Forever 21: Sneak Peek into an NYC store, and a Few Things They Could do Better!

The fact that I keep talking about Forever 21 obviously means the brand holds a special place in my heart. We all love the brand because if makes fashion very affordable. A few days back I was looking at their site and found almost 200 items under $5!! Though I always felt the quality of the clothes was not the best, but they were worth the money and trendy, I had a slightly different experience this time during my trip to NYC.

There are quite a few stores in the city and surprisingly have different collections. The one at the 34th street, though is very big, did not have a great collection this time!  All I wanted was a casual skirt, and there were almost none to even try. I did not like anything! The quality of the clothes were a bit disappointing, you could find better stuff at Sarojini street shops. Nothing against SN since it used to be one of my favorite shopping destinations during college days, but you'd expect better in a NY store. The not-fitting and asymmetric seems to be the in-style these days! The store was flooded with them. But I am not a fan!

The Union Square is a better one. I found a nice $10 skirt there, which on trial turned out to be a little too tight and sexy ;). I picked up a very pretty necklace though. The best Forever 21 store however is the one at Times Square! First of all it stays open till 2am!! It is also quite huge and has the best collection. It is very organized too.

All said and done, I still can't not visit this store if I'm visiting NYC! The Delhi store hasn't impressed me much as they charge very high prices compared to the US stores! I have a soft corner for this store, and I hope I can find something nice I visit them the next time! For the same price, H&M offers some more sophisticated stuff. Forever 21 still is a very popular brand for college kids, 70% of the collection meant to woo them.. but it would be fabulous if they could bring out some classier and chic clothes for us, the office goers too!

Another thing I wish F 21 could change was their exchange policy. Most stores allow you to return the products in the US. This only gives you a store credit so that you can exchange it!

How has your latest Forever 21 experience been?

Here are some photos from the 34th Street store. It was such a nice feeling to be able to take photographs freely inside a store, unlike here in India where you're always prohibited!!

My Travelogue Begins - 10 Places to See/ Be at in New York City! Part 1

It's been almost a month since I've been back in Delhi and thinking of writing about my trip. I've been both busy and lazy, but I finally got some time and decided to start writing. I was in New York City for 3 weeks for work and then traveled to visit the Niagara Falls, Disney World, Universal Studios and Miami. The focus for this article is my first destination, though I have to admit I'm already dying to write about the last ones too!

Though I have been to NYC a few times before for work, this was a special trip for several reasons. I discovered some new places in the city in terms of food, shopping and experiences, almost making it as exciting as the first visit to any place. Also, the romantic air of the city always made me miss my husband and I had him with me for the first time, though for a rather short time in the end! My selection of the best 10 places to see/ be at in NYC obviously has a a bias towards things I love - Walking around, Riverside, City View, Shopping, Eating. The night-life coverage unfortunately will be a little low. And I promise, I will try to cover them more in my next trip :). So here are my favorite places of the New York City! Since it is going to be long, I am splitting it into 2 parts.

Brooklyn Bridge

Thanks to my poor memory, I had forgotten what it was like to walk on the Brooklyn Bridge and hence went on to relive that experience. And guess what, my heart skipped a beat yet again as I stepped on to the wooden walkway and felt the vibrations of the cars racing under my feet. I could actually see them through the gaps between the wooden planks right below me. At the centre of the bridge, you can even throw a coin in the East river below (not sure if that is allowed though). It was quite a feeling, not to mention the view! It is almost impossible to not feel a little bit romantic there :)

Central Park

Yes, you have seen a lot of it both in Hollywood as well as Bollywood, but it's still worth seeing it with your own eyes. Honestly, I'm not really a fan of greenery but the vastness and serenity of this place is  breathtaking.  Seemed like the Central Park had also become a favorite spot for wedding couples. Saw quite a few of them with their crew of photographers following them along the park! The huge park spreads from the 59th street to the 110th street and has a drive space of 10 km inside the park used by joggers, skaters, cyclists etc. An interesting fact is that though the park looks very natural, it has been entirely landscaped and several lakes inside have been created artificially, but you simply can't tell!

Bridesmaids..

Street Show outside the Central Park

Central Park Zoo: While this zoo is one of the smallest in NYC (Bronx being the largest), a few residents make a treat for the eyes. My favorite are the seal and the penguins! They also have a snow leopard and a polar bear amongst other interesting beings. It is not a bad place for an entry fee of $13! In fact on two weekends every year, they allow complimentary entries to all corporate employees and I happened to be there on one of those weekends!

Times Square

I call it 'The I Make Everyone Smile' Square. No matter how I feel, the liveliness of this place cheers me up. The lights, the crowd, the hustle-bustle - all make it a happy place. I love sitting on the red stairs in the main square and watching the hundreds of people before me with something unique about each of them. You could often see an Elvis Presley or a topless but starred female guitarist or a Micky Mouse! The place also outlets for most of your favorite brands which also stay open till later than the other stores. The Times Square Forever 21 has the best collection and shopping hours, remains open till 2 am!

Eating options galore too!

Check him out, Elvis!

Breakfast @ HRC, A bit ironical :)

Inside HRC

The 34th Street

For someone who loves shopping, 34th street cannot be missed! You have the huge 9 floor Macy's that has a solution for almost all possible shopping needs! The shopping in Macy's experience deserves an independent article I believe! You also have Victoria Secrets, H&M around though the Forever 21 isn't exactly great. And I have to make a special mention of the Fossil store. There was a small problem with my Fossil watch and I had gone there to get it fixed. Since the duration of my stay wasn't long enough for them to fix it, they gave me a brand new watch!!!!!!!!!!!! I was rather shocked with this 'unthinkable in India' gesture! But I would recommend that Fossil store to everyone for their courteousness and generosity. And please don't blame me if you had entered the store to just buy a watch for your girlfriend but ended up buying two for yourself as well :).

Though Pizza is an Italian dish, they are absolutely yummy in America!!

Empire State Building

The spectacular view of the entire city from the top of the Empire State Building has again been dramatized in several movies and my first reaction too was nothing but a 'WOW' back in 2007. It is a different story that I went to the 45th floor of my office the next day and was equally mesmerized with the view that I got there! But if you're a tourist without the access to an office space in the 45th floor, you must visit this place! And the best time to go there I think is a little before sunset so that you can get both the day view as well as the night view! It is a photographer's delight! The lights, the buildings, the streets - it has to be experienced rather than read! It is not one of the post popular attractions of NYC for no reason.

Though I have been to only the 86th Floor and not the 102nd floor, 86th has an open space and I have read is better than 102! (You need to know this as there are separate tickets, 102 being more expensive). The skyride is also good is what I have heard.

  

Souvenir @ the Empire State

This is it for today. Pardon me and also correct me if there has been any factual errors. I have written this article more share my experiences rather than the widely known facts :). These snaps have been taken by three people (one of them being me), hence I cannot take all the credit :). Enjoy!

Where to Shop in New York!

It's not like I don't enjoy shopping here in India, but shopping in New York City is a different experience altogether. Be it electronics or clothing or make up, they are all much cheaper there, not to forget the variety that you get. This is where a shopaholic can attain nirvana! In fact when I went there for the first time, I had shopped so much that I had to slide in some stuff in my colleague's luggage :) They still laugh at me for this!!

The city has so much in it that you cannot get bored even if you're all by yourself. And when it comes to my shopping, it usually has a lot of shop hopping :) So I prefer going alone and indulge myself in the world of fashion, makeup and trends!

So what are my favorite shopping hangouts there? This is going to be a slightly long post. So I will break it into may be 2-3 posts. My favorites are:

***Forever 21 and H&M***

Forever 21: I have already talked about my love for this store in my earlier blog: Forever 21 is a Favourite Forever. I had also promised some more snaps. Here they are.

• The style is dominated by teenage and casual, but there is something for everyone. You cannot come out empty handed.
• Reasonably priced. You will get lots of cool, trendy, sexy stuff in even $15-$20.
• Fabric Quality: Not all of them are amazing. In fact some of them even remind you of Sarojini Nagar and Janpath of Delhi or Gariahat of Kolkata! But lasts long. I still have stuff purchased in 2007 in good shape. Of course, it tells a lot about how well I take care of my clothes :)
• It feels as if everything they have, has been tailor-made for you! The clothes fit perfectly.
• It's a complete store for women. They have everything - apparel, accessories, shoes, lingerie and even cosmetics!!

H&M: I have been familiar with this brand for a long time. Back in my hostel days, I stayed in a PG and my roommate worked with H&M. Lucky she was, used to come home everyday with a 'damaged' piece. But I always thought they were all perfect. Infact she got a couple of them for me as well!!

H&M makes a lot of their stuff in India, but unfortunately they do not sell here! In fact sometimes it really pains to pay for 'Made in India' goods in dollars :(

Like Forever 21, H&M also have HUGE multistoreyed stores.

• They have a good mix of trendy as well as classy staff.
• Fabric wise, they are slightly better than Forever 21 I would say. But they are a bit more expensive too, still very affordable.
• I loved the collection of jackets and coats they have.
• You can find both office as well as casual wear. I loved some formal skirts that they had!
• Like Forever 21, they also have their own range of cosmetics. And they are pretty nice!

Well, this has been a long post I must say! In my next article I would talk about my favorite department stores in NYC. Any guesses??

*All Pictures from Google Images