Nolita: The Stylish Little Corner North of Little Italy

Nolita used to be part of Little Italy, the northern stretch of Manhattan's Italian neighborhood. Over time, celebrities started moving onto its streets, among them David Bowie and Iman and the musician Moby.

With them, the neighborhood became attractive to young yuppies, and following their wallets came chef-driven restaurants, luxury boutiques and jewelry stores. It's another textbook case of gentrification, so common in New York.

When it was rezoned as its own neighborhood, they simply called it NOrth of LIttle ITAly, another name born out of its location, like SoHO, TriBeCa or DUMBO.

What to do in NOLITA

As you can guess, NoLITa turned into a fashionable neighborhood, so it's a good place to see that trendy New York we've all seen in so many movies and series. But it also has its share of street art and some very special corners, like the Elizabeth Street Garden.

David Bowie's home in Nolita

You'll probably want to take a look at the building where David Bowie lived in Nolita, at 285 Lafayette Street. There's always graffiti outside from some fan who wanted to leave their mark.

Design and food

Nolita is a great place to soak up the latest design and food trends, and it's just steps from SoHo, the Lower East Side, Little Italy and Chinatown, so you can feast on several neighborhoods in one go.

But if you want to hit a classic New York restaurant, go to Lombardi's Pizza (32 Spring Street), self-proclaimed first pizzeria in New York. I haven't managed to find any serious source confirming that, but it's a place with plenty of years behind it (1905) and a real Manhattan institution. In fact, the restaurant's own website places it in Manhattan's Italian neighborhood, but technically it's in NoLITa.

A great neighborhood for shopping

Like neighboring SoHo, it's an ideal neighborhood for shopping, as long as you have a healthy budget, because what you'll find here is super exclusive and expensive. But looking is free, right? XD

You'll also find gifts for everyone at the Nolita Market craft fair. It sets up on Prince Street between Mulberry and Mott and is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from March to December, 10 am to 7 pm.

Elizabeth Street Garden

NoLITa is home to the Elizabeth Street Garden, a space whose days may be numbered. It's on Elizabeth Street between Prince Street and Spring Street (just a few blocks from SoHo).

The garden is one of those New York corners with a fascinating backstory: in 1990, Allan Reiver, an antiques dealer on Elizabeth Street, asked the city to let him lease the empty lot next to his shop so he could display the sculptures he sold.

Over the years Reiver cleaned up the space, planted trees and flowers, and never sold the sculptures. They stayed on, decorating this eclectic oasis in a very crowded part of Downtown Manhattan.

Sadly, in 2019 the «steward of the Elizabeth Street Garden» died in the middle of a legal battle with the city to protect the garden from plans to turn it into affordable housing.

Just like what happened with the creation of the High Line -whose train tracks were slated for demolition- neighbors came together to preserve the garden as a public space for the community. Fingers crossed they pull it off!

The good news is that the fight to preserve the Elizabeth Street Garden has picked up support from the likes of Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Patti Smith. Even so, the city is moving ahead with its plans and the eviction could happen very soon 😭.

How to get to Nolita

Nolita is bounded by Houston Street to the north and Broome Street to the south, Bowery to the east and Lafayette Street to the west.

Subway

Subway lines 4, 6. Spring Street station
Subway line J. Bowery station