Garment District

Try the specialty districts that make NYC unique: the famed Garment District, sometimes called the Fashion District – an unremarkable-looking stretch of designers’ offices and wholesale and retail shops both on and off the avenue, where you’ll find a huge selection of fabrics, buttons, sequins, lace and more. Look at the sidewalk when you hit Seventh at 39th St and you’ll see the cool Fashion Walk of Fame, honoring Betsey Johnson, Marc Jacobs, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Halston, Calvin Klein and other fashion visionaries. It’s on the same corner as Claes Oldenburg’s sculpture of the world’s largest button, held upright by a 31ft-tall steel needle; it hovers over the Fashion Center information kiosk (www.fashioncenter.com; 249 W 39th St), which doles out maps and other details.