Your trip to NYC looks lovely. And yes. Soho changed drastically. In the 80s I remember going to my first NYC Soho loft to visit a friend and I immediately wanted to move to Soho. It was fairly empty area and the rent for spaces back then was reasonable. (The Broadway building that used to house Dean & Deluca also had photo studios and I am a photographer and we would love running down to Dean & Deluca for lunch!). Slowly, big chain stores opened up along Broadway and some of the galleries moved up to Chelsea. The area began to feel like an interesting and outdoor shopping mall. I moved from NYC in 2018 so I am sure the area once more is in transition.