Shopping:

There are so many to choose from but one of my favourite streets in Manhattan for wandering along and discovering a range of shopping – from Converse shoes to high-end perfume – is definitely Bleecker Street which stretches from the East to West village. Start your walk from the Bowery Street end in the East Village, location until 2006 to the legendary CBGB venue … Moving on, take your time, allowing two or three hours to meander along Bleecker, soaking up the casual atmosphere and great characters you can only find in New York, from the hip to the crazy.  Shopping highlights include Marc Jacobs where you can even buy his own brand of condoms, and the totally gorgeous Bond No 9 http://www.bondno9.com/splash which sells a range of New York inspired perfumes such as the floral Chelsea and dramatic Madison Soiree – I bought one of the Madison Soiree candles, not cheap at nearly $85, but so highly perfumed you only need to burn them from an hour to have your room smelling incredibly good. And if you’re passing the Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com ), go in and try one of their famous iced cupcakes if you can bear the queue which runs down the block on busy days (and customers are limited to a dozen cupcakes due to popularity). The Magnolia Bakery was made famous in the movies The Devil Wears Prada and Prime as well as Sex & The City’s when Miranda’s stuffs her face with them; which leads me too…….