Introducing Soho

It was in the 1960s that artists began flocking to a neighborhood south of Houston Street, drawn by the abandoned manufacturing lofts with high ceilings, abundant natural light and most importantly, cheap rent. As the bohemian set refashioned these wrecks into live-and-work spaces, they dramatically transformed the neighborhood too.

Today’s Soho is just as irresistible to creative types – albeit the polar opposite of the starving artist variety. The neighborhood's historic cast-iron buildings now hold some of the most jaw-dropping price tags in the country, and it shows in the company they keep.

Design stalwarts Prada and Chanel rub elegant shoulders with a few choice art galleries, a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant and an Apple store.

A casual Saturday brunch at Balthazar typically includes a side of runway model or two. A stroll down the cobblestone streets may come with a celebrity encounter, complete with paparazzi in hot pursuit.

Yet there are still pockets of Soho that retain that old edge, and there’s always something to discover at every turn: a corner pub that has been serving up tipples since 1847, a tiny bakery that churns out pastries with cult followings or a club filled with beautiful people that’s concealed underneath a taqueria.