When the German Neoclassicists descended on Athens in the 1830s, the land between Pláka and present-day Omónia square was envisaged as a spacious European expansion of the Classical and medieval town. Time and the realities of Athens' status as a commercial capital have made a mockery of that grandiose vision: the main bazaar area is no less crowded and oriental than Monastiráki, while Omónia itself retains a certain grittiness, though there are currently attempts by the government to regenerate the area. For visitors, the focus of interest is the National Archeological Museum , which, with its neighbour, the Polytekhnío , fronts the student/alternative quarter of Exárhia , currently one of the city's liveliest options for nights out.