Christmas shopping: Boston unwrapped

I blame Audrey Hepburn. It must have been her - black-clad and heart-breakingly chic, tripping gracefully through New York in Breakfast at Tiffany's - that made the city synonymous with shopping.

	Fresh: sells mouth-watering potions at half the price of the same products in Britain

Those Sex and the City girls didn't help, of course, strutting through Manhattan with enviable lifestyles and even more enviable shoe collections.

It is their fault that two generations of women believe New York to be the world capital of shopping. They have made us flock there in search of glamour, and - particularly given the current two dollars to the pound rate - pre-Christmas bargains.

They have made us endure throbbing crowds and snarling shop assistants, long distances and disobliging cab drivers. Because, let's be honest, shopping in New York can be (whisper it quietly) rather unpleasant.

Yes, it offers high-end fashion and the latest gadgets at bargain prices. But here's a secret: so does Boston, and with none of the drawbacks of its bigger neighbour.

Well-bred, straight-laced Boston has all of New York's chain stores and well-known boutiques, as well as quirkier, home-grown shops catering to the vast student population.

Add to that a shorter flight time (about six hours compared with New York's eight), a relatively small, walkable centre, friendly locals and no crowds - even on Saturdays - and you've found something that Holly Golightly would have given up her breakfast for.

Prefix telephone numbers with 001 if dialling Boston from Britain

Boston shopping guide

Newbury Street, in the Back Bay area, is Boston's main shopping artery. A far cry from the wide sprawl of Fifth Avenue, Newbury is a narrow stretch of Victorian-era brownstones, long enough to disperse any crowds (even on a Saturday), but manageable in a few hours' stroll.

Head to the eastern end for luxury brands such as Chanel, Armani and Valentino. Smaller, independent boutiques cluster along the central part, while young chains such as Diesel are at the western end.

Clothes and accessories

American Apparel
Part of the Los Angeles-based ethical clothing brand, selling sweat-shop-free, stylish staples including jewel-coloured T-shirts, shift dresses and swimwear.
138 Newbury Street (617 536 4768, www.americanapparel.net).

Anthropologie
This fashionable chain sells vintage-inspired homeware (such as embroidered throws costing from about £25 andVictorian-style doorknobs at £3) and pretty clothes, coats, underwear and quirky accessories.
799 Boylston Street (617 262 0545, www.anthropologie.com).

Betsey Johnson
Shocking-pink boutique stocking brilliant (and expensive) 1950s-style prom dresses, cocktail frocks and colourful accessories from this eccentric New York designer.
201 Newbury Street (617 236 7072, www.betseyjohnson.com).

Diesel
Stocking the usual jeans, bags and scruffy/stylish T-shirts, this is the only Diesel shop north of Manhattan.
339 Newbury Street (617 424 6555, www.diesel.com).

Dress
Classic styles, muted cashmeres and beautiful designer staples in this serious, understated boutique. Labels include Issa, known for its bold prints, and preppy Adam+Eve.
221 Newbury Street (617 424 7125, www.dressboston.com).

Easter Wings
Boudoir-style boutique selling top-class tailoring from giants such as MaxMara, as well as flirty dresses and coats from off-the-wall designers like Soïa & Kyo.
244 Newbury Street (617 262 5130).

JasmineSola
The main outlet of this upmarket mini-chain, it sells youthful and expensive labels such as Juicy Couture and Citizens of Humanity. A smaller branch with a better shoe collection is at number 329.
344 Newbury Street (617 867 4636, www.jasminesola.com).

John Fluevog
Eccentric shoes, from vegan trainers to leopard-print platforms.
302 Newbury Street (617 266 1079, www.fluevog.com).

Kate Spade
Stunning, if pricey, shoes and handbags by the New York designer, from bright ballet pumps and quirky clutches to muted, sensible work bags.
117 Newbury Street (617 262 2632, www.katespade.com).

Matsu
Japanese-themed boutique selling anything from delicate silk slippers to razor-sharp tailoring by Comme des Garçons.
259 Newbury Street (617 266 9707, www.matsuboston.com).

Urban Outfitters
Trendy chain with a vast selection of slogan T-shirts, vintage-style dresses and punky bags and coats.
100 Massachussettes Avenue (617 236 0088, www.urbanoutfitters.com).

Sportswear

Nike Town
A slick, two-storey affair selling the up-to-the-minute sportswear to bargain-hunting tourists. The latest trainers cost about £48.
200 Newbury Street (617 267 3400, www.nike.com).

Puma
The Newbury outlet of the sports fashion label has all the latest gear, including an excellent selection of colourful retro trainers.
333 Newbury Street (617 369 7091, www.puma.com).

Patagonia
Large outdoors shop specialising in fleeces (perfect for the harsh Boston winters) as well as waterproofs made from recycled materials.
346 Newbury Street (617 424 1776, www.patagonia.com).

Antiques

Another smart row of redbricks, Charles Street, on Beacon Hill, has a good antique shops.

Upstairs Downstairs
This shop feels more like your great-aunt's sitting room and is crammed with New England knick-knacks, including hand-stitched quilts (about £340) and Victorian prints (£50).
93 Charles Street (617 367 1950).

Twentieth Century Ltd
Perhaps the most interesting collectables shop on Beacon Hill, this contains a glittering array of vintage jewellery, including Liz Nania tiaras and brooches by Miriam Haskell, as well as hats and evening bags.
73 Charles Street (627 742 1031, www.ostonvintagejewelry.com).

Gadgets

Best Buy
Boston has several branches of this rather uninspiring but comprehensive electronics chain, which stocks digital cameras, laptops and MP3 players. The Newbury Street branch has a new Apple section.
360 Newbury Street, (617 375 7412, www.bestbuy.com).

Apple Store
Boston's only Apple Store is at the slightly out-of-town CambridgeSide Galleria, although a new outlet is planned in Back Bay. Expect the usual slick presentation, helpful staff and complete range of all iPod- and Mac-related wizardry.
100 CambridgeSide Place (617 225 0442, www.apple.com).

Beauty

Newbury Street has branches of trendy make-up chains including MAC, Shu Uemura and Kiehl's, while department stores such as Macy's (downtown, on Washington Street) and Neiman Marcus (in Copley Place mall) have comprehensive beauty floors.

Sephora
Excellent chain selling all the major make-up labels (Clinique, Dior, NARS ), as well as cult American names such as Benefit and Bliss.
Prudential Centre, 800 Boylston Street (617 262 4200, www.sephora.com).

Fresh
Boston-based skincare company selling mouth-watering potions (such as Sugar Lychee Body Lotion ), hand-milled soaps and fragrances, all at half the price of the same products in Britain.
121 Newbury Street (617 421 1212, www.fresh.com).

Books and CDs

While downtown Boston has a good selection of big-name bookshops, more interesting, independent stores can be found around Harvard Square in Cambridge.

Harvard Bookstore
A good mixture of fiction and academic works, with new books upstairs and second-hand and returns in the basement. It stages impressive events for readers, too.
1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, (617 661 1515, www.harvard.com).

Newbury Comics
A renowned CD shop, launched in the 1970s as a comic-book store, selling bargain albums, music magazines, band T-shirts and DVDs (but do ask staff if DVDs are compatible with players in Britain - most aren't).
332 Newbury Street (617 236 4930, www.newburycomics.com).

Trident Booksellers
Good selection of guidebooks on Boston and New England, as well as magazines and novels, plus a little café in which to leaf through your new buys.
338 Newbury Street (617 267 8688, www.tridentbookscafe.com).

Second-hand clothes and outlet stores

Filene's Basement
Temporarily rehoused while the downtown store is renovated (reopening in 2009), this legendary outlet stocks everything from cut-price cashmere jumpers (£30) to half-price Calvin Klein underwear and DKNY suits.
497 Boylston Street (617 424 5520, www.tridentbookscafe.com).

Second Time Around
Well-known second-hand clothes shop with an excellent collection of designer threads. I spotted Prada flats for £22 and Marc Jacobs jeans for £24 on my last visit.
176 Newbury Street (617 247 3504).

Wrentham Village
35 miles south of Boston, Wrentham has about 170 outlet shops, with substantial discounts (from 25 to 75 per cent) on labels such as Banana Republic, Calvin Klein and Polo Ralph Lauren (508 384 0600, www.premiumoutlets.com).

The best malls

Copley Place
The most upmarket of Boston's malls, with branches of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Dior and the flashy Neiman Marcus department store (617 536 3660, www.neimanmarcus.com).
Huntingdon Avenue (617 369 5000, www.simon.com/mall).

Prudential Center
Connected by a walkway to Copley Place, the Prudential offers mainstream shopping in a slick, airy environment, with branches of Barnes & Noble (books), Anne Taylor (clothes), Sephora (cosmetics) and Saks Fifth Avenue. You can ride to the 50th floor "Skywalk" and look out over the city for $11 (£5.40).
800 Boylston Street (617 236 3100, www.prudentialcenter.com).

Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market
Faneuil Hall is 250 years old and once provided a platform for the city's most famous political orators. It is Boston's most famous market but is now filled with rather undeserving souvenir shops. Quincy Market, just behind it, is surrounded by clothes shops (Gap, Victoria's Secret) and has a decent food hall.
Faneuil Hall (617 523 1300, www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com).

What you'll pay here and there (not including US taxes)

If you insist on New York...

Fifth Avenue is home to the great high-quality department stores - Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Henri Bendel, Tiffany et al - but avoid the December crush and head over to the more exclusive Madison Avenue, where among the top designer shops such as Versace, Prada and Pratesi are several smaller but equally chic boutiques.

Giuseppe Zanotti (806 Madison Ave, 001 212 650 0455 ) showcases the Italian designer's pointy-toed stilettos and boots so beloved of the world's jet set, and Dennis Basso (765 Madison Ave, 001 212 794 4500 ) turns exotic furs into dresses and coats.

For hipper clothes and footwear take yourself downtown to SoHo and its increasingly stylish satellite districts NoLIta and NoHo (short for "North of Little Italy" and "North of Houston" respectively).

The experimental French boutique Runway (450 Broome St, 001 212 925 9817 ) has an in-house tailor and exclusive rights to scores of young European designers. Edge*nyNoHo (65 Bleecker St, 001 212 358 0255 ) is a cutting-edge co-operative with more than 60 young fashion, jewellery and accessory designers. You can buy items directly from their creators.

For niche shopping - and talking points, Brella Bar (1043 3rd Ave, 001 212 813 9530 ), uptown, is devoted to designer umbrellas, including various Pierre Vaux brands with wooden handles and silk canopies.

If you want to stay downtown, you can explore the string of ultra-hip boutiques and jewellery stores along Elizabeth and Mulberry streets that have made NoLIta so chic.

To fortify yourself for the experience, pay a visit to Rice to Riches (37 Spring St, 212 274 0008 ), a spacey, neon-lit SoHo shop entirely devoted to rice pudding. You can buy 18 flavours to snack on, including blueberry and cheesecake.

Electronic buffs need to go farther afield. J&R Music and Computer World (23 Park Row, 001 212 238 9000 ), near Brooklyn Bridge, is a four-storey city block selling the latest in computers, software, cell phones, graphics and musical equipment. Gadget geeks will be in hi-tech heaven and the expert service will help get them there.

If you prefer your technology displayed in a more futuristic setting, try the new Apple Store (767 Fifth Ave, 001 212 336 1440) near Central Park: a glass cube with sleek chute elevators and staircases whisking you to a basement below where you can buy, upgrade and get technical support for every Apple product on Earth.

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