Thompson St, SoHo

This scenic slice of SoHo, with picturesque red brick town houses and plenty of green foliage, is among downtown's more pleasant streets. With its wooden facades - home to plenty of arty boutiques and all-organic restaurants - it is a welcome respite from the all-too-modern concrete blocks that fill up some nearby streets. There's plenty to do and see here: the Thompson Cafe is a popular spot for locals to drink lattes or cappuccinos and people-watch, while the French-Moroccan Country Cafe is an elegant piece of cross-cultural fusion. Shops and boutiques along this street include the delectable Kee's Chocolate, the Meg Cohen Design Shop, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Cartesian Graphics, and more. The end of the street provides some welcome parkland in the form of Juan Pablo Duarte Square, but the major attractive of this charming, if pricey, street is its "village" feel - it combines the elegance of New York's best with some much-needed peace and quiet in the big city. At least until the lights go off...this area's nightlife can prove hectic if unmanaged.

You'll find some jumbo rats walking these streets past midnight, but during the daylight you'll find top-rated restaurants, unique clothes and jewelry shops, and quaint cafes. The street has a charm that shines through whether its sunny or snowing, and it's proximity to parks, subways, major shopping centers, and the holland tunnel makes it a great place to either live by or get away to. Check out the Thompson Hotel, with rooftop bar A60. A great place to wind down on summer nights with great views and fancy cocktails.

Suduko and brain training games may be increasing in popularity these days but for some people, chess will always be king of the brain training games and these people will be delighted with Thompson Street, the beating heart of the Chess District in New York. Whether it’s to observe others or perhaps get involved personally, this is a charming area and you can reach it from any direction.

Thompson Street in Soho and the East Village is a long line of restaurants like Naked Lunch and Cuba Restaurant. Anywhere in Soho is teaming with tourists on the weekends – and I mean teaming; they file in and walk extremely slow past all of the street vendors (usually offering fashionable wares), so don’t walk through here if you’re in a hurry. However, if you are a tourist with hours to burn (and you also love to shop and eat), and this street is part of the Soho experience.

Thompson Street starts at Washington Square Park and stops at Canal St. There is plenty of places to go for drinks and foods. However, I find it a little anonymous, and I hardly go there. It is a quiet street to take a walk to the downtown part of Manhattan, without the noise and crowd of the bigger avenues and the main Soho streets.

Historically New Yorkers have loved chess. They love it so much they created a Chess Distric. The distric is located in Greenwich Village on Thompson Street between Canal St. and Washington Square Park. This is a quiet street lined with 35 different establishments many of which you can always espect to find a lively game of chess. More specifically Thompson St. is the home of Chess Forum and the Village Chess Shop two of the most comprehensive chess stores in Manhattan.

Right, so if you've been lazing in the sun at Washington Square Park and you're keen for a drink, but don't wanna hang out with the Uni kids at MacDougall St?? Come down Thompson St. It's a great street with cool bars, great food and plenty of funky places to pick up a Manhattan bargain (do they exist?)... You're also close to the park, Soho, and a 10 min walk to the East Village - all in all, your in a pretty good position to walk and explore most of downtown Manhattan... Take a look, you won't fall in love with this street to begin with, but it will grow on you.. trust me!