Boston's retail offering is vast so when a true shopaholic has worked through every department store, boutique and discount outlet the city has to offer there's only one way to go -- south to New York City.
"East Side, West side, all around the town....," wherever you go in The Big Apple you'll find opportunities aplenty for intensive retail therapy. Get there early and hit the shops running -- but not too fast, because you'll run out of energy before NYC runs out of shops for you to visit.
If you can only manage a day trip, fly down to New York from Boston first thing in the morning and catch a late evening flight back home. American, Delta, Jet Blue and United link Logan International with La Guardia, JFK and Newark. However, your New York shopping horizons will be greatly broadened if you can spend a few days in the city, so take a look at flight and accommodation packages. Amtrak offers hotel and rail travel packages using the Acela Express train service.
You're on your way into Manhattan from the airport or you're leaving your hotel and you want to start your shopping excursion with a wander through some of NYC's department stores. Yes, there's a Macy's in Boston, but the one at Herald Square in New York is bigger. Saks Fifth Avenue is also vast, as is Bloomingdale's on Third Avenue. If you want to visit a department store you definitely can't experience in Boston, head for Barneys on Madison Avenue or Century 21 at Cortlandt Street,
There's plenty of fashion to choose from in the department stores, but if you want to shop for clothes, shoes, accessories and nothing else, try heading to "NoLita" which stands for "north of Little Italy." According to NYC.com, NoLita offers "hardcore boutiqueing" in shops such as Sigerson Morrison and Resurrection. Neighboring Soho is well known for vintage clothing stores, which have now been joined by retailers such as Prada and Chanel.
Woodbury Common is a good reason for the unashamed Boston shopaholic to spend more than a day in New York. Its 220 stores offer premium brands at bargain prices, with discounts ranging from 25 to 65 percent. Clothes, shoes, accessories, housewares and gifts can all be purchased at prices much lower than those paid in city center stores. Getting to Woodbury Common from New York is no problem. See the transport section below for details.
The New York City Subway serves stations close to all the main department stores. Bloomingdale's at 59th Street/Lexington Avenue; Macy's at Herald Square or Penn Station; Saks Fifth Avenue at Rockefeller Center or Fifth Avenue/53rd Street; Barneys at 59th Street/Fifth Avenue or 59th Street/Lexington Avenue; Century 21 at World Trade Center, Park Place or Fulton Street.
The subway station for Nolita is Lower East Side/Second Avenue. Stops for Soho are Canal Street, Spring Street and Broadway-Lafayette.
Woodbury Common can be accessed by taxi from the Metro North Station at Harriman. These trains operate on the Metro North Line from Penn Station. A change of trains is required at Secaucus.
Bus services also operate from the New York City Port Authority to Woodbury Common.
