I spent most of the early part of today shopping around in New York (mostly Fifth Avenue from Midtown down to the Flatiron district). The difference between the tourists and the locals is very easy to observe.

I did notice that almost all of the working women in the city seem to wear ballet flats. I found that interesting since they don't seem to be super trendy or prevalent elsewhere. Perhaps it's the best for city to keep your feet clean and also your toes covered in more conservative environments. Also, and likely because it was warm and their office sweater or jackets were stowed, saw a lot of people wearing the flats with sleeveless dresses.

I saw very few women in fashionable sneakers, unless they were also wearing gear. I also saw very few people in heels.

There were way more people on the sidewalks than actually shopping or even carrying shopping bags for that matter. The two most crowded stores I was in were Madewell and Zara (most crowded by a substantial amount, but I admittedly did not go into Topshop).

Also the working men are so well groomed (and tasty looking). I love the narrow suits and shirts, and nicely cut and styled hair.