Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FIFTH AVENUE & 57TH STREET
The heart of Manhattan retail ranges up Fifth Avenue to 57th Street
and across.
Tiffany & Co.,
which has long reigned supreme, sits a
stone's throw from
NIKETOWN,
the
NBA Store,
and the huge
Louis Vuitton
flagship at the corner of 57th Street and Fifth
Avenue. In addition, a good number of mainstream retailers, such as
Banana Republic,
have flagships along Fifth, shifting the breadth of
higher-end shopping to Madison Avenue north of 59th Street. You
will find a number of big-name, big-ticket designers radiating from
the crossroads, including
Versace, Chanel, Dior,
and
Cartier.
Yo u'l l
also find big-name jewelers here, as well as grand old department
stores such as
Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel,
and
Saks Fifth
Avenue
—all Fifth Avenue mainstays that must at least be browsed,
even if your budget won't allow for more than longing glances.
A few blocks east on Lexington is the world's flagship
Blooming-
dale's,
1000 Third Ave. (Lexington Ave. at 59th St.;
&
212/705-
2000;
www.bloomingdales.com) and a great place to shop.
MADISON AVENUE
Madison Avenue from 57th to 79th streets boasts the most expen-
sive retail real estate in the world. Bring lots of plastic. 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 or any of the celebrities you're
likely to bump into. There are affordable treasures to be had, such as
the Ginger Flower room spray at
Shanghai Tang
(714 Madison
Ave.;
&
212/888-0111
) or a pair of crystal cufflinks at the
Lalique
boutique next door at 712 Madison Ave. (
&
212/355-6550
).
UPPER WEST SIDE
The Upper West Side's best shopping street is
Columbus Avenue.
Small shops catering to the neighborhood's white-collar mix of
young hipsters and families line both sides of the pleasant avenue
from 66th Street (where you'll find an excellent branch of
Barnes &
Noble
) to about 86th Street. Highlights include
Maxilla &
Mandible
for museum-quality natural-science-based gifts and
Harry's Shoes,
but you won't lack for browsing along here.
The
Shops at Columbus Circle,
which is also a mall, albeit one of the
most upscale around, with some of the city's top restaurants, and
retailers ranging from Armani to Coach to a Whole Foods Market.
