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New York New York Shopping

Department stores, designer boutiques, or gourmet shops



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There are many great shopping cities in the world, but none can beat New York. From great department stores, to designer boutiques, to gourmet shops, you can go for some major retail therapy seven days a week.

Shopping in Macy's, New York Start with one-stop-shopping at the big department stores. While we can't guarantee that Macy's on 34th Street is the "world's largest store" as it claims (although its ten floors do take over an entire city block), it is a major shopping experience, especially in November and December when its window displays are major holiday destinations.

From there walk to 5th Avenue for Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue, both synonymous with elegance and luxury, and specializing in designer clothes for men, women, and children.
Lord and Taylor is on the same avenue but with more classic and conservative fashion, with a particular emphasis on American designers.
Continue up 5th Avenue to find the bijou Japanese department store Takashimaya. Located in a sleek space, every piece sold here (clothing, art, or furniture) has an eastern influence, excellent design, and doesn't come cheap. The perfume hall and the jewelry section are particularly worthy of a look, as is the basement tearoom with its tempting desserts.
Also don't miss the luxury Henri Bendel department store with fun, glamorous women's fashions from upscale designers. The store's layout is constantly changing, but the ground floor is always devoted to beauty.

Over on Madison Avenue you'll find Barney's, a favorite of the more fashionable young professionals. This is the place for expensive designer clothes (the jeans bar at the Co-op section is also a must-visit), with the semi-annual clearance sale being the best time to find something chic a little more cheap.

Then there's Bloomingdale's, rivalling Macy's for eye-catching window displays. It is renowned as a luxury wonderland for high fashion, linen, fine china, and gourmet food (with a section entirely devoted to caviar).

But the department store that pretty much anyone can afford is found downtown by Ground Zero. Century 21 offers brand names at half-price (and often for as much as 75% off), so be prepared for a mob scene and not-so-friendly service, but after finding TOD's shoes at affordable prices, who really cares?

On the street, the exclusive boutiques of the world's top designers are found on MADISON AVENUE from 59th to 79th Street. That's the most exclusive area in New York, with the more interesting smaller boutiques found in SoHo. The younger and trendier New Yorkers prefer to shop here, with most shops concentrated around PRINCE and SPRING STREET.

You'll also want to go inside PRADA's SoHo shop, designed by famous architect Rem Koolhaas. You'll think this is more of an exhibition hall than a shop, with a "wave" or a sloping cut-out on the main floor dipping down to the lower level doubling as an amphitheatre showcasing the latest designs.

Also a design Mecca is Moss, what the New York Times says is probably the best design shop in the United States. We won't disagree, as the space looks very much like an art gallery showcasing chairs, tables, and housewares.

For more style, designer/socialite Diane Von Furstenberg's flagship shop in the Big Apple sells her hallmark wrap dress. You'll find her huge space -- where else? -- in the Meatpacking District.

Moving into Greenwich Village, walk down BLEECKER STREET for some quirky shops, as well as Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren in a quieter environment. And because everyone loves chocolate, you also won't resist a stop at the neighborhood's Chocolate Bar. Think of any kind of chocolate and in any form, and you'll find it here.

Shopping at Dean and Deluca, New York Continue to give in to gluttony and venture into Dean and Deluca, with its fine gourmet shop in SoHo elevating food to an art form. It sells prepared and fresh foods, together with vegetables, fruits, pastas, cakes, canned goods from different countries, quality cheeses, and cookware.

While Dean and Deluca is a Manhattan landmark for some, the same goes for Balducci's. What started as a fruit and vegetable stand of an Italian immigrant about a century ago has grown into a national chain. It presents a varity of domestic and international products, from cheeses to baked goods. Whatever ingredient is necessary for the most complicated recipe, you'll find it here.

Competition for those two comes from Zabar's, a favorite for cookware, as well as for its excellent smoked salmon, cheese, bagels, and caviar.

If you're visiting from outside the United States, you'll also want to check out American retailers, and a local favorite is Abercrombie & Fitch. During the holidays or sales seasons you'll likely have to stand in a line that extends to around the block before you can get in the 5th Avenue shop. To avoid that, visit the second shop in South Street Seaport. There the music is equally as loud (and lights as dim) as you'd find inside a club, and in-store models look like what you'll never manage to. The clothing is "casual luxury" for the college ages.

Equally popular are the Apple Stores, with both the 5th Avenue and SoHo shops attracting huge crowds. The entrance to the 5th Avenue store is through a giant cube, from where you descend a spiral staircase toward all the cool Apple products, which you are encouraged to play with.