On Broadway

The original Macy's department store is at the corner of Broadway and 34th Street in New York. Broadway and 6th Avenue, which are generally parallel, converge at 34th Street forming Herald Square, which is why it's also called Macy's Herald Square. Since the last time I visited Macy's (which was probably in the '90s), the stretch of Broadway in front of the store has been closed to traffic. Not knowing that, I was surprised to see café tables sitting in the middle of the street. The store was built around 1902 and was grand and elegant when I was a kid. It grew tired over the years, and a bit ordinary (to me at least). It's had a number of make-overs and is once again grand and elegant — although I miss the woody, warmth of my childhood.

ON BROADWAY... AS VIEWED FROM 34TH STREET.

There's still a huge billboard out front claiming Macy's 34th Street to be the world's largest store. But I've read that a South Korea chain, Shinsegae, took that honor in 2009 (after Macy's had held it since 1924). Either way, at 2.2 million square feet (205,000 square meters), it can keep bragging.

I didn't have time to visit more than the main floor and "The Cellar," a store of its own with cafes, shopping, and a new men's accessories department. I'm sorry I don't have more photos to share. I was too busy shopping.

ENTERING FROM 34TH STREET.

AMID ALL THE CONTEMPORARY, THEY'VE RETAINED
THE ORIGINAL WOODEN ESCALATORS TO AND FROM THE CELLAR.

A TINY SECTION OF "THE CELLAR."
CAFES AND SO MUCH MORE...

SANTA...

WISH...

LOOKING TOWARDS THE 34TH STREET DOORS.

AND BACK TO BROADWAY.