I will be visiting NYC in late April. My husband and I have been to NYC several times on holidays but this time he will be there on business so I will be exploring the city by myself during the days.

There is one day during the week that my mother-in-law is coming into the city and wants to spend a day in Soho. She’s never been there and would like to see the area.

I’ll be staying at the Grand Hyatt in midtown. She’s taking the train into Penn Station. I’ll plan to walk to Penn station to meet her but not sure how to get to Soho from there. What is the best subway line to take near there and which stop is the best to get off that is near places like Barneys, Bloomingdales and we plan to have lunch at Balthazar. She is in her mid 70’s so maybe walking 3-4 miles would be her limit. Could someone suggest a walking route loop that would include the above places?

I'd be interested in any suggestions of another good place for lunch in the area.

All information will be deeply appreciated.

Hi
Barneys is on Madison Avenue, Bloomingdales is on Third Avenue ( East side) and Balthazar is in Soho on Spring Street.
I never took the subway, but I think there is no route that you can easily take to see these three places together.
I would suggest shopping in Soho, go to Balthazar and then go to the East side and hit Bloomies and Barneys. They really deserve a bit of time since they are soooo full of goood stuff lol...

Scarlett, sweetie, Bloomingdales opened a branch in Soho! Barney's has a Coop store on Wooster st. in Soho. You need to come back for a visit.

portobello, there are 2 subway options from Penn Station. From right in Penn STation take the C or E train to Spring St. You'd then have to walk east a few blocks to Bloomingdales which is on Broadway between Spring & Broome sts. Broadway is the "main drag". (Different from West Broadway) I think Balthazar is on the next street (also on Spring St. b/w Broadway &Crosby).

You could also take the N, R or W train which is a bit of a walk at the Penn Station end and get off at Prince St. and be closer when you get out. This will show you the Penn Station end options
http://www.transitcenter.com/transitguide/hub_nyp.htm

Here's a good site for Soho
http://artseensoho.com/

You're MIL might actually prefer the Bloomie's in Soho. I find that it's less chaotic than the one in Midtown, and slightly better-organized. The selection is more edited than uptown, but there is still an amazing amount of great clothing. Barney's Co-op is a bit different (cheaper) than regular Barney's, but I can't afford either, so no difference to me!

Make sure you have reservations for Balthazar well in advance. Other suggestions in the neighborhood:
Bistro Les Amis (Spring & Thompson)
Cafe Gitane (Mott & Houston)
Bread (Spring & Elizabeth)

Have a blast, and give us a trip report when you get back.

I agree, the SoHo Bloomingdale's is great, very different from the flagship (which is also a great department store).

If you like handbags, don't miss the Kate Spade store, 454 Broome Street, the handbag mecca of New York.

Also on Broome Street (at Wooster) is Vintage New York, a great place to taste NY wines (and it's super cheap & a ton of fun). After shopping, I highly recommend you stop at Vintage for a round of tastings.

www.vintagenewyork.com

If you choose not to lunch at Balthazar, I recommend Savoy at 70 Prince Street, corner Crosby Street. Close to the new Sur Le Table store and all the major Soho shops.

weeping I can no longer be helpful about my old hometown
I will come back , I will come back...clicking those damn shoes!!

Hate to horn in on another's post, but can anyone suggest some nicely designed stores in Soho for a work project I'm doing?

Thank you.

Can you be a bit more specific about what constitutes a nicely designed store, and what your work project is about?

The recently reopened Prada store on Broadway is famous for its design. I believe it's on the northwest corner of Broadway & Prince.

(It was damaged in a building fire in January and just reopened last week.)

How is the design of Moss on Greene St?

Another thing to consider if it's a nice day - walk to Soho. We do it all the time.

From Penn Sta, walk east on 32 St and make a right on Broadway. It's about a 20-30 minute walk.

Well, if you're going to do that Barry, why not just walk South on 6th and then cut East on Houston? And, certainly *not* a 20 min. walk. I would say a good 45 min. to 50 min. walk(or even longer depending on how many shops you stop in ).

Michelle - Same difference, though Broadway is slightly more direct, cutting across several avenue blocks on the diagonal. Personally, I think Broadway is a more interesting walk than 6th Ave, though we do vary it.

Maybe we just walk fast. We usally walk from Penn Station to Chinatown for lunch and it takes 30-40 minutes for us to get there. I wasn't including any shopping or browsing stops in my estimate :.)

Hi all,

Thanks everyone for all your help and wonderful tips! I will be studying the map and try to work in all these suggestions.

Special thanks to Gekko for the excellent tip about Vintage. It will be fun to try the wines from L.I. I always wanted to stop and take a wine tour when I’ve visited L.I. but always had other destinations scheduled for the day. This will be a great way to end the day of shopping. By the way, you reminded me that I needed to bring the pineapple wine that I bought in Maui in Feb for MIL. I completely forgot about it.

Also special thanks to Mclaurie who provided me with the Penn station schedule and Soho map. It’s so good to know that I can take the subway from Penn station. Maybe on another day I can walk to Soho like BarryK suggests.

The last time I was in NYC, I made a former post asking for suggestions of a good place for lunch near Times Warner building. Mclaurie had suggested Asiate in the Mandarin Oriental hotel. It was an excellent choice for the amazing view and food. The duck appetizer, braised beef and the mango passion soufflé was heavenly. Yum! So, I just wanted to let Mclaurie know how much I appreciated and enjoyed the recommendation.

I’m looking forward to my date with NYC!

The steak frites at Balthazar is very good!

TTT

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