York, half-old-world hideaway, and entirely irresistible to painters, writers, and musicians looking for quiet corners.

By the mid-1900s, New York University stepped in and took over much of the lane. From the 1950s onward, the buildings shifted into academic offices, faculty apartments, and spaces for cultural programs—all while keeping the Mews’ charming bones intact.

Today, the street is privately managed but frequently admired through its iron gates, which are usually open during the day. People wander in for the calm, the architecture, the color-splashed doors, and that rare Manhattan feeling that time decided to slow down for a minute. Washington Mews may be small, but it carries layers of history with surprising grace—and just enough quiet to make you think you’ve stumbled onto a secret...