FASHION: Shopping in NYC

New York City is known to be one of the best shopping cities in the world!

Are you ready to shop like it’s your job?

From enormous department stores to specialist shopping streets – including designer, diamonds and flagship high street stores – you better leave some room in your suitcase!

Madison Avenue

Madison Avenue is home to some of the most extravagant shops in the entire world. Passing through 57^th to 59^th streets, the avenue has become a shopping haven for NY tourists as well as local New Yorkers.

This ultra-deluxe strip—particularly in the high 60s—is home to the most luxurious designer boutiques, with Barneys New York as the anchor.

Don’t be intimidated by the glamour of this shopper’s mile or any of the celebrities you’re likely to cross paths with; the luxury boutiques of Madison Avenue will be happy you stopped by if only to peruse their treasures, and maybe even discover a bargain in the racks.

• Top tip: Wear flats unless you are Victoria Beckham the second. Pounding the pavements and piling your shoulders with shopping bags is a struggle if you’re not prepared with some stylishly comfortable shoes.

5^th Avenue & Broadway

Upscale retailers who have rediscovered the architectural majesty of lower Fifth Avenue include Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, and Kenneth Cole. You won’t find many small-name shops along Fifth, so head down its side streets for something more unique.

• Top tip: Look out for the NYC Topshop store – although the prices are in-line with the UK, the stock does differ. I picked up a couple of bargains in the half-price sale – only to discover a further 30% discount was applied at the till with no added tax. Win!

Macy’s

 In the middle of bustling Herald Square sits an icon: Macy’s NYC.

Get your purse at the ready as you enter 11 floors of a shopper’s paradise – from beauty to shoes, accessories, clothing and food.

Macy’s – the world’s largest department store is the premier name in not only today’s shopping world but in shopping history. What started out as a dried-goods store in 1858, has supplied the American people so often that the store itself is a part of the culture, especially in NYC.

• Top tip: If you’re investing in a NYC cityPASS (A ticket booklet for $114 that saves you 42% on admission to the 6 best attractions in New York City­ / http://www.citypass.com) then you’ll get a 10% voucher to use in Macy’s and a second for Bloomingdale’s. Be sure not to rip the voucher out of the booklet or it is no longer valid – then show it to the cashier on payment.

 Macys.com/new-york // 422 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201-5214

Bloomingdale’s

One of the most famous department stores in NYC, known for ‘the small / medium /large brown bag’ – Bloomingdale’s store is home to dozens of designer clothes and accessories you can only find in New York City. Taking up an entire block of real estate on the chic Upper East Side of Manhattan, Bloomingdale’s is every dedicated shopper’s dream. A NYC landmark since it opened in 1927, the Bloomingdale’s Department Store in Manhattan is one of the most popular places to shop in NYC.

• Top tip: Find out what all of the fuss is about and dine at Forty Carrots on Level Six of Bloomingdale’s. Choose from a light brunch, sandwiches, soups and burgers or a famous Forty Carrots ‘yogi’ – low fat plain frozen yogurt served on its own or in a smoothie. I’d recommend the American classic turkey burger and a freshly squeezed juice!

Bloomingdales.com – now shipping to the UK! / 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. New York, NY 10022. 212-705-2000

Advertisement