7th St between First Ave and Ave A

1 "I am from Colombia, and these arepas are the best I have ever had," says manager Neva Palaci of the Venezuelan snacks at Caracas Arepa Bar (91–93½ E 7th St, 212-529-2314). In December, having been a regular at the restaurant since it opened five years ago, Palaci followed her affection into a job working there. "You know, there are rivalries between countries [over] their food—I am getting in trouble for this!"

Saint Stanislaus Church

2 The first Polish Roman Catholic church in the city, Saint Stanislaus Church (101 E 7th St, 212-475-4576), opened in 1878, specifically for the borough's then 2,000 Poles. It continues to be one of the epicenters for Polish immigrants in the city. Mass is still held in their native language at least once daily.

3 Phil "Boston Red Phil" Davidson, a petty thief who on October 5, 1912, knocked off reputed Jewish crime mobster "Big Jack" Zelig, lived here in the McKinley Building (111 E 7th St). Davidson told police the attack was revenge for a beating and fleecing he had suffered from Zelig a day earlier, but others believe it was to stop the mobster from testifying as the key witness in a concurrent murder trial.

4 Only a handful of devout parishioners remain at the Ukrainian Orthodox St. Mary's Church (121 E 7th St, 212-674-1066). The youth-centric City Light Church, which began renting the downstairs space a little over six years ago, hosts a rock-concert-like service on Friday nights.

5 After moving from the West Village last year, Alison Nelson's Chocolate Bar spent seven months in this tiny storefront (127 E 7th St), closing in January to take advantage of falling rents back west (in April the shop will reopen at 19 Eighth Avenue between Jane and West 12th Streets). This spot is now one of several vacant storefronts on the block, with other businesses—like boutique clothier 6 Sophie Roan (117 E 7th St)—advertising liquidation sales.

7 Back when the block was an Eastern European stronghold, two funeral homes—one Polish, one Ukrainian—saw plenty of business. Today, only the 103-year-old Ukrainian Peter Jarema Funeral Home Inc. (129 E 7th St, 212-674-2568) survives, serving both communities—and anyone else in need of an undertaker.

8 When Michael Diaz put his name on Mikey's Pet Shop (130 E 7th St, 212-477-3235) 11 years ago, rent was $2,000. Today he pays $4,000. Having struggled to make ends meet, he will soon be closing his doors and pursuing something easier—most probably, he says, dog walking.

9 Six-year-old upscale Greek restaurant Pylos (128 E 7th St, 212-473-0220) was a pioneer for quality drinking and dining venues on the block. The name means "clay."

10 Ravi DeRossi opened the Bourgeois Pig at tiny No. 122 in 2005, but moved to the McKinley building in 2007 (see number 3); the original space was taken over by Desnuda, DeRossi's cevicheria and wine bar. "I think the foot traffic has quadrupled on this block in the last couple of years because of places like 11 Butter Lane (123 E 7th St, 212-473-0220) and Porchetta," says DeRossi, modestly sidestepping his establishments' significant contribution to the buzz. This block is also where the cocktail impresario lives. In the near decade he's spent here, DeRossi has upgraded apartments four times, starting in a $1,200-a-month studio (122 E 7th St) and eventually graduating to his current $4,000 two-bedroom pad (123 E 7th St), complete with a backyard.—Pervaiz Shallwani

Slate Salon

The block features five boutique primping joints, including Slate Salon, prompting the owners to dub it "Salon Row."

Swine-sandwich haven Porchetta (110 E 7th St, 212-777-2151) is so small that staff have to crawl under the counter in order to get out of the shop.

Arepas at Caracas come stuffed with chorizo, paisa cheese and shredded beef, among other savory treats, and go for $4.50 to $7.25 apiece.

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