Balthazar New York

New York is famed for its amazing shopping and it’s one of my favourite cities for finding those cool hidden gems.

While I love wandering around the Big Apple and discovering hotspots as I go, it can be easy to take a wrong turn and miss the best shopping streets. Luckily, travel specialists Hayes and Jarvis have created a handy Shop NYC app for the iPhone, so you’ll never miss the best places to drop some dollars.

The App

The innovative app features 100 of New York’s best stores handpicked by retail experts as well as curated shopping guides and reviews of all stores.

The stores are filtered into 10 categories for easy navigation, under sections including American Classics, Beauty Products, New York One-Offs, Classic Department Stores, Homewares and Food & Drink. It couldn’t be easier to plan a day of boutique hopping, or simply whip out the app when you’re in need of a bit of instant inspiration.

Shoppers can find important info such as opening hours, direct links to the store websites and even call stores directly from the app. Even though New York is known as the city that doesn’t sleep, it’s still easy to make a shopping faux pas and arrive to find the shutters closed, wasting valuable holiday time.

Route Planner

One of my favourite features is the route planner, calculating the walking time between stores and noting the spots that you can visit on the way. It’s almost impossible to get lost, as the real-time GPS pinpoints your location and guides you along your route.

My favourite shopping area is Downtown New York, in particular its SoHo and Nolita neighbourhoods. This hip area below Houston Street is filled with designer concept stores, independent boutiques, and American brands that are hard to find in the UK.

Here are a few of my favourite haunts on the SoHo and Nolita shopping scene…

Madewell SoHo

The younger sister of J.Crew, Madewell is the place to find your downtown New York wardrobe with high quality basics, casual dresses and slouchy leather bags. I bought one of my favourite jewellery pieces – a hot pink thread and gold bead necklace – at Madewell last time I was in the US and often stock up on accessories there.

Opening Ceremony

Carol Lim and Humberto Leon launched their first Opening Ceremony store in New York and this SoHo store still leads the way with a well-edited selection of pieces by designers across the world. Look out for cool sneakers, exclusive collaborations and lashings of KENZO.

Nicole Miller

I’m a fan of New York-based designer Nicole Miller’s cool, playful clothes with bold prints and interesting design details. With only one other store in West Hollywood, you’re sure to find a unique dress that no one will be wearing at your next cocktail party.

Proenza Schouler

The SoHo flagship store of New York designer brand Proenza Schouler is a sleek, high-tech space that houses the full collection of womenswear, jewellery, shoes, bags and accessories.

CB2

The hipper offshoot of Crate & Barrel, CB2 offers well-priced contemporary homewares and furnishings to recreate that New York loft vibe at home. You can even have a one-to-one consultation with the resident design expert every Thursday from 6-8pm.

McNally Jackson Books

It would be easy to lose an entire afternoon in this fantastic independent bookshop. Not only does it have an excellent selection of books and a cute cafe, but you can self-publish your very own book right there and then.

Of course, even the most seasoned New York shopper needs a quick refuel, so here are my top places to indulge and really make a day of it…

Charlie Bird

Hot downtown restaurant Charlie Bird takes new spin on Italian-American comfort food with plenty of New York hip hop soul. Tuck into tasty pasta, fresh oysters and seasonal vegetable dishes.

Crosby Street Hotel

Find a little corner of London in New York at Firmdale Hotels’ colourful Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo. Start a day of shopping with delicious Eggs Benedict, refuel with a decadent afternoon tea or numb the pain of weary feet with cocktails and bar bites.

Balthazar

Keith McNally’s French-style bistro is a SoHo institution and still the place to see and be seen. Cosy up on a red leather banquette and review your purchases over Steak Frites and a glass of Champagne.

Dominique Ansel Bakery

Home of the trend-setting Cronut, Cookie Shot and other sweet creations, Dominique Ansel Bakery is perfect for a SoHo sugar fix. Be sure to get there early in the morning if you want to try the world’s most talked-about pastry.

Dean & DeLuca

I always find myself drawn to this gourmet food temple when I’m out and about in SoHo. Its posh deli sandwiches and fresh salads are to die for and don’t forget to share (because they’re enormous) a box of sweet potato fries.

Parm

Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone’s Italian-New York diner in Nolita is the place to feed the soul with classics such as parmigiana subs, mozzarella-smothered meatballs, baked ziti, club sandwiches and patty melts.

Where are your favourite shops in NYC? Are you more of a Downtown or Uptown shopper?

To get the best out of New York shopping, download the free Hayes and Jarvis Shop NYC app for the iPhone from the App Store.

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Stephen Starr is Philadelphia’s best-known restaurateur, whose portfolio of ranges from chic Pan-Asian fine dining to colourful Mexican brunch joints. Starr began his restaurant empire in Philadelphia before venturing into New York with Buddakan, Morimoto and Caffe Storico and restaurants in Florida and Washington D.C.

Dining at a Stephen Starr restaurant is an absolute must for foodies visiting Philadelphia and we were lucky enough to visit three on the same evening! A ‘dine around’ is more of a clever press trip concept than a new dining trend in Philadelphia, but it’s possible to do if you eat light and plan with precision.

PARC

We started our restaurant crawl at Parc, a stylish Parisian bistro overlooking Philadelphia’s leafy Rittenhouse Square. Parc has a great atmosphere, bustling and lively with an elegant bar and terrace. Its ‘mega bistro’ concept is similar to NYC’s Balthazar and Pastis and the friendly, chatty staff help maintain an unpretentious ambiance.

We slid into one of the intimate leather banquettes and feasted on boards of charcuterie with country paté and chicken liver mousse, a selection of fromages with walnuts, house-made bread and a majestic seafood tower boasting fresh chilled shrimp.

The charcuterie and fromages were authentic and of exceptional quality and the chilled shrimp was not only visually pleasing but ever so plump and succulent.

The wine list at Parc is also impressive, with an extensive collection of Champagnes and wines categorised by their character – aromatic, rich, spicy, exotic, elegant or classic. The choice of cocktails is slightly more edited but still interesting. I enjoyed the potent and refreshing Basilic – Smirnoff Citrus, elderflower liqueur and basil.

Parc is the perfect all-day dining destination with plenty of character and an unrivalled location next to Philadelphia’s shops and bars.

The Continental

Our next stop was The Continental, an institution of the Philadelphia bar scene. The buzzing three-floor diner, lounge and martini bar has a retro feel with over-sized martini olive lamps, leather booths and cute animal-shaped seats. We had a drink at the bar and then went up to the rooftop for dinner.

The varied menu has a global outlook, with dishes including French Onion Soup, Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Indian Kofta, Korean Pork Tacos, Chilean Sea Bass and Cheesesteak Eggroll.

For my main dish, I went for the Jumbo Lump Crab Pad Thai (it’s hard to resist anything with jumbo lump crab when visiting the States). The pad thai noodles were cooked perfectly and coated in a light, nutty sauce, crushed peanuts, egg, tofu and scallion and topped with fresh, meaty jumbo lump crab. The portion size was enormous, so only add an appetiser or side if you’re really hungry.

The Continental is a fun, young and vibrant place for enjoying martinis with friends or starting a night of stylish bar hopping with a bite to eat. The music can be loud at the rooftop bar, so if you’re eating there, try the ground floor diner.

Alma de Cuba

Alma de Cuba, one of Stephen Starr’s original restaurants, is sultry, sophisticated and romantic with a dimly-lit dining room and lounge.

Chef Douglas Rodriguez’s Modern Latin menu takes inspiration from Old Havana and features numerous ceviches, Sugarcane Tuna, Chorizo Sliders, Rum Cured Duck Breast and ‘Fried Cow’.

To finish off our dine around evening, I tried Alma de Cuba’s signature dessert, the Chocolate Cigar. Rich chocolate mousse was rolled in soft chocolate almond cake and finished with an Alma de Cuba paper cigar sticker. The decadent cigar was served with creamy dulce de leche ice cream and fun sugar matches, which were lit by our waiter.

After dinner, head down to the bar for delicious rum-based cocktails. Try an authentic Suave Mojito, Black Cherry Caipirinha, Havana Old Fashioned or Alma Colada.

Stephen Starr’s most popular Philadelphia restaurants Buddakan and Morimoto are notoriously difficult to get into, so book a table far in advance. Also, word has it that Starr is planning to bring a unique cinema eatery to central Philadelphia. Nothing is confirmed as yet, but it already sounds like the ideal date night!

For more Philly destination ideas, read my guides on Things to do in Philadelphia, Arts and Culture in Philadelphia and Dining in Philadelphia.

Chérie City was a guest of PCVB

All photos by Chérie City

Hayes and Jarvis New Shop NYC App