Yes, with a caveat. SoHo is one of New York's main shopping districts, known for luxury boutiques and independent designer shops, and its sidewalks along Broadway, Prince and Spring Streets are often crowded. Crowds make approaching harder, because you cannot get easy access to people. The woman worth your attention is the one who has stopped, and you will need to be patient to find her.

Nolita sits next to SoHo, so the same approach carries over. This article is about picking your moment in streets that were built for shopping, not conversation.

Why SoHo is harder than a park

a dating coach's favorite daytime place in New York is a park, and his reason is that people there "have come out to be among people." A SoHo sidewalk is a different setting. Women are there to shop or to get somewhere, and many walk quickly with headphones in. My warning about New York streets applies: many people are in crowds where it is hard to get access to anyone.

That does not make it a bad place. It means you get fewer good conversations per hour than in a park, and you have to be choosy.

The woman at the window

The exception worth waiting for is a woman who stops. Look for:

  • Someone standing at a shop window or looking over a display.
  • Someone waiting outside a store for a friend.
  • Someone sitting at a cafe table on the sidewalk.

A stopped woman has time, and she has given you something to talk about. "Is that jacket as good as it looks?" is a normal thing to say to a person standing beside you at a window. If she answers with a smile, you have a conversation. If she gives a short reply and looks away, thank her and move on.

How to open on a crowded block

Keep a normal distance and speak at a normal volume. coach teaches that when you stop a woman who is walking, you should match her angle and pace. Coming in side on to a woman who is walking is "very aggressive," he says, and running up on her or stopping and starting does not look natural either. If she is moving, the cleaner approach is to wait until she stops.

For a woman at a window, stand a few feet away and make your remark to her, not at her. Then give your name:

"Hi, I am Sam. I could not help asking, are you going to buy it?"

If she laughs and answers, keep going.

Moving to a quieter street

Because Broadway can be a crush, a better idea is to take a conversation off the main strip. If you are talking and she seems comfortable, suggest a short walk to a side street or a cafe. coach points out that in New York there is a coffee shop, a bar, an ice cream place and a restaurant within a couple of blocks almost anywhere, so you rarely need a plan. Asking "Do you want a coffee? There is a place around the corner" is a simple step.

Nolita's quieter streets are an easy place to continue a talk. The principle is the same as in every part of the city: you are looking for a spot where she is relaxed and in no rush.

Timing

The best time depends on the crowd. A packed weekend afternoon is the hardest. A quieter weekday, when fewer people are around, lets you see who is actually stopping. Warm months bring more people outside. In winter, cafes and shops become the better venue.

What if she says no

Say "enjoy your day" and let her go. You are in one of the most visited neighborhoods of a very large city, and My point holds: if it goes badly you will probably never see her again, and it fades quickly. There is another woman at the next window.

Learning it with a coach beside you

Busy streets test your judgment about who to approach and when. A coach beside you makes that judgment faster. On a Cold Approach Bootcamp, you do the approaches in the field, with feedback after every set. Each training day has two four-hour blocks, daygame and night game mixed to suit you, and no skill floor. The Bootcamp runs in New York and Miami.

For how it works in the city, read Dating Bootcamp in New York City, and for more spots see where to approach women in New York City.