New York - SoHo and Tribeca Travel Guides | New York | Sub Regions | New York - SoHo and Tribeca

If the hustle and bustle of Chinatown is too much, a short stroll away lies SoHo, Manhattan’s eternally hip and stylish district. Architecturally as good-looking as its inhabitants, SoHo continues its run as the city’s cast-iron delight. The area’s beautiful ironwork was developed in the 1850s as an ornate but inexpensive way to assemble buildings. SoHo was the industrial heart of the city at the time, with numerous factories and sweatshops producing china, glass, silk, satin, lace, ribbons and furs. By 1960 the fabric trade had declined and SoHo was a run-down  slum known as ‘hell’s hundred acres’; there was even talk of building an expressway through the area. Fortunately, the developers didn’t get their way and SoHo became an enclave of artists seeking cheap rents and large work spaces. They converted vacant warehouses into studios, galleries and homes. Andy Warhol, Chuck Close and Cindy Sherman were a few of the famous names that inhabited the area. By 1971, the SoHo artists were strong enough to force the city to change its zoning laws and, soon after, a 26-block area of SoHo was designated a historic district. Now most of the ‘art enthusiasts’ in the neighbourhood are, in fact, multi-millionaires and models.

Despite its sometimes pretentious air, SoHo on a sunny morning is one of New York’s most appealing backdrops. Sullivan Street still retains its Italian heritage, with long-established restaurants, some great bakeries and mellow cafés. Bustling Prince and Spring Streets slice across Broadway where the New Museum of Contemporary Art sits among galleries and busy clothing stores. Design enthusiasts won’t want to miss the landmark Prada store, designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. Local artists flank the pavement along West Broadway, the main shopping thoroughfare, to sell their art and crafts. Sit at one of the many cafés to watch New York’s chicest residents saunter by or have a fancy Martini at one of the swanky hotel bars. Just west lies Tribeca where more funky buildings, trendy people and high-end stores share space with Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film Center and Duane Park.

Sights

New Museum of Contemporary Art

583 Broadway between Houston St and Prince St, T 1-212 219 1222, http://www.newmuseum.org Tue-Sun 1200-1800, Thu 1200-2000. $6, $3 students and  seniors, free to all on Thu 1800-2000. Subway 6, C, E to Spring St, N, R, W to Prince St.

The prototype of all that’s cutting-edge in contemporary art, this cast-iron SoHo space displays work by a selection of rising artists from the past decade. Known for its controversial exhibitions, the museum shows pieces in various media by local and international artists, whose work is too risqué to be taken on by other galleries. An excellent bookstore and reading room are nestled downstairs, where debate and discussion are encouraged through performances and new media. Like many museums in New York, the New Museum will be moving in 2006 to a bigger space, a few blocks over on The Bowery.

Tribeca

Broadway to Canal St between Greenwich St and Chambers St. Subway 1, 2 to Chambers St or Franklin St.

Like SoHo, Tribeca’s appeal for the visitor is more to do with ambling around, poking into galleries and absorbing the neighbourhood’s architecture and ambience than the chance to visit any landmark sights. Located just a few blocks from the former World Trade Center, Tribeca has suffered greatly since September 11th, when many residents and visitors abandoned the badly damaged neighbourhood. In response, the city has been promoting the area, even running ad campaigns to get New Yorkers back to this part of Downtown.

Tribeca is the film production centre of New York. Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Fim Center (375 Greenwich St), boosted the Downtown effort by launching the successful Tribeca Film Festival in 2002. The area is ideal for an afternoon’s shopping followed by a night out in a chic warehouse bar.

Duane Park

Duane St between Hudson St and Greenwich St. Subway 1,2 to Chambers St.

This small slice of green is a good place to gain a feeling for Tribeca’s lofty 19th-century industrial architecture. It is surrounded by some noteworthy red-brick and brownstone houses, with a view of the Woolworth Building to the southeast. Once the butter, egg and cheese market, this little patch of land was bought by the city as a public park in 1797 for five dollars.

Travel Guides | New York | Sub Regions | New York - SoHo and Tribeca
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