SoHo Says….what’s in a name?

On a recent trip to Key West, Florida, my Uncle Albert purchased mommy, Aunt Jackie and Aunt Mari Luz seashells with their names on them. I liked them so much, I asked mommy if she could purchase one for me too…she said that due to the uniqueness of my name, they didn’t have a seashell with my name on it. That led me to ask my mommy – why did she name me SoHo and what does my name mean?
In case you didn’t know, SoHo is short for “South of Houston”. “Houston” is pronounced “how-stun” and is a street north of Canal Street between Sullivan and Lafayette Streets in New York City. Apparently, SoHo is mommy’s favorite neighborhood in New York City…it has a very interesting history.
SoHo is an eclectic neighborhood in lower Manhattan. SoHo’s cast-iron warehouses and cobblestone streets arose in the 1850’s after residents moved uptown. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the first floors of buildings were filled with retail shops and eventually art galleries and the 2nd floors and above housed factories and warehouses. By the 1950’s, the SoHo we know and love, became known as “Hell’s Hundred Acres” because it was filled with sweatshops. However, the labor laws that followed in the 1960’s forced the sweatshops to close and SoHo became streets of abandoned buildings with large lofts. This is the fun part of SoHo – throughout the 1960’s, artists moved into these abandoned buildings and these lofts were the center for much of the creative activity of the magical 1960’s. SoHo represented the hip, avant-garde scene. Many artists lived in the abandoned lofts with no heat or electricity – but they didn’t care – it enhanced their creativity.
Today, SoHo has trendy shopping, world class art galleries and cast iron buildings. It is also the backdrop for many movies, fashion shoots and TV shows. SoHo has been used for such movies including Men In Black, Ghost, Unfaithful, Hitch, Little Nicky, Spiderman, Raising Helen, Sex and the City and many more. Not to mention, SoHo has lots of great pet boutiques that can be found on Thomson Street. When walking through SoHo, don’t get confused – there are two Broadways – a West Broadway and just plain Broadway. West Broadway is home to the SoHo Grand (a pet friendly hotel), Aveda, and many fabulous restaurants. Broadway is home to many stores including a mini Bloomingdales with a very large picture of Andy Warhol (on the left wall) when you first walk in.
So the next time you are in the Big Apple and you are looking for a unique neighborhood to visit – go to SoHo for a cappuccino, do a little shopping, check out a gallery or just walk around and enjoy the fun and fabulous atmosphere known as SoHo.