Having been assigned SoHo, I had an idea of what I would be walking into. I was even excited to an extent, even though I knew this wasn’t a shopping spree but rather a scholarly project in hunt of the neighborhood’s art. I never visited SoHo before, so I was obviously creating images and an atmosphere of the neighborhood in my head. The area would be loaded with tons of unaffordable shopping centers, with large glass windows that displayed mannequins wearing rich fur and leather I could never afford to touch. Girls would be walking with numerous branded shopping bags, dressed fancy on a casual day just because they could. If I were lucky enough, maybe I’d spot a celebrity too. It is SoHo, after all, I thought to myself.
After doing some research, I learned that the word SoHo was an acronym for South of Houston Street. What a shameful New Yorker I was, I didn’t even know that. I officially told myself that I could NEVER be a tour guide of New York City. With a crumbled spirit, I continued on my research journey of SoHo. I learned that the neighborhood had much more to offer than boutiques and chain stores. SoHo was rich in art as well, as it consisted of many art galleries and artists’ lofts. The most interesting fact about this neighborhood is that SoHo is a symbol of economic, cultural, political, and architectural gentrification. Perhaps, this was one of the reasons Professor Healey chose the certain neighborhoods that she did. For the better or for the worst, all of them had been gentrified over the course of many years.
SoHo fulfilled my expectations on many levels. I walked out of the subway to find myself in a very commercial area. The streets were occupied with numerous stores, as large branded posters and advertisements filled the billboards. 
As I made my way to the heart of SoHo, I was struck by its unique architecture. The old fashioned Neo-Grec buildings in this neighborhood were very different from the modern themed glass buildings in other areas of Manhattan. Considering the wealth and fashion of SoHo, and thus the modernism of the neighborhood in that sense, why didn’t this place have tall glass skyscrapers and fancy condominiums? Reinard’s research was useful here, and he informed our group that SoHo was famous for its cast-iron architecture. In fact, it consisted of the largest collection of cast-ion facades in the world! The architectural form roots back to the Industrial Revolution, when cast iron was cheaper to use than stone or brick. As an unauthentic tourist, I was still in hunt of art amidst the streets of SoHo. It was only after our third interview, did I manage to see art in the architecture of these buildings. Our third interviewee was a German tourist, who sat outside a café, despite the painfully freezing temperature. The very style with which he was sitting and staring at the neighborhood, hinted at the appreciation he held for the city. During the entire interview, he emphasized the magnificent architecture 
of SoHo and how he had never encountered something like it. Neither Europe nor other areas of Manhattan consisted of the architectural beauty that the buildings of SoHo entailed. Another unique and old-fashioned feature of this neighborhood was the narrow streets lined with small boutiques. I felt like I was roaming in the dark streets of a European city.
Moving on to “actual art”, our group as lucky enough to get into an art gallery of the abstract expressionist, Robert Kobayashi. His artwork was fascinating in that it was all made of ceiling tin. This sort of reminded me of Anthony Caro, who used steal chunks to create artistic sculptures. Our interview with the gallery’s in-charge was very interesting, because she touched on many valuable topics. Not only did she inform us about other art galleries in SoHo, she talked about the history of the neighborhood and its street art as well.
Robert Kobayashi chose to put his art gallery in SoHo because he had been living there since the 1970s. Over time, the neighborhood shifted from a “drug haven” to an artistic Utopia, mentioned the interviewee. GENTRIFICATION, my silent brain screamed out. Along with the change came street art such as graffiti, which the interviewee considered exciting. She mentioned the famous street artist James Delavega, who draws on the ground and writes inspirational messages. Perhaps, all the artwork of this neighborhood was created to convey a message. The ability to understand the message was in the hands of the neighborhood residents. They could either marvel the artwork like most people, or they can devote their time to figure out the meaning behind it.
Finding art in the streets of SoHo wasn’t a difficult task at all. We were greeted by graffiti and wall art on almost every block. Decorating walls with paint is such a trend that even pizzerias invite customers with the artwork of Mona Lisa. 
One of the prominent street artworks that we came across in SoHo was “The Ace” by DIMA. This was interesting because it emphasized the eyes. There were multiple eyes, hand eyes, cloud eyes, and even crying eyes. Perhaps, DIMA was trying to comment on the ways of seeing and the power of the eye. Whatever the message may be, the fact that this graffiti stood amidst this neighborhood really told a lot about the artistic atmosphere and culture of SoHo.
Along with mentioning how different forms of artwork trickled their way into SoHo, our second interviewee mentioned how the people of SoHo itself are “walking art”. I couldn’t agree with her any better, because I did see the artistic element in the people of SoHo. Women were walking well dressed and fashionable, as men in red jeans were riding their bicycles through the narrow streets of the neighborhood. Couples were holding hands and walking the streets like love was all that they thrived on. The postures and style of these people was truly artistic and characteristic of SoHo. We mentioned the negative connotation and vandal nature of graffiti to our interviewee, and in response she stated how the graffiti of this neighborhood is considered beautiful as it only adds on to its community. This really showed how the people of SoHo appreciate its artwork as well, for its art truly defines its character.
After roaming the streets of SoHo like a tourist, I truly began to appreciate and marvel at the art that infiltrates its streets. Had I not been assigned this project, SoHo would’ve remained solely a “shopping hub” in my mind. SoHo is incomplete with its wall art and art galleries. The architecture of SoHo makes it a valuable and unique neighborhood. NYC is home to a plethora of arts, and SoHo truly houses some prominent forms of this art.
Artwork on the streets of SoHo:
