Hip Young Things

Centuries ago, in marshland territory, Dutch and free African settlers in the 1700s, cleared the area and created a pasture, naming it Noortwyck.  The English arrived and conquered the settlement, now known as New Netherland in 1664, and after that became a hamlet distinct from New York City to the South.  It officially became a village in 1712, and then referred to the following year as Grin’wich, and so the famous site of Greenwich Village in New York became a reality  two hundred and ninety-seven years ago.  It grew in size, in 1822, when an epidemic of yellow fever hit New York and citizens fled to the better air of Greenwich Village.  Today, the Village serves as a landmark of Bohemian culture, and a central area for new ideas and movements of all kinds, including politics, art, and culture.  Once the 20th Century began, it was the home of experimental theater and art galleries and small presses.  Today, you’ll find one of the largest legacies in this small area, the Whitney Museum of American Art.

You’ll also find the Cherry Lane Theatre, begun in 1924.  This is the Big Apple’s oldest and continuously operating off-Broadway theater.  It was originally a farm silo in 1817, then a tobacco warehouse, and a box factory.  Then Edna St. Vincent Millay and members of the Provincetown Players transformed the structure in to the Cherry Lane with the play The Man Who Ate the Popomack.   This was a vital company in the 1950s, developing the Theatre of the Absurd and The Living Theater.  It became known as a place where aspiring playwrights could perform their work.

Currently, until March 14th of this year, you can see Extinction by Gabe McKinley, starring two TV stars, James Roday of Psych, and Michael Weston of House and Six Feet Under.  The play is a dark comedy about friendships and what happens when they’re about to become extinct. You may want to stay near these places, so look for these  small hotels in Greenwich Village and New York.  You’ll find these accommodations offer a great deal of charm and character and even architecture.  Stay close to the places you want to see, and do it with the comfort and service that fits you best.

Plymouth, Massachusetts doesn’t need to do anything other than exist to represent its major historical significance. It was founded in 1620 and stood as the original settlement for the pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower. It is one of the oldest municipalities in the entire country and is the oldest in New England. It also holds the distinction of the being the oldest continually inhabited English settlement that continues to exist in the modern day United States. All of this, or at least the original settlement status and association to the Mayflower is likely known and impeded in the symbolic history understanding of most Americans. Its legendary status is also one of the major reasons so many people visit it and stay in a hotel Plymouth.

It is also conveniently located, nice of the original settlers to consider the ease of tourists almost four hundred years later, near Boston, which makes it a perfect day trip for visitors to this great Massachusetts city. Also, knowing that it is about forty miles south of Boston makes it easy to locate and visual for people who are planning their trip from across the country.

One of the major historic and mythological associations to Plymouth that has not yet been mentioned her is its having been the location of the first Thanksgiving. This took place in 1621, a year after it was founded. The story is often told that Chief Massasoit had formed a peace treaty with the pilgrims and after a successful season of harvest he and many other members of the Wampanoag tribe joined the pilgrims for a tremendous feast and celebration. The memory of this event has been celebrated continually and in 1941 it was recognized as a federal holiday. It continues to be celebrated in Plymouth and every year there is a great parade and a reenactment of the initial feast. This event draws numerous visitors every year who feel that it brings them closer to the true meaning of the holiday.