Soho

Today when you think of SoHo, you think of an exciting, bustling European city…all about eccentricity, creativity and diversity. Just step outside your doorway to discover the many high-end fashion boutiques and cutting-edge restaurants that await you, not to mention any of the hundred art galleries that display works covering the gamut of art disciplines.

Historically, it was known as "hell's hundred acres" and was an expanse of factories and sweatshops. Largely commercial for most of the 20th century, artists pushed to have the neighborhood's many vacant warehouses, with their natural light and tons of open space, turned into residential lofts in the 1970s and '80s, perfect for sculpting and painting. At that time the area was zoned exclusively for artists and their studios, with storefront galleries at ground level. It was the real deal.

Soho now boasts a swank atmosphere with working actors and high-paid models living in the neighborhood, and it claims to be one of the safest neighborhoods in all of New York City. There's high-end retail shopping, high-end galleries, high-end eateries, and high-end tourists.