SoHo in New York City often conjures images of art galleries, artists and huge lofts. But these days the only artists and art galleries that can call SoHo home must have deep pockets and must be already firmly established. SoHo long ago became a mecca for sleek and chic urban living and expensive real estate, as well as mammoth shopping ground. SoHo is, in essence, lower Manhattan's big unofficial outdoor shopping mall, complete with every brand-name chain store you'd find in just about any major mall in America, albeit with lots of luxury brands thrown into the retail mix. The art galleries moved on to cheaper, bigger spaces in Chelsea a decade ago. The artists got priced out a couple of decades ago. Still, SoHo retains a lot of clues to its past as an active cynosure of the international art world in the form of street art and official commisioned works of public art, as seen in this mural above a playground between Prince and Spring streets.

Ivan Corsa Photo