SoHo and NoLita Shopping Tour

The part I liked the most was the history and being able to hear about the city and and how it came to be what it is today. My 18 year old daughter and I took the tour together. We liked the small group of 7 people and had all our questions answered. We did not buy a lot (bought $15 umbrella at DKNY that I love) but we were more interested in the sights. Our tour guide, Christina, was very pleasant and attentive. We knew ahead that we would not be spending time in each store shopping so we were not disappointed. We did see very unique shops. We planned to go back to some of the stores to shop but once the tour ended we wanted to eat and head back to our friends in Times Square. We had many photo opportunities. You learn facts about famous people in the area as well as up and coming designers. One of our favorite treats was our delicious meal at an Italian restaurant, Rocky, in Nolita! We would never have found these shops and heard this information if it was not for this tour. Highly recommend for those who do not want the regular places tourists go and you admire architecture and history. Not boring at all.

I am writing this review on behalf of my 20-something daughter whom I bought the ticket for. She is recent transplant to NYC and I thought this would be a nice way for her to get her bearings. She absolutely loved her shopping tour.! Here are the cliff notes from her experience. She was thrilled they did not go to any chain stores, but rather some interesting boutiques. She was the youngest on the tour that day and while not every store could be to everyone's liking, she felt the range of choices was excellent for a diverse group. She bought a cute top on sale and a custom made belt, but moreover, came away with a handful of boutiques she was thrilled to find and an excellent grasp on the area. She did as suggested by the charming guide (whom she wants to make her best friend!), and hunted out the stores on the Shop Gotham list after the tour. She claims to have shopped and window shopped for about 8 hours. I am taking the time to write this long note, as she really really enjoyed herself on this tour and thought it was important to put this in writing for others. Especially New Yorkers who would never think of taking such a tour.

Went on this tour with my teenage daughter. We both really enjoyed it. Sara, our tour guide, was fun and knowledegable. We learned some history and about architecture, but primarily, we went into a lot of cool shops. The variety was great: high end, small boutique, chocolate, Asian goods, girlie lotions. We got a great overview of the area and went into many shops we would not otherwise have gone into on our own.

Tour guide was very nice, but I think some things on the tour were a waste. A small belt store, for instance, took all of 5 minutes to go in and out of, but the group was held up for half an hour by 1 person buying a custom belt. I think perhaps the group should be polled to find out exactly what they want (bargains, high-end retail, shoes, etc) before setting off. We went to 1 store (sort of like a higher-end Old Navy) that everyone went crazy in, while stopping at another "warehouse" store where everything was 50% off........ 50% off of ugly $800 jeans, that is. So there are some good parts and some not so good, but it was just an introductory tour so I suppose not too much should be expected.

We met in front of DKNY store by owner, another guide and one guide in training. Our group was 20 total and split into two groups after we were told to head into DKNY for some great deals (they were ok). We were to meet in front of the store approximately 20 minutes later. This was probably the best stop we made. Although I found some nice items, the store did not have my size in shoes I found. From here we wound our way around to a belt store, which was an ok experience. I felt a bit rushed once I picked out my belt and buckle. The associate who cut my belt cut it too short then told me it would stretch (I'm still not happy with it and told th guide about it - she suggested I go back that day but I think she should have done more since this was one of your partner stops). I did email the belt company about this, but I live out of state. We then went to a chocolate store - why? It was so hot out IF anyone DID buy something it would have promptly melted. No one bought much if anything at all. We went from there to Uniglo (contrary to article I read about the store - no one offered to help anyone at all) one person in our group made a purchase. I would have bought things myself had the dressing room been less chaotic. From there we were given a choice, asked if anyone wanted to go to Top Shop (I replied I thought I was too old for the store) the guide said alright then, we are going! So we did and again not one associate offered any assistance, no one in our group bought a thing and we then hit the final spot (some denim store where we were told they were having huge sample sale - not so much in my opinion. Prices jacked up really high then of course marked down for the sale put them at about normal high prices denim) and we ended our tour at the young artists exhibit. I thought the guide was extremely nice and pleasant but the tour itself was a huge waste of money. I would not recommend this tour to anyone. This tour says they will take you to stores you'd never know about, where you would enjoy generous discounts - I think this was a bit overstated.

We really much liked the tour, which is something for people looking for something extraordinary aside from the well known designers. All the shops our tourguide lead us in were in one or the other way fascinating and it was not only fashion but also some stuff you wouldn't think of. Do the tour and find out!

Don't get me wrong....we had a wonderful tour guide who took us around SoHo with energy! Sara was very knowledgeable and a joy to be with. However most of the shops were quite high end (pricey) and we had a fairly conservative spending group with us. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Sabon....many made purchases there. If you're willing to spend loads of money, go for it...you'll have a ball! Just ask Sara though, she will take you to different stores.

The tour provided a wonderful overview of the area.

This was a fun tour. We were introduced to many small one of a kind boutiques. The tour leader was enthusiastic and pointed out many interesting architectural details of the buildings. She shared some of the gossip of the neighborhood, such as which celebrity lived where. Some of facts of the stores were misleading, such as AG and how they marketed their jeans. All in all I would recommend this tour to friends visiting NY. It is a nice way for women to get to know a little about SOHO.

I just wanted to thank and give kudos to Shop Gotham for a great program. I see that others have written very specific comments, so I will add my own. First of all, I was alone on the tour and was made comfortable and kept entertained by the very able guide. The whole experience was a lot of fun. I'd say we went to a dozen or more stores - weaving in and out of streets - ranging from very moderately priced to high fashion. We were told up front that if the group in general did not like a shop, we'd be in and out quickly, so as not to waste time and she was true to her word. At places with greater appeal to all, we spent more time. The 2 1/2 hours went swiftly, but I managed to do some fine "damage" - albeit with a little fashion help from the guide. I think this is a GREAT way to see a selection of special boutiques and at the same time get a scope of the whole area - which is quite big. My advice as others have also said, is to enjoy the journey, absorb all the good suggestions made by your guide (She also recommended a few fun restaurants, one of which we tried out and it was very hip and the food amazing and very well priced) and then plan to spend the rest of the day seeking out the stores which extend the discounts or just meandering the streets. It's such a beautiful neighborhood to spend time. All in all, a great experience. I've already recommended your tour to others.