New York City, and in particular Manhattan, is everything you’d ever expect and more. It was strange walking around a city I was visiting for the first time and almost knowing exactly where I was going. It’s almost funny how many landmarks, stores and buildings you recognise from tv and movies – shows like Sex and the City, Friends and Gossip Girl have made us feel as though we are a native New Yorker.
The stores were overwhelmingly gigantic, much like everything else in New York from food portions to the cars that drive up and down the 13.5 mile long island of Manhattan. Macy’s, as seen from above the Empire State building (below) is one of the real icons of the city. The 1.25 million square feet of shopping space is the largest retail store in the United States and the second biggest in the world – that’s almost three times the size of Selfridges on Oxford Street and just slightly bigger than Harrods. The best thing about Macy’s is their visitor discount with international travellers getting a further 10 per cent off their purchases. You can find out more here.
Macy’s from Empire State Building Observatory
Audrey Hepburn famously said: “Nothing bad can ever happen at Tiffany’s,” and I believe her. The five-floor infamous jewellers makes every purchase feel immensely special – whether you’d bought a $140 necklace, $200 ring or $6,000 watch. There’s something so exciting about receiving that little Tiffany blue bag and box – and knowing it’s come from the OG Fifth Avenue store makes it that much better. The best bit about Tiffany’s? You can now follow in Audreys footsteps and literally have breakfast at Tiffany’s in their Blue Box Cafe located on the fourth floor. It fills up fast however so reservations months in advance are necessary. You can find out more here.
The Tiffany blue bag and Saks Fifth Avenue
New York has sales tax exception for clothing and footwear under $110, normally 8.875 per cent on top of the tag price, which makes shopping there even cheaper, for example, a pair of Levi’s 501 cost £80 here in the UK but only $59, which in February 2019 costs around £46. Every brand you can think of has a presence here from ultra-high-end brands like Louis Vuitton and Chanel to more accessible high street brands such as Zara and H&M.
Westfield One World Trade NYC
It’s just not all shopping, however – it’s overwhelming how much there is to see, do and experience within the city, from viewing points on top of skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Centre to theatre shows on and off Broadway to museums such as the 9/11 Memorial and the Metropolitan. Unfortunately for me the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute is only open between May to September.
However the upcoming theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion curated by Anna Wintour and the MM costume department with Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Serena Williams and Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele will be one to definitely not miss. The widely speculated fashion event of the year takes place on the first Monday of May. You can even follow in the footsteps of Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen by perching on the steps of the Met. I tried getting a cool picture but the lighting wasn’t working in my favour. I DON’T want to talk about it… Why not visit Carrie Bradshaw’s famous brownstone in Greenwich Village on 66 Perry Street or see the exterior of Holly Golightly’s apartment from Breakfast at Tiffany’s at 169 East 71st Street?
The steps of the Met
Whether you want to shop, sightsee, go to the theatre, eat or just roam around, New York has a plethora of things to see and do. It was my first time, but it certainly won’t be my last. It’s truly the city that never sleeps, but why would you? You’ve got so much to do!
Have you been to New York before? Tweet us your pics to @Fashion_North
