One of the attractions of New York, (besides the Statue of Liberty, Broadway, or fabulous restaurants) is shopping. Some of the biggest names, most fashionable celebrities, and funkiest stuff can be found on the trendy New York shopping streets.

www.nyctourist.com/shopping_menu.htm can help the intrepid shopper find tours based around shopping, maps of shop by area, and calendar events.

Some hot clothing shops:
Seize Sur Vingt
Jeffrey
Kirna Zabete
Freeman's Sporting Club

Classic New York:
Barneys
Bloomingdale's
Tiffany & co
Henri Bendel
Macy's
Bergdorf Goodman
Saks 5th Avenue
FAO Schwarz

Aside for individual shops, there are extremely hot areas of fashion. Madison Avenue boasts fifteen blocks of celebrity designer shops (Calvin) and flagship fashion house boutiques (Prada, Chanel). SoHo is transformed from artists center into a posh outdoor mall with a chic shopping atmosphere and shops such as Kate Spade and Malandrino. Cobblestone streets and loft-like spaces make the neighborhood a prettier spot for shopping than the average galleria.

Outside of the fancy shops are the street markets and quirky independent shops. The Greemarket at Union Station has farmers from as far away as Vermont arrive four times weekly (M,W,Th,Sat). The Strand is the largest second-hand book store in the city with 18 miles of shelves and has an impressive rare books section.

Remember there is a 8.3% sales tax on items you purchase . For more shopping info: http://www.ny.com/shopping/.