Shopping in the Big Apple

Manhattan is like a big Shopping Centre. There are so many ways to spend your money! Just to make it easier for you, the large part of the shops and shopping centres that we recommend on this web site are found on the interactive map. We advise you to shop around and enter the shops to see what they have on offer; you will be surprised at what products you can find in Manhattan.

The biggest concentration of luxury shops on this Planet are found in the top part of the 5th Avenue, approximately between 42nd and 60th Street. You can visit Tiffany´s at 727 on 5th Avenue, between 56th and 57th Street – or you can buy some presents in the Disney Store number 711, between 55th and 56th Street. Nevertheless, if its toys you want to see then FAO Schwarz is the place to go, situated at number 767 on 5th Avenue between 58th and 59th Street, or you can also visit Toys R´us, right in the middle of Times Square, number 1.515 on Broadway.

If you like shopping in Department Stores then on the 5th Avenue with 49th Avenue is Saks, and at number 693 you will find the Japanese store Takashimaya, that has all the advantages of any big Department Store plus a really good book shop. But really the kings of the Department Stores in Manhattan are Macy´s and Bloomingdales. The first one is located on 131 West of 34th Street, next to the 7th Avenue. Bloomingdale´s, is found at number 1.000 on the 3rd Avenue between 59th and 60th Street. Both offer good discounts for tourists. To make the most of this opportunity don’t forget to ask for further information at the Customer Service Desk of the Shopping Centres that will provide you with the necessary cards to gain discount.

An interesting alternative is Century 21, a Mega-Store offering designer makes that they have in stock, the American designers being more economical that the European brands. You will find Timberland, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karen, Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger at bargain prices. Even if you don’t like to try clothes on you can pass by the accessory departments. The mens department has wallets, belts, socks, underwear etc at very competitive prices. In the ladies department you will find bags, purses, hats, sunglasses and many more items.... Don’t forget to visit the shoe department; you gain access via a side entrance to the building. You can find designer brands that are only half the price that you would pay in Europe. In the basement there is a whole host of items that you would never have imagined to find in a store like this. There really is nothing like it. Century 21 is found right in front of Ground Zero, 22 Cortland Street, there is another store in Brooklyn, 472 on 86th Street.

Manhattan is full of Duane Reade stores. Some Duane Reade stores open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They sell cosmetic products, toiletries, stationery, magazines, pharmacy products, soft drinks, water, toys, sweets and candies……Try the cinnamon flavour chewing gum, sometimes they are on offer for about a dollar and you can buy dozens of packets. Just don’t be in a rush to get through them all too quickly; they have a really strong flavour. Click on the link if you want to find out where all the Duane Reade stores are located. We recommend the one that is on the corner of 40th with 8th Avenue, as it is one of the biggest and perhaps it may be the closest one to where you are staying.

The official NBA Store is located at number 666 on the 5th Avenue, next to 53rd Street, it will surprise you even if you don’t really like sport. You will really have to make an effort not to buy any of the thousands of articles on offer.

Relatively close by at number 6, east of 57th Street with 5th Avenue and only a stones throw away from Tiffany’s is "Nike Town ", the official Nike Store. It really is monumental.

I’m sure that you will have read that Canal Street is the main street of Chinatown. Here you will find endless stalls with imitation products. The quality is directly related to the price, but it is worth a wander through Chinatown to see it all. You can have lunch in one of the hundreds of Chinese restaurants, but perhaps it is more interesting to have a browse through the markets selling food products…it will really surprise you. You probably won’t have seen anything like it.

Not far away form Canal Street, going up towards Broadway is a shop called Haloween Fantasy Superstore. We really recommend that you pay it a visit. It has two entrances, one on 11th Street and the other at number 104 4th Avenue. It isn’t normally mentioned in guide books but it really is a jewel in the crown. You will recognise it by its shop window display. Don’t be surprised to see Jedi Master Yoda jumping out from a window display, or a tarantula coming down from the ceiling toward a giant hand that has been made into a seat, where clients can rest for a while between its giant fingers. Perhaps on the day that you visit the shop Freddy Krueger himself will serve you, or in the basement, hidden between human remains and stumps, an old witch will ask you what you would like. Be careful, they aren’t in fancy dress! This isn’t just another part of New York, it really is something special.

There are shops that can only be found in somewhere like Manhattan, (just like the last one we mentioned). "Gotta Have It!" is another one to add to your list. They sell all types of articles relating to celebrities and events. For example, your can purchase the original patch that was sewn onto the uniform of one of the astronauts of the Apollo IX on its first manned trip to the moon, which costs 600 $. We say no more: you can find it in 153 East of 57th street.

Make time to stroll at your leisure through Soho, you will love the shops; then you can try and get lost in the narrow streets in the South of the City next to the port. They have a certain charm about them where you will find tiny shops that sell everything you can imagine ... and many things that you wouldn’t imagine!