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Katy was among four of this year’s Cast Iron Partner Award recipients at the SoHo Broadway Initiative’s 4th Annual Meeting! We caught up with her to learn about what brought her to SoHo and her involvement in the community.
Year of arrival on SoHo Broadway: 2003
Address: 473 Broadway
I am originally from California but moved to NYC for graduate school in the mid-1980s and stayed for work. I returned to California for many years and then in 2003 I moved back to New York and rented an apartment at 473 Broadway. I have lived in many different parts of Manhattan (UWS, UES, Meatpacking, Greenwich Village) but I liked living in SoHo so much that I decided to buy an apartment in the same building and renovate it.
I really like the loft spaces in SoHo—the high ceilings and large windows. The volume of the spaces is a nice contrast to the congestion of the City. While Broadway itself is a busy street, the width of the street provides people inside the buildings with a lot of light. I also love the European feel of the cast iron buildings and cobblestone streets and the lower building heights in the neighborhood. For me, it also feels very central with great transportation options. Everything I want to do is about a block or two away. Whether buying groceries, getting dinner, going to the gym or yoga, seeing a movie, buying a gift for someone or grabbing something from Duane Reade, everything in the area is so convenient, so close.
We often have beautiful pink and orange sunrises and sunsets in SoHo. My living room windows look out on the rooftops and several water towers, which are strangely elegant — in an industrial way. So on a beautiful morning or evening, it is wonderful to look out at the water towers – a fun juxtaposition with the older architecture in the neighborhood. It is a beautiful image.
In New York it is often unusual to know neighbors. But I have found that SoHo is also a very friendly neighborhood. I have gotten to know Mary Rolland, who lives across the street and is also a member of the SoHo Broadway Initiative’s board. We often wave to each other through our windows across Broadway!
SoHo in the morning and early evening is less crowded. At 8am or about 7-8pm, I love to walk up and down the smaller streets (i.e. Greene St., Mercer St., Wooster St.). It is very quiet and it’s a nice way to unwind or window shop. I relish that time. I may also meet friends for a drink at Antique Garage, an easy neighborhood place with great jazz music that spills out on to the sidewalk.
I love to travel and explore the world, and enjoy a lot of different activities including hiking, golf, biking, diving, skiing… if I can mix the two, even better!
I also enjoy languages and am currently working on Italian and French. I love to cook simple food with fresh ingredients. I try to take advantage of all of the world-class things NYC has to offer – theater, opera, art, food – it really is the “best of the best”.
I am a member of several different types of boards — business, community and charitable. As a member of the SoHo Broadway Initiative, I enjoy meeting and working with our fellow community members — and hopefully making a positive difference at a very local level.
