NoLIta
Home to many attractive boutiques and stylish bistros, NoLIta's modest neighborhood is the perfect area to spend a day strolling the cobblestone streets, weaving in and out of the inviting manicured boutiques. An assortment of cutting-edge boutiques are concentrated in the small area of NoLIta providing uninterrupted shopping experience unparalleled to any other area in Manhattan.

History: The neighborhood was long regarded as part of Little Italy. The area, however, lost much of its recognizable Italian character in recent decades because of the migration of Italian-Americans out of Manhattan.

In the late 1990s, the neighborhood saw an influx of yuppies and an explosion of expensive retail boutiques, appealing restaurants and bars. After unsuccessful attempts to pitch the neighborhood as part of SoHo, real estate promoters came up with NoLIta (North of Little Itay) for the fresh upscale neighborhood.

Places to visit in NoLIta include: The Puck Building; Old St. Patrick's Old Cathedral built in 1815; New Museum of Contemporary Art, exhibits new work by American and international artists; White House Hotel: four-story red-brick building at 338 Bowery, between East 2nd and East 3rd Streets (old "Skid Row") - one of the last remaining flophouse on The Bowery in NoHo's historic district: Cafe'tal Social Club - the last remaining Italian social club for GI's to gather after the war.

SoHo
SoHo derives its name from its location, South of Houston Street, once known as the Cast Iron District because of its large industrial buildings and cast-iron architecture. The area became an artists colony for its unique architecture and large spaces within the buildings.

SoHo is the area in New York City where most visitors think to shop the small boutiques. Once known for its cheep spacial living lofts it was one of the first neighborhoods to be dramatically transformed in the 1970s into a trendy shopping area where boutique fronts occupied the gorgeous buildings in the famous cast iron section of New York City.

Today due to the economy manageable rents are a thing of the past — SoHo has become home to many chain stores found globally making it more difficult for shoppers to find the small trendy boutiques. ZTrend will guide you and your friends to the remaining wonderful small business today.

History of SoHo: Approximately 250 cast iron buildings were constructed during the period from 1840 to 1880. The majority of these buildings are in SoHo. Cast iron was initially used as a decorative front over a pre-existing building. With the addition of modern, decorative facades, older industrial buildings were able to attract new commercial clients. In addition to revitalizing older structures, buildings in SoHo were later designed to feature the cast iron.

Places to visit in NoHo include: The Bayard-Condict Building, the first terracotta building designed by Louis Sullivan -- 65 Bleecker Street, between Broadway and Lafayette Street.

Places to visit in SoHo include: E.V. Haughwout Building (pronounced "HOW-out" ), a five-story cast-iron facade commercial loft building in the SoHo section of New York City, at 490 Broadway, NE corner of Broome Street built in 1857. Architecturally inspired by the Sansovino Library in Venice and featured the first safe manual operated passenger elevator, by Otis that continues to be operated manually today.

The Singer Loft Building -- 561 Broadway

109 Prince Street -- Built in 1882 by architectural iron works, Cheney and Hewlett. Designed in the French Renaissance style by J. Morgan Slade it remains of the most striking gems of the 19th century cast iron architecture in history.

The Little Singer Building (561-563 Broadway and 88 Prince Street), once a showroom for the Singer Manufacturing Company. Referenced as "little" because a much larger Singer Building (tallest building in the world from 1908 to 1909) was built a few years later. The big Singer was torn down in 1968 to raise One Liberty Plaza.