Get to know SoHo/Nolita

In the mid-1800s, many residents of today’s SoHo area — who had only moved there earlier in the century — started leaving. However, SoHo pivoted and endured, setting itself on a path of constant evolution into the beloved modern neighborhood. Cast-iron architecture began its rise while a theater district took hold, helping create one of the city’s central entertainment districts of the era. Around the same time, numerous manufacturing industries grew in SoHo, including lumber, glassware, and textiles. As that story tends to go, manufacturers left the city following World War II. With no clue what to do with anything left down in SoHo, the city hatched plans for an expressway in the area. But, thanks to the influence of preservationists plus civic and cultural leaders, those ideas were eventually dropped. Meanwhile, artists began living and working in massive, otherwise abandoned warehouses, charting the course for SoHo to thrive once again.

Plenty of New Yorkers call SoHo home, but the area these days is best known for being a shopping nucleus. Like much of the neighborhood’s past, even shopping dates to the 19th century when names like Lord & Taylor and Tiffany & Company established a presence. Modern SoHo seemingly can’t get enough shopping, as stores are located up and down the streets in parts of the neighborhood. Everything can be found around town, whether from familiar U.S. and international brands or trendier boutique destinations. There are also opportunities to stop in at bookstores or purchase artwork from street vendors. If shopping sets a high bar for SoHo, the dining and nightlife equal it. Chic establishments serving food from around the globe make a name for themselves in this part of Manhattan, as people travel a multitude of subway lines to experience them.