The Geographically Impossible West Village

Christoph Niemann — Walk

I love to explore cities by walking. My hometown was planned from scratch in the 18th century. Every street is perfectly perpendicular.

Christoph Niemann — Walk

When I moved to New York, the city’s grid made me feel right at home. Two rights and two lefts lead to the same spot. Unless you’re in the West Village.

Christoph Niemann — Walk

Its grid doesn’t line up with the rest of Manhattan’s, but some streets are numbered as if they do. Impossible things happen as a result.

Christoph Niemann — Walk

When I lived in Brooklyn Heights and had a studio on Little West 12th Street, I made a point of walking home at least twice a week.

Christoph Niemann — Walk

Each time I took a slightly different route, trying to cover every single block of the West Village, from Sixth Avenue to the Hudson, and 14th down to Houston.

Christoph Niemann — Walk

It was a painful process, but the West Village and I finally reached an understanding.

A version of this illustrated column was originally published in The New York Times Magazine on April 26, 2015.