Spring St. (South Side, between West Broadway and Greene St.)

I've always dug the European feel of this Morgenthal-Frederics opticians on the southeast corner of West Broadway and Spring. There's something really old-school about the colors and display cases. . . like an apothecary shop. And who doesn't love that big dog welcoming you in?

Aw, that dog bowl is adorable.

In the Spring St.-side windows of Morgenthal-Frederics there are three freestanding display cases, which on closer inspection, proved impressive. Here's the first of the three . . . winter sunglasses in a diorama!

The second of the winter sunglasses displays at Morgenthal-Frederics.

And the third Morgenthal-Frederics display box, with a nice touch of orange. Someone spent time putting these together!

I'm not really sure what, exactly, this street vendor at the corner of West Broadway and Spring St. is selling, but it's a mighty colorful jumble. Are they hats? Or all kinds of winter accessories? Whatever -- she was nice enough to let me take her picture.

Okay, it's a kids' socks store. Plus they sell KnitWits, which appear to be long-eared sock monkey things. LittleMissMatched at 160 Spring St. seems to be doing well enough, as it's one of the few stores around that isn't trumpeting a huge sale on their storefront. But really? Mismatched socks and sock monkeys?

A very pink Olive & Bettes at 158 Spring St.

I like those drawings in Le Petit Cafe's windows at 156 Spring St. . . . working the European charm.

It's a Body Shop. 154 Spring St. Aren't they all the same? It makes SoHo seem even more like a giant outdoor mall.

Nice and simple and Swedish, and I like those sweaters. Tretorn, at 150 Spring St.

Breil Milano at 148 Spring St. It's a very cool modern display of their jewelry, watches, and bags, unfortunately obscured by the reflections in this picture.

The door in this Clarins storefront at 146 Spring St. is quite sexy.

In other seasons besides chilly winter, this flea market at the corner of Wooster St. and Spring St. teems with colorful street vendor wares, but it's looking kind of sparse right now. I wonder how many of the vendors here took the opportunity to move west to that indoor SoHo Flea Market for the winter?

Another angle on the flea market at Spring and Wooster.

At 138 Spring St. is Ilori. Those scrims are quite arresting, although the reflections in this picture have rendered them sort of abstract, and have obscured the display of sunglasses.

Hogan is located at 134 Spring St. Those squiggly-shaped multilevel display racks really boost the visual interest in these windows.

One of the coolest window displays in all of SoHo is in the storefront of Longchamp at 132 Spring St. That undulating orange, wooden display floor holding up those shockingly red bags is just gorgeous.

Yummy! I've gotten hot chocolate at Vosges Haut-Chocolat (132 Spring St.) several times, and I just love how they drop a truffle into your hot chocolate for a wonderful surprise when you hit the bottom of the cup. The display is nicely Gothic and sexy, and the signature purple boxes add a nice twist to the typical Valentine's Day gift.

Molton Brown at 128 Spring St. has a sturdy, upper-crust London apothecary shop feel. I'm not sure what the leather chair and the blanket is supposed to signify, though . . . a homey, masculine inner sanctum?

I like the variety of sleek menswear that J. Lindeberg always has displayed at 126 Spring St., but I'm not sure I'm Euro-riche enough to wear them. This window is showing a more sober, businessy side than the tightly-fitted Nordic sportswear they often showcase.