Located on the corner of 58th and 5th, Bergdorf's is by far my favorite department store in the city.  It's a sister to Neiman Marcus which is a store in Los Angeles that I frequent.  There is plenty to choose from whether you want to purchase a pair of Manolo's or a pair of J Brand's, almost any shopper willing to throwdown some money can find exactly what they need here.  To top it off, there's an adorable restaurant (mentioned in the first New York post) in the cosmetic department downstairs.  While you're down there, check out the headbands.

This used to be my favorite until they removed the clothes.  Bendel's is now an accessory and cosmetics only department store.  Regardless, I still always make my way through.  There are many unique accessories you won't find anywhere else.  If you decide to hit up Bergdorf's, make your way down the street to Bendel's as well.

Three words: Breakfast at Tiffany's!  If you're looking for jewelry or another gift of some sort, you may have some luck here.  This Tiffany's is much larger than the one I have here in Los Angeles so I enjoy making my way through since I'm a lover of Tiffany's jewelry.

Scoop NYC


There's a few of these in the city but if I were going to choose one to go to it would be the one on Broadway.  It's much larger than the others.  For some reason I enjoyed the experience there more.  They have a bunch of items that are their own company or other designers for Scoop.  You can find most contemporary designers here.  There's Alice and Olivia, Missoni, Free City etc.  As you can see there's a wide variety for any type of shopper.

Intermix


If your'e going to go to Intermix, go to the one on the Upper East Side.  It's more spacious than the others I've been to.  They carry similar stuff as Scoop but it's a bit more pricey so beware.  I'll occasionally purchase something but I generally just enjoy browsing the store.

Calypso St. Barth


Soho. Soho. Soho. There's literally one on every block and one's an outlet.  I grabbed a cute pair of summer shoes for cheap.  There's quite a few Calypso's throughout the city but I'd definitely make a point to stopping in the one in Soho.  Every time I shop there it makes me want to take a trip to the Caribbean.

Zoe


This store is similar to Intermix but it's in Brooklyn.  I was wandering the streets of DUMBO going into every furniture store I found trying to find new things for my new house and I came across this adorable boutique.  The employee's are nice and the clothes are fantastic.  It has a great layout to wander around in.  I didn't expect to find a store like this on this street but I loved it.

Jonathan Adler


I'm obsessed with the furniture from here.  It's a bit pricey but it's a great place to get ideas of what you want.  It's somewhat a classic contemporary style.  Many items are traditional while others are hysterical. They sell a Peacock lollipop holder.  Despite how ridiculous that sounds.  I want it. 

2 cups Raw Almonds

3 tablespoons Agave

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

3 teaspoons Cinnamon

2 teaspoons Sea Salt

Preheat your oven to 350°.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Place the mixture in a pirex.  Toss together to make sure the mixture is evenly on all the almonds.  Place in oven for about 20 minutes (until done).  When the time is up, take the almonds out of the oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes.  Transfer the almonds to a piece of foil to allow for further cooling and hardening.  If needed, sprinkle some sea salt and/or cinnamon (to taste).  Enjoy!

Located in Soho, Balthazar is known for having one of the best, if not the best, brunches in New York.  I have a love for Eggs Benedict so of course, I had to try theirs as well.
What I Ate: 

The Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridian:


Best. Burger. Ever. Well maybe not as good as Apple Pan but this is a close second.  It is literally a hole in the wall behind the front desk of the hotel.  The glowing burger is the sign outside the room.  Line up.  Order.  Grab your food.  Grab a table.  Or not.... Some people rudely snatched tables from others.  Instead of waiting around, we took our burgers to bed and later ordered room service for dessert.  A perfect low-key night in the crazy city.  Don't let the long line scare you.  It's well worth the wait.
What I Ate: 

when i was young, i had at terrible peanut butter allergy. one day the allergy disappeared but my love for peanut butter had completely diminished.  growing up, everyone had pb&j for lunch at school and just the look of it made me want to vomit.  it was such a simple meal that i could not enjoy like everyone else.  recently, i have re-found my love for peanut butter but i don't think i would eat it as frequently as i do now if i had not come across better butter.  i read about it on fit chick in the city and decided to order some to try. 

better butter uses all natural ingredients and manages to have a much lower calorie count than typical peanut butter.  it comes in honey nut banana, nutty chocolate chip, maple pumpkin and cinnamon raisin. 

i purchased the variety pack which included honey nut banana, nutty chocolate chip and maple pumpkin because i was not sure which flavor i would want.