When tourists come into NYC, they often get caught up in shopping in the large chain stores just south of Houston St. on Broadway. There are so many stores there from Sephora to American Eagle to Banana Republic. While these stores are great, you can get them in your average mall back home, so why are you wasting your time looking at them here as well? If you are heading south on Broadway, you could always take a right on Prince St. or Spring St. and you’ll end up in the more expensive parts of SoHo. Here, you’ll find stores from Lacoste to 7 For All Mankind. You may be excited to see these stores because they are less common in America’s malls, but after all, you can order these online and they’re not unique. Expensive, sure, but not unique.
I advise all tourists to step outside of the stores that they know and head into stores you’ve never heard of before. Instead of walking down Broadway, I suggest walking down Lafayette St. If you’re standing on Houston and looking south, you’ll want to make a left and head over to Lafayette. Here you’ll find stores such as Zachary’s Smile (located on Lafayette and Houston next to Bank of America) and Matta (located at 241 Lafayette between Spring and Prince). On Lafayette, you’ll also find many other unique stores that you won’t be able to find anywhere else in the United States. When you return home, people will compliment you like crazy and when they ask you where you got your adorable outfit, you’ll be able to tell them you got it at some store they’ve never heard of – you’ll sound just so fashionable!
Along the strip with Matta and Zachary’s Smile, you’ll find unique furniture stores, bookstores, and restaurants that are definitely not available elsewhere. You should check out Delicatessen, located at the corner of Prince St. and Lafayette, which is often frequented by celebrities. The less classy yet delicious MacBar (serves different versions of macaroni and cheese from hamburger mac to spicier flavors) is also located farther back behind Delicatessen. After you stop for lunch, you can head into McNally Jackson, a lovely indie bookstore where you can relax for a few minutes in their café before you start out on your shopping spree again. The famous Rice to Riches (located at 37 Spring St between Mott and Mulberry St.) is not to be missed either – here you can find some of the craziest yet incredibly delicious flavors of rice pudding.
