Diamond District
West 47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. More than 2,600 independent businesses are packed into this city block, most of them selling diamonds, jewelry or both. The place can get quite packed and frantic during prime hours. Be ready to be assertive and to haggle for the best deal. Tours are offered Wednesday morning at 9:30 am. US$10 per person. Reservation required. Tour starts at 2 West 47th St. (outside the National Jewelers Exchange). Phone 212-398-3087. http://www.47th-street.com.

Greenwich Village/East Village
The small streets in these areas are thick with shoe stores, Indian import shops, CD stores, bookstores and punk-clothing boutiques. You can make some surprising finds if you venture off the major avenues and onto sidestreets, especially in the East Village. The West Village tends to be a little more pricey and upscale, and more chain stores abound there. The East Village tends to have smaller, funkier, more independent shops (notwithstanding a large Kmart and a Tower Records, both near Astor Place).

NoLIta
Stands for North of Little Italy. The area around Elizabeth, Mulberry and Mott Streets, between Spring and Houston Streets, has many hip little boutiques, art galleries and a couple dozen clothing stores.

SoHo and Tribeca
These two areas south of Houston Street (pronounced HOW-ston) and north of Chambers Street downtown are neighborhoods both artsy and upscale. (SoHo is short for South of Houston; TriBeCa -- pronounced try-BECK-uh -- is short for Triangle Below Canal Street.) They're jammed with art galleries, up-and-coming clothing designers and innovative jewelry creators. Bakeries, bistros and unusual food shops are on every corner.

South Street Seaport
On the cobbled extension area of Fulton Street, you'll recognize branches of such well-known retailers as J. Crew, Ann Taylor, Gap and Banana Republic -- an easy place to shop while soaking in the historic atmosphere. Very touristy, though. East River at the foot of Fulton Street, New York City.

Upper East Side
In the rectangular area bordered by 57th and 72nd Streets and Madison and Lexington Avenues, you'll find many chic clothing boutiques. In particular, Madison Avenue in the 60s and 70s boasts most of the clothiers featured in the pages of Vogue and W -- very pricey, fancy places indeed. Along the small side streets you'll see quaint brownstones, antique shops and art galleries. Prices and snootiness tend to fall as you head north and east: 3rd, 2nd and 1st Avenues in the 70s and 80s have more modest and affordable clothing, houseware, electronics and music stores.

Upper West Side
On weekend afternoons, Broadway and Columbus Avenue are packed with New Yorkers and out-of-towners casually poking their heads in the multitude of shops this neighborhood offers. Broadway, especially between 72nd Street and 86th Street, is mostly home to upscale chain stores such as Gap, Banana Republic, Barnes and Noble, Coach, Steve Madden and the like. Columbus Avenue is skewed more toward small, expensive boutiques, specialty shops and ritzy eateries. Some especially popular neighborhood spots are the I.S. 44 Flea Market and Zabar's, the city's finest gourmet food store.