Cooper Square and South to Houston Street

NoHo has the bones of old New York.

Cobblestone streets, cast-iron facades, and lofts that were once the playground of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Fewer crowds, more light than the rest of downtown.

The art here matches the neighborhood: refined, a little posh, with lineage and grit. NYU's Grey Art Museum anchors the scene with scholarly shows. The galleries are independent but higher-end. The range of experiences runs wide: '70s abstraction, punk and pop, neo-Romanticism, and work that asks you to slow down. All in a few blocks.

You’ll also find coffee shops with window seats, curated designer boutiques, and the kind of restaurants where reservations matter, but the room is still warm. The Bowery Poetry Club keeps the tradition of spoken-word poetry alive. At Atelier Jolie you can sample creations by pastry chefs from refugee countries, in Basquiat's old studio.

Here's where to find them all.