Shopping spree in New York (help wanted)

Hellööö...

The other night, my girlfriend was moaning and complaining about her wardrobe which have been looking the same for the past 3 or 4 years. I must admit that I am myself experiencing the same situation. Not that such superficial things bother me too much, but it would be nice to alter between more than 2 or 3 outfits everyday.

Luckily enough, her 25th birthday is coming up in March next year and I've been thinking about getting us a weekend trip to the Big Apple with the intention to get some new rags.

So, my questions are:

1. How much is the average price for a pair of 501's? How much for a high quality zipper-hoodie? How about a pair of boots (both male and female types)? A good Gore-tex jacket?

2. Any tips for where to shop? Our styles are "casual rocker" so to speak; not too "extreme" but more of a balanced type rocker fashion (does that make any sense? I'll post a picture if that would help).
I would like to avoid the tourist traps please.

3. Are prices different from state to state? Is there a better place than N.Y. for this kind of trip? I've never been to the US before, so I wouldn't know...

Pretty please thank you for your help dear friends!

For me, I mostly travel around the South West and up
as far as Washington State, but I've found reasonable prices
in places on the back road of America and in LA.
I guess N. York may see you as a mark and ramp the cost up.
But I could be wrong.

You are traveling to one of the most fashionable cities in the world, not to mention, expensive....
There are a few members here who could help direct you...but from my perspective, it's best to shop somewhere less expensive.

OK, thanks everyone for your replies.
Hopefully, a New York vintage denim fan will make entrance soon.

I am thinking of N.Y. because there are some cheap weekend deals on flights and hotels.
And I am also thinking that there must be a great variety of shops there as well (both conserning collections and prices).

Eagerly awaiting more replies...

Originally posted by Raud
OK, thanks everyone for your replies.
Hopefully, a New York vintage denim fan will make entrance soon.

I am thinking of N.Y. because there are some cheap weekend deals on flights and hotels.
And I am also thinking that there must be a great variety of shops there as well (both conserning collections and prices).

Eagerly awaiting more replies...

If I were you, I'd inquire more about the hotels than the shops.

reply to post by Raud


Actually shopping in NYC if you know where to go can be both fun and relatively inexpensive ... at least that's what the wife used to tell me when we were living there.

It sounds like you kidz are pretty young so this is what I would recommend....

Avoid the usual trappings like 5th/Madison Ave (midtown), Village, West Village (West 14th street), and Soho (W. Broadway) ... the latter two are great to walk around and grab something to eat but heavy on the wallet unless one knows what specific little shops to go to.

My advice is to to start at Union Square and start walking down Broadway until you get to Canal Street. Tons of great shops like Yellow Rat Bastard, especially between Houston and Canal. Also between Houston and Canal you can try the little side streets, more expensive but great shops. You might also enjoy enjoy a little walk down St Marks Place in the East Village.

I hear Williamsburg (Brooklyn) has great shops too but I don't know the hood. From what I hear there are some cool shops on the Upper West Side but again being a downtown resident I am unfamiliar with shops of that area.

Hope that helps a little.

reply to post by schrodingers dog


Hey, thanks!

That is exactly the kind of reply I was hoping for!
I'll will sure keep this in mind.

Anyone know what is the best military surplus store in N.Y.?

Keep it coming!

Peace
/Raud

I'll disagree with SD on the shopping locations. You should hit all those areas, you don't have to buy anything but you should see it.

The big Levi's store here will make custom jeans for you if you want them. I've never gone that route but they take your measurements and make em as you want em. There are other stores that do it too but the price is much steeper.

Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and Bloomingdales are all huge department stores selling all kinds of styles (hit the Bloomingdale's basement for yourself, your kind of clothing) and they are always offering up decent sales.

Some of the higher end shops might offer you a discount as you look around so it's always worth the effort and always look like you're serious about buying stuff.

SoHo has a large collection of hip shops but their smaller and the sales might be less prevalent.

Tribecca, Greenwich Village, the lower east side, West Village etc are all high on the hip quotient and you'll find stores of all kinds in each area.

Truth is there's tons of shops for everyone here. The cost of the city is, generally, a lot more than most people are used to so be prepared for more expensive meals etc.

reply to post by Crakeur


Thank you very much Crakeur!

I dearly hope this trip will come true...it would mean so much for us.

The reason I am not asking about so many other things (like sights, hotels and restaurants) are because this will be strictly a shopping trip, most probably just a couple of days.

If anyone else has any ideas, please post it!

By the way, do you have Carl's Junior burgers in N.Y.?

Peace and love everybody!
/R

reply to post by Raud


you can still see the sights whilst shopping.

No carl's as far as I know

reply to post by Crakeur


Thank you sir, you're a rock!

How about Military Surplus? Any major ones in N.Y. or do I need to hit the suburbs for that?
Looking for boots, and general hiking/survival items...

not sure of the stores but here's a listing

maps.google.com... res&hnear=nyc&view=text&ei=nOfJSu-TLJPslAfi-LSSAw&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=more-results&resnum=1


You can find anything you want in this city. When in doubt, walk up to any hotel concierge and ask them. If the hotel you're staying at doesn't have a concierge, go to another hotel. You're allowed to check out the big time famous, ritzy hotels as they all have bars, restaurants and some form of tourist appeal so waltz in and ask the concierge there.

If, while you're in town, you want to catch a broadway show, you can wait on the tkts line in times square for the discount tickets. Most shows are suffering so you can get tickets to almost anything by waiting. It's a long wait but some of the shows are worth it. If you liked or laughed at 80's hair bands, Rock Of Ages is worth the price of admission. It's hysterical and the audience really gets into it (probably because they serve booze thru the whole show, with waitresses bringing you drinks). A trick to getting good tickets - you tell them you need seats for the visually impaired - usually gets you in the first couple of rows.

Originally posted by Raud
reply to post by Crakeur

 

By the way, do you have Carl's Junior burgers in N.Y.?

Hardee's is Carl's Junior on the East Coast.

Also: www.burgerrankings.com...

reply to post by schrodingers dog


nice site.

Dumont Burger:
www.burgerrankings.com...

The chef is a client of mine. He also runs the kitchen at Dressler's. One the best meals I've ever had. Fortunately, it's in brooklyn. Otherwise, I'd weigh 1000 pounds.


Pig N Whistle is around the corner from my apartment, as is PJ Clarke's.

Corner Bistro was always good and Nice Matin has an insanely tasty 5 napkin burger with the added bonus of seeing a certain conspiracy theorist who also plays a cop on tv - The belz loves Nice Matin.

Would be very pleased if anyone could answer my questions 1, 2 and 3 just straight off...

Thank you in advance!

/Raud

1. don't know. hit the levi's website for a phone number
2. gave tips
3. prices vary from state to state and store to store. NYC is, probably, the most expensive city in the country and one of the most expensive cities in the world. That doesn't mean you can't find bargains (as mentioned previously).

reply to post by Crakeur


Thank you, once again...

If I get to pull this trip off, I will make sure to tell my woman that you were a big part of the planning and that ATS/BTS can be of great use in so many ways!

(Finally got to use that smiley. Now I understand why it was there!)

Said it before, sayin' it again; this is the best site on the web.

Peace out ya'll!

/Raud

Sad to say; it seems this shopping trip will take place in Europe instead.
Unless the US dollar plunges big time...and in that case, the Swedish crown is bound to crash too... :shk:

Still, thanks to you all who contributed!

(I am still interested in replies however! Convince me to go to!)

Peace to all.
/R