SoHo gets its name from where it sits: South of Houston Street. The neighborhood runs down to Canal Street, with Sixth Avenue and West Broadway on the west side and Crosby Street and Lafayette on the east. In the 1960s and ’70s, artists moved into its empty factory lofts because nobody else wanted them. The galleries followed, then the boutiques, then the big brands, and now it’s one of the most expensive places to shop in the city.
It’s still worth a visit, as long as you know where to look.
The cast-iron buildings
SoHo has the largest concentration of cast-iron buildings anywhere. In the 19th century, builders could cast ornate facades in iron, bolt them onto a frame and paint them to look like carved stone. The result is block after block of columns, arched windows and fire escapes.
Greene Street is the best place to see them. Look for 72–76 Greene, known as the King of Greene Street, and walk the cobblestones between Canal and Houston slowly. Look up. Most people only see the shop windows.
Shopping
There are two kinds of shopping in SoHo. Broadway is the big-brand strip, lined with flagships and packed on Saturdays. The side streets, especially Greene, Mercer, Wooster and Prince, have smaller designer shops, concept stores and a handful of independents that have held on.
If you want to shop without the crowds, go on a weekday morning. By 2pm on a Saturday, the Broadway sidewalks barely move.
Art
Most of the galleries moved to Chelsea years ago, but two SoHo art spaces are worth planning around.
The Judd Foundation at 101 Spring Street is the building where the artist Donald Judd lived and worked. It’s arranged the way he left it, and you can only visit on a guided tour, so book ahead.
The New York Earth Room, at 141 Wooster Street, is exactly what it sounds like: a second-floor loft filled with soil, placed there by Walter De Maria in 1977. It’s free, it’s odd and it’s strangely calming. It keeps seasonal hours, so check before you go.
Where to eat and drink
Balthazar on Spring Street is a big, busy French brasserie that works for almost any meal, but breakfast is the easiest time to get a table. Raoul’s on Prince Street is a classic French bistro that’s been around since the 1970s. For a drink, Fanelli Cafe at the corner of Prince and Mercer is one of the oldest bars in the city and hasn’t tried to change.
For something quick, walk a couple of blocks east to Prince Street Pizza in Nolita for the pepperoni square. We have more slice ideas in our NYC pizza guide.
Getting there
SoHo is easy to reach by subway. The R and W stop at Prince Street, the C and E at Spring Street, the 6 at Spring Street on Lafayette, and the B, D, F and M at Broadway–Lafayette.
If you’re continuing downtown, Chinatown and Little Italy are a short walk south and east. For a wider look at the borough, read our Manhattan guide.
