Shopping Centers and Neighborhoods

South Street Seaport Most shops are located along the cobbled, pedestrians-only extension to Fulton Street and on the three levels of Pier 17. Stores here tend toward the comfortably familiar; there's a sizeable ABERCROMBIE & FITCH (199 Water St., PHONE: 212/889-9000) for flannels and jeans, a branch of Coach leather goods, and a J. Crew, which is in one of the Seaport's former waterfront hotels. Pier 17 has few surprises, but there are some few-of-a-kind shops, including MARIPOSA (PHONE: 212/233-3221), for rare butterflies mounted under Lucite.   World Financial Center   The World Financial Center, due west across the West Side Highway from the World Trade Center (cross directly from one to the other via the pedestrian walkway above the highway), may yet emerge as a shopping and cultural destination in its own right. Beyond the elevator banks of financial giants like Merrill Lynch and clustered around the huge marble-cloaked Winter Garden, which is the architectural centerpiece here, are such suitably chichi stores as a smallBarneys New York, for clothing, and Rizzoli, for books and magazines. There are also some good travel resources: a large American Express Travel Services branch and the CIVILIZED TRAVELLER (PHONE: 212/786-3301) bookstore.   Lower East Side and the East Village   Once home to millions of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe, the Lower East Side has traditionally been New Yorkers' bargain beat. The center of it all is Orchard Street. The spirit of "Have I got a bargain for you!" still fills the narrow street crammed with tiny, no-nonsense clothing and lingerie stores and open stalls. A lot of what you'll find here is of dubious quality, but there are some finds to be made. The gentrification of the Lower East Side has introduced groovy boutiques -- now you can check out Parisian funk at XULY BËT (189 Orchard St., PHONE: 212/982-5437) and British knits at DDC LAB (180 Orchard St., PHONE: 212/375-1647). Among the Orchard Street veterans, essential stops include Fine & Klein, for handbags; Forman's, for women's clothing; MARCOART (186 Orchard St.), for colorful, cartooned T-shirts and tank tops; and the lovely Klein's of Monticello, for deals on dressy clothes. Off Orchard Street, Grand Street (south of Delancey Street) is chockablock with linens, towels, and other items for the home; the Bowery between Grand and Delancey streets, with lamps and lighting fixtures. On Saturday, most establishments along Orchard Street are closed because there are still many Jewish-owned stores here; many of these sell candy, nuts, dried fruit, and Israeli sweets. Ludlow Street, one block east of Orchard Street, is starting to buzz with little storefronts selling hipster gear like rock-n-roll guitars, vintage '60s and '70s furniture, and clothing and accessories from local designers. (Some of these shops are open on Saturday.) To the north, the East Village offers diverse, offbeat specialty stops, plenty of collectible kitsch, and some great vintage-clothing boutiques, especially along East 7th and East 9th Streets.   NoLita   This Nabokovian nickname, shorthand for "North of Little Italy," describes a neighborhood that has taken over where SoHo left off -- both were once edgy neighborhoods that have gone from deserted, locals-only areas to crowded weekend shopping meccas. NoLita's parallel north-south spines are Elizabeth, Mott, and Mulberry streets, between Houston and Spring streets. Tiny boutiques (as well as similarly diminutive but generally good eateries) continue to sprout like mushrooms after rain. Among the small, funky housewares and design shops are Shì and MICHAEL ANCHIN GLASS CO. (250 Elizabeth St.), with its shelves full of rainbow-color long-neck vases. The clothing stores are equally stylish -- a cache of shops, Jade, Calypso, and TRACY FEITH (209 Mulberry St.), is rife with exotic glamour. There are glamorous handbags at Jamin Peuch and Blue Bag, swank shoes at Sigerson Morrison, perfectly tailored shirts at SEIZE SUR VINGT (243 Elizabeth St.), and even an ultra-expensive cashmere store, Lucien Pellat-Finet.   SoHo   Once abandoned, then lined with artists' studios and galleries, the mad, commerce-filled streets of SoHo are now packed with high-rent fashion boutiques. Most recently, a flock of makeup stores swept in, including Helena Rubenstein and French import Sephora. Big fashion guns such as Vivienne Westwood, Louis Vuitton, and Prada Sport also established themselves, raising local retail a notch above the secondary-line couture places like D&G and Miu Miu. Much to the distress of many locals, the mall element (Victoria's Secret, Old Navy, J. Crew, French Connection, and many more) has a firm foothold; however, there are still many unique shops, especially for housewares and fashion. For double-take-worthy clothes, recent additions Catherine and Barbara Bui hone two very different creative edges. Some well-known stops include Dean & DeLuca, a gourmet food emporium; Zona and Moss, full of well-designed home furnishings and gifts; and the hallucinatory Enchanted Forest toy store. On Lafayette Street below Houston, a fashionable strip includes shops outside the mainstream, dealing in urban streetwear and vintage 20th-century furniture. Many SoHo stores are open seven days a week.   Chelsea and the Flatiron District   Fifth Avenue south of 23rd Street, along with the streets fanning east and west, is home to a lively downtown shopping scene. In stores here, you'll find a mix of the hip, such as Emporio Armani and Paul Smith, and the hard-core, such as the mega-discounter Loehmann's on 7th Avenue. Broadway has a smattering of stores dear to New Yorkers' hearts, including the richly overstuffed ABC Carpet & Home and the comprehensiveParagon Sporting Goods. In the low 20s on 6th Avenue are a cluster of superstores, including the colossal Bed, Bath & Beyond. A few blocks west, between 10th and 11th Avenues, a few intrepid retailers, such as the cutting-edge COMME DES GARÇONS (520 W. 22nd St., between 10th and 11th Aves., PHONE: 212/219-0660) are popping up amid the growing number of art galleries in what was until recently the desolate fringe of Chelsea. Further south, the Meatpacking District -- an area that until the late 1990s was home primarily to biker bars, after-hours clubs, and suppliers to the city's steakhouses -- has become newly chic, thanks to high fashion mecca Jeffrey and a slew of restaurants-of-the-moment.   Herald Square   Reasonable prices on standard wares prevail at this intersection of 34th Street and Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue). Giant Macy's has traditionally been the linchpin. Opposite is TOYS "R" US (1293 Broadway, at 34th St.). Also on 6th Avenue, the seven-story Manhattan Mall is anchored by STERN'S department store (899 6th Ave., at 33rd St.), which is good for bargain browsing, as are LECHTER'S (10 W. 34th St., between 5th and 6th Aves., and other locations) for housewares, and HMV, for its large music selection.   5th Avenue   Fifth Avenue from Central Park South to Rockefeller Center still wavers between the money-no-object crowd and an influx of more accessible stores. Exclusive design houses like Prada are a stone's throw from the über-chain Gap and a souped-up branch of good old Brooks Brothers. The perennial favorites will eat up a lot of shoe leather: F.A.O. Schwarz and Bergdorf Goodman, at 58th Street; Tiffany and Bulgari jewelers, at 57th Street; Ferragamo and other various luxury stores in Trump Tower, at 56th Street; Henri Bendel, across the avenue; Takashimaya, at 54th Street; Cartier jewelers, at 52nd Street; and so on down to the flag-bedecked Saks Fifth Avenue, at 50th Street. In spring 2000 the European retailer H&M opened at 51st Street, adding affordable designer knock-offs to the mix. Rockefeller Center harbors smaller specialty shops, both along the outdoor promenade and in the underground marketplace, and big-gun branches of Sephora, Banana Republic, and J. Crew. To the south, at 39th Street, is the Lord & Taylor department store.   57th Street   The coveted north side of 57th Street between 5th and Madison Avenues is anchored by the white-glass Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy headquarters, which opened in December 1999. Designed by Christian de Portzamparc, the LVMH Tower's fragmented form lends a new light-hearted elegance to the street and houses branches of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Bliss, the SoHo-born superspa. These glamazons are surrounded by big-name art galleries and exclusive stores such as Burberrys, Chanel, Escada, and Hermès, but the block is no longer limited to top-echelon shopping. More affordable (and sizable) stores are an unmissable presence: Giant cartoon characters emblazon a supersize Warner Bros. Studio Store, while NikeTown and the Tourneau TimeMachine use high-tech marketing environments to lure in customers. To the west of 5th Avenue are more art galleries and less monolithic shops, such as the Compleat Strategist game store (between 8th and 9th avenues), the scruffily literate Coliseum Books, a very oak-paneled branch of Rizzoli bookstores, and PARON FABRICS (56 W. 57th St.).   Columbus Avenue   Between 66th and 86th streets, a former tenement district is now home to a decent shopping strip. Stores are mostly modern in design, upscale but not top-of-the-line; many are branches of familiar chains like Banana Republic. Still, you can find some not-too-prevalent places, like a second Sean storefront for quietly dapper menswear, NAUTICA (216 Columbus, at 70th St.) for sport and prepster menswear and the Maraolo factory store for discounted office-worthy shoes. If you venture west to Broadway and 80th Street you'll find Zabar's, the stuff of a foodie's urban legend.   Madison Avenue   Madison Avenue between 57th and about 79th streets can satisfy almost any fashion craving. In 1999 Cerruti joined Italian compatriots Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, and Prada, while New York's hometown designer Donna Karan opened the world's first DKNY store at the corner of 60th and Madison. British darling Nicole Farhi has also set up her fashion camp on 60th Street, between Madison and Fifth avenues; J.P. Tod's, of driving-shoe fame, recently opened a stone's throw away on Madison between 59th and 60th streets. The entire western side of Madison between 69th and 70th streets reinvented itself with the arrival of newcomer Chloé and branches of Cartier jewelers and menswear masters Alfred Dunhill and Sulka. The majority of these engulf much larger spaces than traditional, one-level Madison boutiques; still, some smaller shops, such as Frédéric Fekkai (for hair products and accessories) are able to squeeze in. Madison isn't just a fashion funnel, however; there are several outstanding antiques dealers and numerous art galleries here as well.