By James Stone -

A New York weather report's now-apparent lies led me to pack only a carry-on for my last mini-break there and convince my girlfriend to do the same. On the first day, it snowed more than New York had seen in a century.

When making bad decisions that affect other people can only have one result, being a bad one, and I amended our "culture" itinerary to look like a shopping itinerary and my girlfriend was happy.

The first day we spent in our hotel in Chelsea, near Madison Square Gardens, which overlooked a 24-hour deli- seemingly the only shop open for miles. New York delis are known for fantastic food, and for good reason. I ate the biggest "hero" sandwich I have ever seen filled with meat and cheese and my pick of 12 different mustards. We relaxed in our small room and imagined life in a snowy hunting lodge.

After the roads started to clear on the day after, I was dragged through Manhattan on the most intense shopping journey I have ever been on. There were clear skies again but I was still cold, so the first stop was necessary and productive. We started at Bloomingdales, which is plunked in the middle of a high-street looking shopping area at Lexington, East of the park.

The corner was complete with the new US arrival H&M and a number of other stores I had never heard of. I got a new duffel coat and beanie and chatted with a great man on the corner who sold hot and candied nuts and I took a bag of his hot chestnuts for the road.

We walked the 20-or-so blocks from Bloomingdales to Sacs Fifth Avenue along Madison, where the World's finest designers line their New York flagships, interspersed with jewellers that made my girlfriend gush and ooh. At Sacs, she stayed only a minute, since there was still a list of places she was "desperate" to see.

A subway train dropped us in Greenwich where the remnants of the hippie generation were found on the streets amidst the backdrop of buildings that inspired Sesame Street sets. The hippies were now parents of Burberry children and the ratty brownstones are now chic upscale apartments. The neighbourhood shops were tiny retro bakeries across from parks and forward-thinking furniture stores. We lunched at a great Portuguese restaurant where the owner recounted stories about degenerate kids from the sixties who now stop by in their suits before heading off to a hedge-fund meeting.

Spring Street is the newest and most notorious shopping quarters, housing boutique and New York-only designers my girlfriend used the words "cutting edge" and "amazing" to describe. We left the street several bags heavier, which was good for me considering I had to walk off six cupcakes- I tried several shops' goods to decide the best. Magnolia Bakery on Houston won.

The day nearly finished, we stopped at the WTC site to gaze into the cavity that once housed the heart of the New York economy. A moment of silence passed and we turned around to find "the only store" my girlfriend wanted to see. Century 21 is six levels of designer shoes, handbags and accessories that are marked down to ridiculous prices. Two hours later and no where safe to sit, we called it a day and I was rewarded with a quiet dinner overlooking the lights of Broadway.

The snow melted on the third day, and we had to buy another suitcase to facilitate a trip home with all the new stuff.

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