Howard St, Little Italy

I consider Howard to be more in the Soho / Chinatown area than Little Italy and that's reflected in the energy of the street. There are a lot of big cast-iron buildings that dominate the Soho neighborhood and there is also a lot of shopping and a lot of tourists. But, outside of that, there's not a lot to do and there is absolutely no neighborhood vibe to this street.
There's a really pretty Romanesque kind of building right at Mercer that holds a Citibank now. It used to be a massive department store where fancy people like Mary Todd Lincoln shopped back in the mid 19th century. Apparently, this area has been a big shopping destination for many moons. The building across the street used to house Civil War soldiers coming in on leave.
Across Broadway there's a mix of high end shops like Opening Ceremony and Jil Sander and then little wanky stores that sell I don't even know what. There's also a Holiday on the opposite corner which I think is pretty funny not only for Manhattan but in this area in particular.
Howard has a really short run and there isn't really a lot going on for the mass amount of people that are on this street every day. It is absolute mayhem in this area 24 hours a day. And, that makes it not the most desirable place to live in my opinion. It doesn't help that Howard only intersects with major streets like Broadway and Lafayette. There aren't any good bars or restaurants (or really any at all) and the energy has a very tourist kind of feel. And, because of the people there's a lot of noise and trash. As far as shopping, this area is great. As far as everything else, I'd pass.