SoHo Area Shopping Guide

(click for a bigger map)
I had wanted to make a lil SoHo Shopping Guide for a while, so here she is, and she shall be updated accordingly. Enjoy mofos. (PS- This is old and yet many people visit this page. If you'd like to know what to do and where to go while in soho, I invite you to send a polite email to me at theheatherfink@yahoo.com UPDATE - no longer have much time with school to answer all these emails! this list is fairly up to date)


Quick Mini Update before you scroll down:
- Lure Fishbar has a happy hour with $1 oysters from 5-7pm weekdays, corner of Prince and Mercer
- Check out - "In God We Trust" women's and men's clothes and cool jewelery on Lafeyette btwn Spring and Kenmare; "Irregular Choice" women's shoes on Lafayette btwn Houston and Prince
- Get a great, affordable Mani-Pedi at Miguel Lopez on Lafeyette btwn Houston and Prince
- Tretorn on Spring near Mercer has great rainboots


H Fink's SoHo Area Shopping Guide:
- Affordable Cool Chains all right next to each other:
ALL ON BROADWAY btwn Houston and Grand - you will find these gems -
H & M @ Prince
Uniqlo @ Prince
and the brand new
Top Shop! @ Broome

- all of these places have few locations outside of NYC and are a great place to find trendy items, some items are good prices, some are overpriced.

Barney's Co-op
116 Wooster Street
go to the Keihl's counter. Chat with Darnell. He's awesome. Go home with tons of awesome toiletry samples. And please do try to go back and actually buy some of the products cause they will keep giving you more fun samples (So far I love Philip B Lovin' Leave-In, John Allen's Sport 2-1 shampoo, and Keihl's Washable Cleanser and Sodium PCA Moisturizer)

Institut
97 Spring Street
(212) 941-1970
on Spring btwn Broadway and Mercer.
This store has an amazing selection of clothes and shoes at buy-able prices, not cheap, but not Chanel. It is also the perfect place to go to find special occasion dresses and gowns.

Agent Provocateur
133 Mercer Street
The most amazing lingerie indulgence. Screw La Perla, this stuff is much more fun and much more worth a splurge. While La Perla offers amazing fabrics and textures, Agent Provocateur offers these things with a very naughty, very pretty twist. So if you want to indulge your crotch in fineries, these are the fineries to choose. Also, their perfume is pretty great.
If you want affordable (not cheap) and luxurious underpanties/bras- there's always the Calvin Klein underpants store on Prince btwn Green and Mercer. Be sure to try their microfiber bras. They rule.
UPDATE - ALSO CHECK OUT KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE NEARBY
79 Greene Street
I LOVE this place - ask if there are any sale items in the back.

Anna Sui
113 Greene St, at Prince
Only if you're in need of serious indulgence- it's overpriced, but it serves a variety of answers for any really girly needs and fantasies. Stuff that'll make you feel like a really cool barbie basically.

Make-up Forever
West Broadway btwn Prince and Spring Make an appointment for a makeover- free when you buy 50 dollars worth of product- an amazing deal. Request Katie for the makeover. NOW LOCATED ON 12th St Near 5th ave!

Shu Uemura
121 Greene Street (btwn Houston and Prince) 212 979 5500 Buy their lipgloss, buy anything of theirs, it's great- and it comes with a beautifully decorated bag with original Japanese art on it. Location now closed!

FACE Stockholm
on the corner of Prince and Greene try their nailpolish, they don't even mind if you paint all your nails in store for a quickie manicure. Their specialty is in the wide variety of colors and shimmers of their shadows and makeup. Their black eyeliner also kicks ass.

Magic Shoes
Bleeker btwn Thompson and Sullivan
Amazing stock of men's and women's vintage shoes, boots, and sneakers

Purdy Girl
220 Thompson St (btwn Bleeker and W 3rd)
Killer girly vintage stuff
and next door to Purdy Girl-
Stella Dallas
218 Thompson St, also killer vintage clothing, specializing in vintage dresses

Bond No. 9
Go here to sample or buy some great rare/local perfumes.
On Bond Street btwn Broadway and Lafeyette (near W 3rd)

Levi's Store
Broadway btwn Prince and Spring
Here you can find amazing quality and style jeans for men and women in great prices. The brand holds true to some old fashioned ideals, keeping many of their cutest cuts at 40 bucks a pair. Very modern, hip styles can still be found in that 40 dollar range.

LF
On Spring near Mercer
Expensive shit, but awesome- great shoes- girly stuff.

Vintage New York
482 Broome Street
A Wine Store- all the wines are from wineries in the Husdon River Valley. Go to the bar in the back and sample everything. Also a great place to find a new bottle o' wine.

Flying A
169 Spring St (near West Broadway)
Urban Outfitters like stuff, but it's indie and not a chain. Very cool stuff for men and women.

American Apparel
(On Prince near corner of Greene)
Hot basics - a cool american brand with form fitting basics, recommended for international shoppers

Shoe heaven:
Broadway btwn Prince and Broome- the east side of the street. These two blocks are littered with the best shoe stores. Especially btwn Prince and Spring, you will find so many varieties of cool shoe, it will make your choices on the internet seem scarce. Men will love the assortment of cool ass shoes. If you still want more selection, the Bathing Ape (BAPE), Puma, and Adidas stores are all nearby with a pretty bad-ass collection as well.

If you want weird little delights made by small merchants, be sure to stroll through NoLiTa- which is basically the blocks btwn Broome and Houston (incl Spring and Prince) west of Broadway.

Don't forget
THE STREET VENDORS!
There's some crap at these tables, but many stands in SoHo are run by independant artists, jewelery designers and clothing makers. You'll find the most things on Prince Street between Broadway and 6th ave, and also on Houston Street Between West Broadway and 6th Ave.

Not in SoHo, but also great in Manhattan:
Ragsagogo
218 W 14th btwn 7th and 8th Ave.
Hands down my favorite vintage store in NYC. Men and women will love their stuff. Great place for vintage t's, hoodies, and track jackets.

And don't ignore the street vendors in SoHo. They have the best handmade jewelry and clothes that you won't find in stores. There are many talented local artists making unique and affordable items. Best streets for this are Prince btwn Broadway and 6th ave, Houston on the south side btwn 6th and West Broadway, and West Broadway btwn Houston and Spring.

Loehman's, Filene's Basement, Macy's Harold Square, H+M, Daffy's, Century 21, Burlington Coat Factory, Conway, TJ Maxx and Marshalls are all also staples in any good shopper's diet.


Not SoHo but close enough
Best Manicure: Priti Organic Spa at
35 E 1st St near Bowery. All organic affordable luxury - the owner and staff are welcoming and warm.

Great SoHo Food spots:

QUICK UPDATE
- My favorite area places to eat:
Eight Mile Creek: Amazing Australian, outdoor seating, great wines, 240 Mulberry St
Le Jardin Bistro: Lovely outdoor seating, great french food, 25 Cleveland Pl # A
Rice: Delicious Asian Fusion, 292 Elizabeth St.

Kelly and Ping Asian Grocery
127 Greene St btwn Houston and Prince

My favorite Lunch Spot is Souen- where 6th Ave, McDougal and Prince St intersect. They do healthy and microbiotic food really really well. I suggest the macrobiotic plate with tahini dressing, and the chocolate soy parfait.

AMAZING chocolate shop/ lunch/ brunch/ dessert:
Marie Belle
484 Broome, btwn Wooster and West Broadway
Hidden in the back of this little chocolate shop, Marie Belle has an amazing delectable menu. An absolute must for chocolate lovers!
Click here for more information.

For a Cocktail break, visit the Mercer Hotel. It's at the corner of Mercer and Prince. This hotel has all sorts of famous guests- and is the spot where Russell Crowe threw the phone at that guy's head. Cool! It's very cosy with big couches and great drinks. If you have money to waste, toss some bucks down and eat at Mercer Kitchen downstairs.

Cheap Lunch- Forget Olives- though it's tasty, it's overpriced for what it is. Try the soup lady on the corner of Prince and Mercer (accross from L'Occitaine.)

Or if you're in the mood for something quick, cheap and you like Indian- try the Hampton Chutney Co. 68 Prince Street between Broadway and Lafayette. I like to order the Thali Special.

Fancy Mexican food Outdoor spot, great when it's sunny
Dos Caminos
And if you like Sushi- Restaurant reccomendation:
Tomoe
Japanese sushi restaurant on Thompson btwn Bleeker and Houston. It's been rumored to be the best sushi in NYC, well I went there yesterday, and fuck yeah, it's the best sushi I've ever had. It makes all other sushi seem like hairballs. It is small, crowded, and you should expect to wait on line as it is first come first serve. Your best bet is lunch hour or to go alone and sit at the bar. They are friendly and reasonable considering the quality of the sushi. The sushi chefs are artists and they freshly filet whole fishes before your eyes. Mmmmm. Tomoe. So so good. They also serve authentic Japanese style green tea (Fresh Paste base).

For entertainment - you might be in town while my show Street Meat is going on. It's a great mix of music, comedy, and party crazy fun. check out more info here: www.StreetMeatComedy.com

And don't forget- Houston Street- It's pronounced "House, Tun" Rhymes with Mouseton- not like the city in Texas. Then you'll be a real New Yorker! Also, Laguardia is the same street- or a continuation of West Broadway. West Broadway is an entirely different street from Broadway and runs parallel to it.


OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR TRIP
For things to do, check myopenbar.com and brooklynvegan.com (which
posts once a day about what's going on) . You might also want to look at NY Magazine or Time Out NY.

As for shopping, check all of the small shops in nolita, and also lower east side orchard street between delancey and canal.

Most info in the soho guide is still correct, esp recommended restaurants. For entertainment you might also like a show at ucb theatre, but I suggest making a reservation online for the show and arriving at like 15 mins early.

Enjoy your trip! Oh also the waterfronts are all great, especially
the west side - go to the world financial center and walk north. And Water Taxi Beach at South Street Seaport.

Ooh and be sure to see the new Highline on the west side at 16th street/12th avenue.

PS - recommended restaurants: Prune, Shang, Freeman's Alley, Momofuku Ko (expensive with an odd reservation system)