The present state of Jane Jacobs Way probably would have surprised the late urban activist. The White Horse Tavern, Jacobs’ haunt, lives on, although its sidewalk café crowd has turned pretty Polo shirty. The surrounding blocks are populated by purveyors of the over-hyped and tiny: Little Marc Jacobs and Magnolia Bakery.
The West Village was Jacobs’ muse: She wrote of the “sidewalk ballet” of daily life outside her 555 Hudson Street (currently on...
