sample sales: Really great restaurant suggestions?...also we LOVE shopping so any tips on that would be greatly appreciated!! (sample sales???) Thanks!!|||Daily Candy's website gives you good fashion info- including sample sales, etc. 7th, 8th and 9th avenues between 32nd and 38th is probably the best area to find good shopping- Also good is the area below Delancey on the lower east side for bargains. Yes, go to 5th ave and see all the high end shops for fun too, but the bargains are on the side streets. New York is full of great restaurants. Just be prepared to spend some money if you go for something more well known. There are less expensive places too but they don't have the big names. You have to be willing to chance it. Still, I have rarely had a bad meal in NY. If you like Latin food with a twist, my favorite restaurant is Rayuela (on Allen btw Rivington & Stanton). Les Halles is great for laid back bistro food and not too pricy. Casa Mono has great tapas and is one of the many Mario Batali owned places in the city- you can't go wrong with any of them. Thalassa is good Greek/mediterranean food Amalia is good but expensive and the bar D'Or is fun too. Just go in to take a look at the place. The decor is amazing. Le Souk is fun- eat dinner there and then stay for drinks and dancing to middle eastern music. For an authentic and cheap dim sum weekend brunch in Chinatown, Jing Fong is great. Pop Burger is great for middle of the night mini burgers and fries Another middle of the night favorite is Mamoun's Felafel, in the village, which is a great area with lots of fun bars and restaurants. The W 4th St. subway stop is kind of the epicenter. You can also check out what's left of little Italy on Mulberry St. You can go to South Street Seaport and do some sight seeing and then cross the Brooklyn Bridge to go to Grimaldi's (literally right by the bridge) for pizza, then go next door for ice cream. For clubs, check out David Jaffee's suggestions. If you sign up and get on his list (it's free), you get free or discounted admission as well as drink deals at some of the best places in the city. I know his site looks a little homemade, but he is for real- I have gone out with girlfriends using his list several times and never had a problem and I have met him at one of his parties and he is a gracious host.|||Herald Square is a great area to go shopping. Since it is February, it will still be cold in the city. Very tall building like the Empire State building helps to block out some of the sun and since we are near the coast, when the breeze blows through, it can be chilly. Times Square is NOT the place to go shopping. BIG tourist rip-offs. If you have a BIG budget and plan to get a lot of things, carry an empty travel bag on wheels so you can tote them around easier while walking. Speaking of walking, don't forget to wear comfortable shoes.|||My friend, if you're looking for some discounted items, may I recommend the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, located in Central Valley, NY. There mall is located about an hour from Manhattan, but I hear it is the best place to find closeout item at a budget. There are two ways to get there. Option 1 - you can take a Gray Line New York motor coach directly to the mall. They depart from the Port Authority Bus Terminal several times. Full information on obtaining ticket are found at the link below. Option 2 - You can take NJ Transit from Penn Station to Harriman where a shuttle bus will take you from the train station to the mall. In regard to restaurants in New York City, well, that depends on you price range and you taste. This city has millions of restaurants and there is a very helpful link below that will help you out. You can choose by either location, price range or cuisie. I hope this information is very helpful. Good luck Native New Yorker|||If you love shopping , then a trip to the Woodbury Common outlets is a must http://www.citysightsny.com/page.php?id=鈥?/a>|||Listed below are some excellent restaurants you should definitely try out. Also listed are their websites: VONG: http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile.as鈥?/a> YUM YUM BANGKOK: http://www.yumbangkoknyc.com/media/websi鈥?/a> LA COCINA: http://www.lacocinanyc.com/ BAMN! AUTOMAT: http://bamnfood.com/ I am warning you now that I am not the greatest when it comes to shopping in New York City. I don't even do half of my shopping in New York; I do it in either Paramus, New Jersey or online. However, I did find a website where you can find some different places to shop, and you can narrow it down with what you want to shop for: http://www.ny.com/shopping/ Remember that these shops can be anywhere in the city, so be willing to go to Queens if need be.