Things to Do in East Village

$5-$12. No drink minimum. Amy Poehler's theater. 25+ shows a week.

Amy Poehler's improv and sketch theater in the East Village. Scrappy, cheap, and consistently funny. 25+ shows a week -- improv jams, student showcases, polished house teams. $5-$12 with no drink minimum makes this the best comedy-per-dollar in the city.

242 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003 · Shows Tue–Sat, typically 7pm & 10pm · indoor

Hidden behind a phone booth in a hot dog shop. Resy opens 7 days out. Book fast.

You enter through a phone booth inside Crif Dogs hot dog shop. Behind it: a James Beard Award-winning cocktail bar. Reservations open on Resy 7 days out and disappear fast. No standing room -- if it's full, it's full. $15 cancellation fee per person. Cocktails $18-$22.

113 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009 · Daily 5pm–2am · (212) 614-0386 · indoor

Indoor + outdoor pools, gym, classes. $150/year. $10/year if you're 62+.

Historic rec center at East 23rd and the FDR. Indoor and outdoor pools, gym, group fitness classes, lockers, showers. $75/year gym-only, $150 with pool. $10/year for seniors 62+. Probably the best value fitness setup in Manhattan.

392 Asser Levy Place, New York, NY 10010 · Mon-Fri 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM, Sat 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM · 212-447-2020

Free outdoor courts in the heart of the East Village. Pickup runs every evening.

Free outdoor basketball courts in one of the most active parks in the East Village. Pickup games run every evening from spring through fall. The courts are surrounded by the park's community -- dog runners, chess players, and skateboarders. First-come, first-served. Bring your own ball.

E 7th St & Ave A, New York, NY 10009 · Daily 6:00 AM - midnight · outdoor

Dry cleaner and tailor in the East Village. Pants hemming from $12, suit alterations from $35, dry cleaning from $5/garment. Walk-ins welcome. Does both cleaning and tailoring well.

302 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003 · Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 9am-5pm · indoor

An East Village cobbler with a devoted following for precise, old-world shoe repair. Handles resoling, heel replacement, leather conditioning, stretching, and dyeing. Shoe shines from $5, heel caps from $12, full resoling from $45. Quick turnaround on basic repairs. The real deal.

48 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003 · Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 9am-5pm · indoor

The dollar slice is now $2. Inflation is real but this is still the cheapest hot meal in Manhattan.

The king of the dollar slice era, now the king of the $2 slice era. It's not good pizza. It's pizza that exists when you need pizza at 2am and you have $4 in your pocket. Multiple locations across Manhattan. The St. Marks Place one is the most iconic. Don't Instagram it. Just eat it.

32 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003 · Open late daily, hours vary by location · indoor

A vegetarian burger that meat eaters cross the city for. $7. The sides are even better.

Brooks Headley's veggie burger ($7) is a small, crispy, deeply savory thing that has no interest in pretending to be meat. The rotating sides -- burnt broccoli salad, sloppy Dave, whatever's seasonal -- are often better than the burger. New larger location on Avenue A has actual seating now. Dinner only, closed Monday-Tuesday. Under $15 easily.

119 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009 · Wed-Sun 5pm-10pm

Ukrainian diner open 24 hours on weekends. Borscht and pierogies at 3am is a New York rite of passage.

East Village institution since 1954. Borscht ($8), pierogies ($14-16), kielbasa, and challah French toast. Open 24 hours on Fri-Sat, until midnight weeknights. The vibe at 3am is unmatched -- post-bar crowds, night shift workers, people who just need soup. The pierogies are the star. Everything is a little too much food, which is perfect when you need it.

144 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003 · Mon-Thu 9am-12am, Fri-Sat 24 hours, Sun 12pm-11pm · (212) 228-9682 · indoor

Open until 5am. The artichoke slice is divisive. The vodka slice is not.

The artichoke slice -- thick, creamy, spinach-artichoke-dip-on-pizza -- is a love-it-or-hate-it thing. The vodka slice is the one most people actually prefer. About $6-7/slice. The real draw is the hours: open daily until 5am. This is where you end up after everywhere else closes. The original 14th Street counter is standing-only; the bar next door has seating.

321 E 14th St, New York, NY 10003 · Daily 11am-5am · (212) 228-2004 · indoor

Hand-rolled, kettle-boiled, and they don't skimp on the cream cheese. The everything is textbook.

The East Village's answer to the bagel question. Hand-rolled and kettle-boiled, which is the only way. A bagel with cream cheese is about $4-6, a full sandwich $8-14. The cream cheese flavors rotate -- scallion, horseradish, cookie dough (yes, really). Weekend mornings have a line out the door. Go before 9am or after 11am. Cash and card.

165 Ave A, New York, NY 10009 · Daily 6:30am-4pm · indoor

Tiny. Maybe 4 seats. The olive oil cake and a cortado is the best $10 you'll spend in the East Village.

A sliver of a cafe on 7th Street. Espresso drinks $4-6, pastries $5-8. The olive oil cake is famous for a reason. Standing room mostly -- a few tiny seats inside and a bench outside. No WiFi, no laptops, no lingering. You come, you drink something excellent, you leave. That's the deal. It's perfect.

81 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003 · Daily 8am-5pm (hours vary)

NYC's oldest dog run. Separate small-dog side, summer wading pool, and a community that polices itself harder than the parks department ever could.

NYC's first and most famous dog run. Fully fenced with separate large-dog and small-dog sides, double-gated entries, and a wading pool in summer. The regulars are serious about etiquette — pick up after your dog and don't stare at your phone while your dog starts trouble.

E 9th St & Avenue B, New York, NY 10009 · 6am-midnight daily · outdoor