Shopping on 5th Avenue NYC always makes my heart happy. Even when I was an intern and I was the one who was sent out to fetch the coffee for all the senior editors, I was happy and instantly inspired. I would put my hand up for any errands that involved a walk down 5th Avenue, just to steal glimpses of the latest window displays and sometimes I would dash in just to see the see latest trends, hanging on the New Arrivals racks.
Geographically, 5th Avenue stretches from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village all the way up to Harlem. So the avenue itself spans from 8th Avenue East to 142nd Street East but the condensed shopping is specifically between 49th Street and 60th Street. This is the where the luxury boutiques and flagship stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Tiffany & Co. Central Park spans from 59th to 110th Streets, giving a fabulous scenic backdrop while shopping. Central Park starts at 59th Street East where the iconic Plaza Hotel is, all the way up to 110th Street. This is where the Avenue turns from the Upper East Side into Harlem, and becomes more residential and less commercial as you go north.
Today, I am taking you along with me on a typical day on 5th Avenue. This is normally a Sunday for me, when I can dedicate the whole day to wandering up the shopping capital of the world. Sometimes I might do a half day on a Saturday after my workout and errands but today is just for me, you and 5th Avenue.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Ace Hotel, 18 W 29th Street, New York City
I always set out just before 11 am. Most stores don’t open until 11.00 am or 12.00 noon on a Sunday. So I can have a guilt free sleep in. I live in Chelsea, so I always buy a latte to-go from Stumptown Coffee Roasters in the Ace Hotel on the corner of West 29th Street and Broadway. Then I strut up Broadway until I hit Macy’s on 34th Street. I could spend an entire day in Macy’s, and have done so many times (normally with my mom). It’s a traditionally my first stop of the day to see the new collections. I also love to scan the Last Act racks, which is what Macy’s call their sale and clearance items. I learned to do this when I was in college but have never seemed to kick the habit. I have purchased many stylish items from the Last Act at a really affordable price.
Macys Department Store, corner of W 34th Street and Broadway
From Macy’s, I head across to 5th Avenue so I don’t get tangled up in the crowds of Times Square. I normally get lured into Zara just before I hit 5th Avenue. It’s one of their smaller stores and feels more like a boutique as opposed to their other larger stores. As I turn left onto 5th Avenue, I try and make some ground until I hit 40th Street. This is where the New York Public Library is, one of my favourite buildings in New York City. I always think of Carrie standing on the stair case during her and Big’s wedding scene in Sex and The City. Unfortunately Carrie is about to be jilted by Big, so let’s keep a walkin’.
Inside the New York Public Library, 5th Avenue
Looking ahead, I start to keep my eyes peeled for the window displays of my favorite stores. From 49th Street, the high end brands are beginning to appear, Ted Baker, Club Monaco, Givenchy, Dolce and Cabana and of course SAKS Fifth Avenue. I always stop buy Saks and head straight down to the beauty section first. Be careful, you can get lost in this place. And don’t ever wear a fragrance shopping, because you will always be approached and offered a squirt from a new collection the minute you hit the floor. Roaming around the beauty section, I buy any product from my makeup collection that is on repeat. I can’t live without a stick of Dior Lip Glow in my handbag or the Byroe celery serum that I have been obsessed with lately. I normally have a browse through the other floors of Saks but truth be told, I am in my early thirties and only just finished paying off my colossal student loan (plus I work in the fashion industry and with all due respect, is not exactly high paying. Not yet anyway, we do it for the love. Buying designer clothes is definitely reserved for my future. That is not to say that I don’t have a Wishlist, which this black Balenciaga Hampton bag is at the top of.
Beauty Department in Saks Fifth Avenue
Across from Saks, I like to go into Banana Republic by the Rockefeller Centre. Ralph Lauren’s coffee truck is normally parked which is amazing, because by this time, I am getting ready for my second coffee. I take in the view of the Rockefellar Centre (peeking around the corner at the ice rink if it is Christmas time). I also love gazing my eyes over St Patrick’s Cathedral, and I can never take my eyes off the Carter store.
Cartier Store, 5th Avenue
There is so much to take in. More often than not, I stop by Nine West to admire the new season shiny patent shoes and just up a little further, I always take a minute to remember my old time favourite, Henri Bendel. I still find it hard to believe the store is no longer here. My love for Henri Bendel stems from when my mother would take me there as a little girl. I remember we went for the launch of a fragrance, Orange Flower when I was about six years old. I can still remember the scent so vividly. My mom would always dress us up for events like this, launches of products or stores offering free makeup sessions with their new foundation or a lipstick they were promoting. My mom worked in banking but she said she always wanted to be a fashion designer but her parents had other ideas. She always used to wrap up the conversation by telling me to follow my heart, and only do what makes me happy, no one else. After Bendel’s, we would always go to Barneys on Madison Avenue and have lunch at Fred’s. My mom made me feel like a Park Avenue Princess, letting me order cake or dessert of some kind if I finished my big bowl of Spaghetti Bolognaise. Sometimes my mom would have a cocktail, one of “Fred’s cocktails” she would say. Sadly Barneys closed down about a year after Henri Bendel did. It was a sad time for 5th Avenue. I think I need a tissue just thinking about it. My mom and I still shop together on 5th Avenue when we find the time, and it’s always such a trip down memory lane.
Ralph’s Coffee Truck outside Banana Republic, Rockefeller Centre, 5th Avenue
A quick stop by Tiffany’s to bask in the elegant jewels cheers me right up. Then I can’t resist a well earned browse through Bergdorf Goodman, where I always manage to sight a celebrity of some kind. Whether, they are on the A list or D list, they are in there. Now I am approaching the edge of Central Park I always find myself at a decision crossroads. I can walk through Central Park, which I love to do in the spring and fall months. I can keep shopping up 5th Avenue until I get to the MET, which is always my turn around point (maybe skipping over to Bloomingdales on 59th Street). But more often than not, I like to stop at the Plaza for a glass of rose and rest my feet while I immerse myself in the architecture of the building. Sometimes I arrange to meet a friend if I am not shopping with one already, or just go on my own and sit at the bar. I love to watch the people around me. Admittedly, sometimes I even eaves drop into their conversations. One time I was in there sitting next to two women at the bar and got engrossed in their conversation about a weekend they had at a friend’s house in the Hamptons. They were talking about all the drama with one of their friends who was there and how another one had just found out her husband was having an affair. One of the women had just returned from a week in Italy so she was filling the other in on all the gossip and I honestly felt like I was listening to an audio of the Real Housewives of New York.
Tiffany & Co Store, 5th Avenue
This sums up a typical day of shopping on 5th Avenue in New York City for me. I hope you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoyed sharing it. Hope to see you again soon.
P.S. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. I promise I only recommend products and brands that I truly adore. Think of it as a little way to support my shopping habit… so I can keep sharing all my favorite finds with you.
