Bring Better Pet Care to Nolita, Manhattan

Nolita — North of Little Italy — covers just a handful of blocks between Houston Street, Kenmare Street, the Bowery, and Lafayette Street, making it one of the smallest named neighborhoods in Manhattan. What it lacks in size it makes up for in walkability and a boutique-lined streetscape that has become increasingly dog-friendly. Elizabeth Street, Mott Street, and Mulberry Street are the main corridors, lined with independent shops, cafes, and restaurants, many of which set out water bowls and welcome leashed dogs at their outdoor tables. The pedestrian traffic is lighter than neighboring SoHo, giving walkers more room on the sidewalks.

Green space within Nolita is minimal. DeSalvio Playground at Spring and Mulberry streets has a small open area, and the Elizabeth Street Garden — a beloved community garden with sculpture and plantings — has been a neighborhood gathering spot though its future has been subject to development pressures. For dedicated off-leash time, dog owners head to the Mercer-Houston Dog Run at the NoHo border, Washington Square Park's dog run to the northwest, or Sara D. Roosevelt Park in the Lower East Side to the east.

The 6 train at Spring Street, the B, D, F, M at Broadway-Lafayette, and the N, R, W at Prince Street all serve the neighborhood within a block or two. Nolita's compact size means a dog walker can cover the entire neighborhood in a single 30-minute walk while still hitting a nearby dog run. The residential buildings are mostly walk-ups in five- to six-story tenement-era structures, and the neighborhood has retained an old-world character that distinguishes it from the glass-and-steel construction elsewhere. Pet services are found in the surrounding neighborhoods rather than within Nolita itself.