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The Big Apple is one of the best shopping destinations in the world, rivaled perhaps only by London, Paris, and Tokyo. Its compact size, convenient subway system, and plentiful cabs (or Uber or Lyft rides) make it easy to navigate with plenty of bags in tow. But what it really comes down to is the staggering number and variety of stores. If you can't find it in New York, it probably doesn't exist.
If you like elegant flagships and money is no object, head to Midtown, where you'll find international megabrands like Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, and Gucci, as well as famed department stores Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys. Nearby Madison Avenue has couture from Carolina Herrera and Vera Wang, and 5th Avenue is lined with famous jewelry stores such as Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry Winston. This is also the neighborhood to indulge in bespoke goods, such as handmade shoes from John Lobb. If you like designer pieces but can't afford them, don't despair—there are plenty of upscale consignment shops around the city where you can find last season's Chanel suit or a vintage YSL jacket.
The small, independent shops that once lined SoHo have largely been displaced by the likes of J.Crew and UNIQLO, but if you want to hit the chains, this is a great place to do it, because the neighborhood also provides high-quality people-watching and superb lunches. Poke around on the side streets and in nearby NoLIta for outposts of smaller local and foreign designers and, if you're craving some of old SoHo's artistic spirit, don't discount the street vendors' stalls, which sell handmade jewelry and simple cotton dresses.
The East Village and Lower East Side are hotbeds of creativity and quirky coolness, with little boutiques selling everything from retro furniture to industrial-inspired jewelry. They're tucked among bars and old tenement buildings. The Meatpacking District is another great shopping destination to find chic designer stores like Diane von Furstenberg and rag & bone along with independently owned boutiques. And if you jaunt over to Brooklyn, you'll discover that some of the city's hippest designers are hanging out at boutiques just across the East River.
Is Little Italy in danger of turning into Little Spain? No, but this dark, narrow shop with shelves stocked with imported Spanish goodies is the perfect spot to purchase what you'd need to re-create a Galician picnic. In addition to top brands of tinned fish, impeccably prepared foods, and skillfully sliced ham, there's a tapas counter in the back for more elaborate snacks.
Inhale the aromas of spices and coffee beans as you enter this trading post that's been a neighborhood institution since 1948. They're not just purveyors of nuts, cheeses, olives, and other Middle Eastern grocery items, but also have a gourmet deli of prepared foods. Hot saj (unlevened flatbread) sandwiches are made to order, filled with curried chickpeas, falafels, za'ater (Middle Eastern spice blend) chicken, or harissa (hot chili pepper paste) salmon, along with your choice of veggies.
When it comes to authentic New York food, it's hard to beat this iconic local-favorite specialty food emporium. Best known for its smoked fish counter, not limited to lox (smoked salmon), sliced to order, Zabar's also features one of the largest selections of domestic and imported cheeses and salamis in town, bakery items including cheesecake, ground-to-order coffees, and prepared foods like soups and stuffed cabbage the way Grandma made them. And that's only the ground floor. Upstairs are housewares, from espresso makers to fondue pots to serving dishes. Head next door, to the Zabar's Cafe, to score a cup of gourmet coffee and a bagel and lox with cream cheese.
Fancy a cup of tea? Harney & Sons produces more than 250 varieties, which can be sampled at the 24-foot-long tasting bar, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with various blends. There are classic brews like English breakfast and oolong, along with interesting herbals (ginger and licorice, or mint verbena). There's also a tea salon where you can enjoy a cup with a scone or other light fare.
You might not have realized it but you may have already eaten the pasta made in this diminutive food shop: Raffetto's quietly supplies dozens of Italian restaurants in the city with pasta and related food items. Since 1906, the Raffetto family has been making dried and fresh pasta and stocking their shelves with homemade Italian food products—back when this part of the Village was a "Little Italy" of sorts.
In the late 1800s, pickle sellers were a dime a dozen—or to be more exact, a penny a cucumber, which went up to around a nickel by the early 1900s: it was cheap snack, and there were pickle vendors selling their wares from pushcarts and giant barrels all over the Lower East Side. It's said that at one point there were 200 pickle sellers on Essex Street alone, but these days there's only one left: The Pickle Guys.
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