Getting to Know SoHo

SoHo is one of those places that give you a special treat whichever way you look. Look down and you'll fall in-love with the historic cobblestone streets, look sideways and you'll see fashionable crowds pacing past trendy boutiques and eateries, and finally, look up and you'll be greeted with incredible architecture of idyllic cast-iron buildings.

Formerly nick-named 'Hell’s Hundred Acres', the once shabby streets between Houston and Canal Streets is a far cry from the SoHo of today. But then came the 1960s, where emerging artists started to move in, turning studios into artists lofts, which in turn transformed the neighbourhood into the city’s primary gallery district.  

Today, this transformation story still shows. On the surface level, SoHo appears to be the retail hub of a great commercial success story, however, dig a little deeper and you'll see that the distinct charm of SoHo's yesteryear still remains intact.

For me, spending time in SoHo has kept me on my toes in all of the good ways. With most businesses in SoHo opening until late, there's been many backward days spent here where I've found myself accidentally having dinner in the afternoon and going shopping late in the evening. It's also the type of place where all of my set plans can suddenly go out the window — one moment I'm going out for "one quiet drink", the next, I'm dancing on a rooftop over looking the city with my fifth cocktail in hand.

With that being said, here's my three pieces of advice when it comes to visiting SoHo: Dress well, don't forget to look up, and bring your dancing shoes with you just in case.