SoHo

Today, SoHo is one of the trendiest neighborhoods in the New York. Fabulous boutiques, restaurants, shops and a myriad of art galleries saturate the streets. It is bounded roughly by Houston Street on the north, Lafayette Street on the east, Canal Street on the south, and Varick Street on the west. The name is a play on the famous London shopping district, justifying its name as being the area SOuth of HOuston Street. The 19th Century cast iron architecture that distinguishes SoHo from its neighbors with ornate facades, Corinthian capitals and columns, and oversized windows, constitute some of the city’s finest architecture. Until the 1970’s the area was as amalgam of warehouses and abandoned factories. Many of these buildings, especially the upper stories which became known as lofts, attracted artists who valued the large open spaces, abundant natural light, and extremely low rent prices. As housing regulations and renovations gentrified the area, SoHo became the epitome of upscale shopping and dining, mixed in with the galleries that originally gave this historic, landmarked area its edge.