SHOPPING_IN_NEW_YORK

It doesn't matter whether you've been here five minutes of five days - by now you've probably observed that New York is unique among cities.

From the Empire State Building to the elegant sweep of Fifth Avenue, from fashiona­ble SoHo to the vibrant Upper West Side, the Big Apple offers the best and the rarest of life's treasures.

This is doubly true on the shopping front, where baubles from Borneo, boots from Brazil and ball gowns from Bill Blass can be all found within the same city block.

Although jewellery is treasured the world over, there are shops in Manhat­tan glittering with one-of-the-kind gems that will never appear in your local jew­ellery shop.

Picture exotic golden birds trailing brilliantly coloured plumage made of semiprecious stones, dragonflies with delicate wings made of luminous blue and pink opals; and even tiny gold­en flies so realistic you can almost hear the buzz. These special pieces by Austral­ian jewellery designer Tony White were created exclusively for a remarkable shop called Jewellers Design.

Another innovative retailer is Pull Cart.

This place is the source of do-it-yourself ceramic dinnerware and table­cloth items.

What does it mean and how does it work, you may ask.

The shop itself is a delight, a bright and airy space with a friendly, fun am­bience.

If you're an avid shopper and budding artist, you can satisfy both in­terests here.

Visitors to the city will bless the day the New York Gift Express was invent­ed.

This extraordinary retail service brings gift items from Manhattan's finest shops to your hotel room door, lit­erally. As of yet, there's nothing quite like it anywhere; although it's only a matter of time before this great idea takes root throughout the world.

All information and instructions on order­ing are provided in seven languages.

Or, if you prefer, your selection can be shipped directly to a destination of your choice.

If you're not staying at a participating hotel, you can access this service wherever you are simply by calling the Gift Express directly.

When you are looking for imaginative and beautifully designed gifts or souve­nirs of your trip that soar above the standard "I Love New York" T-shirt lev­el, head straight for the wonderful shops of the Museum of Modern Art.

These distinctive items are available in a wide range of prices.

Another of New York's cultural land­marks is the inspiration behind a series of shops offering the kind of merchan­dise you won't find elsewhere.

The Met­ropolitan Opera shop is the real jewel in the sparkling crown of lovely boutiques associated with this great cultural insti­tution.

New York has a special place for the kid in all of us, a wild fantasyland like no other.

The place is Rocktoons, a com­bined art gallery and shop fitted with the happily imaginative creations of owner Joe Jones and his colourful cast of fellow artists.

Rocktoons are one-of-a-kind hand-drawn rock'n'roll charac­ters created by Jones.

They decorate greeting cards, pins, earrings, key rings, pillowcases, magnets and baby clothes.

Jones customises jackets, boots, T-shirts and even toilet seats with their images.

Or, if you prefer, your selection can Another way in which Rocktoons differs from other shops or galleries is that the artists often work right on the premises.

There are thousands of shops in New York.

While it might be exaggerating to say that New York never sleeps, it is true that most major shopping districts stay open far past traditional closing times.

A favourite late-night shopping district is Greenwich Village where most shops stay open until midnight.