I think I may have mentioned in some of my previous posts that I absolutely love to travel! But I also love to shop! What could be better than shopping while traveling? A perfect combination! No?!
It’s a small world and with the invention of online shopping and chain stores on every corner it’s getting harder and harder to find places to shop that are unique. So why waste time shopping in a new city when you can find anything you need or want from the comfort of the living room couch? To that I say, “Where is the fun in that?” You see, for me, it’s not really about getting a new item, well not entirely anyway… what it’s really about is the experience, wandering the neighborhood, poking in and out of different types of shops, discovering new places and meeting the people.
On our most recent trip we chose to dedicate an entire day to shopping in SoHo, but in a city like New York there are endless places to shop and we managed to fit in the Meatpacking District and Madison Avenue on this trip as well. 🙂
SoHo is shorthand for South of Houston and it is on the list of National Historic Landmarks. The borders are Broadway west to Sixth Avenue, and Houston Street south to Canal Street. Within those borders you’ll find just about every retailer you’ve ever heard of and many you haven’t! There are also many flagship stores and one of a kind places too. You’ll find clothing, shoes shops galore, furniture, art, housewares and more! Oh and did I forget to mention the chocolate shops, amazing restaurants and hotels who are also located here! With its cobblestone streets, cast-iron buildings, designer shops and oh so cool vibe, SoHo is unlike any other place in New York. Don’t miss it!
Keep in mind most shops in SoHo don’t open until 11:00 am, but stay open later which we discovered when we showed up ready to shop at 10:00 am on a Monday! No worries, we stopped and had a coffee while we waited…
Don’t laugh but before we’d even made it two blocks we’d already visited Orla Kiely, Fiorentini & Baker, Ted Baker, Paige and James Perse! My favorite right now is Rag & Bone, so that was our next stop and then of course we wanted to make time for, Desigual, Moleskine, Sam Edelman and Camper Shoes. We were also excited to discover a Sweaty Betty and a Miz Mooz Shoes along the way! By this time it was already 2:00 pm and although we’d made a sizable dent in our pocketbooks we’d hardly seen any of the neighborhood!
We spent a lot of time on Mercer Street, but this handy map of SoHo stores and services might help you plan your itinerary a little better! Not that there are many, but if you’re looking for a bargain your best bet is Broadway where you’ll find more mainstream shops, like Lucky Brand, Banana Republic, and Guess?!
Bleecker Street is another great shopping area… It’s actually a great street to walk down if you’re heading to SoHo from the Meatpacking district or vice versa. Although you may get sidetracked and never make it to your destination! There are many fun one-of-a-kind boutiques along Bleecker Street as well as some big names like M.A.C. and James Perse. You’ll find the famous Magnolia Bakery here and there are many great bars and restaurants as well. We used to come here a lot when we lived in Hoboken as the PATH station is nearby on Christopher Street and it’s one of my favorite spots.
The Meatpacking District is home to the Highline, The Standard Hotel and the new Whitney as well as many great shops: Diane Von Furstenberg, Alice & Olivia, Joie, Michael Stars, Theory and Intermix and the list goes on… Also nearby you’ll find Christian Louboutin, a Barney’s Coop and Alexander McQueen. If you’re more interested in picking up a new piece of art there are a number of galleries here and often you’ll find artists selling their wares right on the sidewalk!
We not only found a lot of fun new treasures on this trip, but we met a number of really fun people along the way! In fact we had so much fun with the shopgirl in the Alice & Olivia store that we exchanged numbers! Turns out she and I both grew up about 45 minutes from each other on the West Coast! Small world indeed! Per her request I sent her a photo of me in my new outfit the first time I wore it!
Remember this is by no means a comprehensive list! New York has no shortage of neighborhoods in which to wander and shop, these are just a few of my personal favorites!
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