Son, Old Times Aren’t Forgotten

They say Greenwich Village has been lost to students and tourists, but look closer. There is still a wonderful afternoon to be found for the workingman and his son in the very center of the Village, in and around Eighth Street. No girls allowed — except for the cool ones.

10 A.M. Bound up the subway steps at the Astor Place station on the Lexington Avenue local line, and head over for haircuts at Astor Place Hairstylists, 2 Astor Place, (212) 475-9854. This New York institution opened in 1947, and the prices have not risen all that much. Men’s haircuts start at $15. The large number of barbers — 65 — practically guarantees that customers will have only a short wait, just enough time to examine the celebrity photos. The Astor may be the only barbershop in New York City that posts a warning about barbers who claim to have worked there: “Please do not be fooled. Most of the people were fired for incompetence or tried and were not hired.”

11 A.M. Freshly shorn, father and son head off to kick some troll tail at the blandly named but geekily cool Games Workshop, 54 East Eighth Street, (212) 982-6314. The shop is an old-school niche for tabletop games, particularly “Lord of the Rings” and “Warhammer,” in which the focus is on little figurines and dice, not computer screens and Wii consoles. Weekends have figurine-painting contests and in-store battles.

12:30 P.M. Lunch! Cozy Soup ’n’ Burger, 739 Broadway, (212) 477-5566, is a traditional Greek diner that is so Greek, its menu claims to have fed Aphrodite, Athena and Hercules (whose “incredible strength” was fueled by “Cozy’s mouth-watering hamburgers”). The “diet delights” are on the back of the menu, but burgers are the way to go, with milkshakes to top them off (meal for two, $23.50 plus tip). Male bonding ensues.

2 P.M. Walk off some of that lunch with a stroll through Washington Square Park. Regale the boy with the story of the night in 1917 when six actors and painters climbed the Washington Arch and announced the park’s secession from the Union and the founding of the Free and Independent Republic of Washington Square. Kids! In recent months, the southeast corner of the park has seemed to regress a little, with young men offering to sell passers-by marijuana every few feet, so consider yourself warned.

3 P.M. One last stop before heading home to the girls: Knickerbocker Bar and Grill, 33 University Place, (212) 228-8490, that classy bar and grill that evokes 1940s New York, north of Eighth Street. A piece of cheesecake to split, and every man for himself drinks-wise — is it time for a beer for Dad? Snicker at the tourists. Congratulations — you’ve laid the groundwork for your son’s “You should have seen the old Village” speech to his kid someday.