Will be in NJ on business next week. We found out we can take a bus from our hotel to the Port Authority in Time Square. Is this far from Canal Street. Am I correct in understanding that Century 21 is there? Are the stores all open on Sunday?

Thanks for any assistance - it's truly appreciated!

Century 21 is right across the street from the WTC site, not on Canal. From Port Authority you can take the subway there. It should take 10-15 minutes.

I have no idea if they are open on Sunday...

they're open sunday.

A subway from Times Square to the area of Century 21 will take about 15 minutes.

You could walk from Century 21 to Canal street, but in this cold weather it's not that pleasant a 15 minute walk. Canal street is more stalls than stores, but Sunday is the busiest day and all will be open. Keep in mind that Chinese New Year starts this week ,and Chinatown will be quite busy (not that it's ever empty on weekends)

If it is a pleasant day, walk over to Broadway and head south. It is a nice walk that shouldn't take you more than 30 minutes.

You can always take the train from Canal to Century 21. I can't remember the closest stop but it did open back up recently. You could always get off at City Hall and walk three blocks south.

Is Chinatown near the area of the shopping? Will that be a problem?

We were going to take taxis - we thought it would be easier. (We tend to be directionally challenged) It doesn't sound like taxis would be too outrageous in cost.

Thanks for the info!

Canal Street runs through Chinatown.

Cab shouldn't be more than $5.

Chinatown IS the shopping area on Canal street. It extends over several blocks and is like an open market selling of accessories, handbags, scarves, jewelry, etc. What are you hoping to find? what are you shopping for?
Taxis are not particularly easy to find downtown on a Sunday. Take a look at the NYC subway and bus maps online at www.mta.info, and you can see that you will have quite a few options for public transportation

I decided to visit Century 21 after reading a lot of raves about it here and in travel books.
Wow was I disappointed.
I wasn't expecting Saks, but the merchandise was mediocre quality at best and everything seemed pretty much of a mess.

Walk to Broadway and head sourth - I assume the writer is talking about walking from the PA to Canal Street. 30 minutes , no way - it is at about 3 miles and will take at least an hour and probably more. $5 for a taxi - taxi will be closer to $8 with a tip.

Century 21 you can get some good buys, it depends on what you are looking for. The home store downstairs you can get some great buys on linnens and accessories.

The women's section upstairs is getting so much traffic lately that the clothing is a bit hard to get through to find bargins.

Two other suggestions would be Loehman's and Daffys. There is a Daffy's a couple blocks north of Canal St on Broadway and there are several more around the city. Daffy's is one of my FAVs, I always find good bargins there. Our china we found at Daffy's made in Italy and very expensive, on sale then clearance at Daffys and it went from $200 a placesetting to less than $10.

Men's clothing is also good there, usually nice leather jackets and sweaters very well priced. Paul got his tux there and I think it was originally $600 down to $50.

Canal St is CRAZY on the weekends. Don't try and get a taxi, you will just be sitting in traffic. Walk is the best way to get around.

From the Port Authority get on the #1 train or the A train downtown. I think the closest stop is Chambers St. and walk from there, it's just a couple of blocks.

Leaving Century 21 walk to Broadway and walk uptown toward City Hall. Canal St is a few blocks north of there and turn right onto Canal and shop till you drop.

On the corner of Layfette and Canal, in a very small shop on the southeast corner they sell pashminas (cashmere and silk bend), really expensive in the stores and well priced there. You can also bargin for most everything on Canal St, even in the jewelry stores.

Have fun, and enjoy the city.

To find the good merchandise at Century 21 takes a bit of searching. For instance, check out the high-end designers on the ladies' floor -- Balenciaga, Prada, Valentino, etc. I recently purchased a $2000 Gaultier dress for $300. I would go on a weekday morning (say around 9:00 or 10:00) and stay FAR away on the weekends.

The best shopping on Canal Street is found between Broadway and Mulberry Street. From Canal you can take the subway directly to Century 21 (or vice versa, of course).

Century 21, like all such discount stores, is hit or miss. When I was there in late October, they had tons of leather jackets (yes, I bought one) at half off the original price. Also lots of cashmere sweaters. Also lots of junk. I think what differentiates them from Ross or Marshall's is the chance to find that designer piece at an affordable price.

You haven't mentioned what kind of shopping you're looking for, but be aware that you will not find "fine shopping" on Canal Street. It's market stalls as others have mentioned, selling mostly designer knock-offs (purses, jewelry, etc) for really cheap. It can be fun to wander through, but it's not shopping at it's finest.

If you want to post specifically what you're interested in doing, others may be able to suggest the best locations for you to see.

If you want "fine shopping", go to Madison Avenue from 59th to 79th street.

We're not looking for "fine shopping" - we just thought it might be fun to see some of the action on Canal St. and get some bargains.

How far is Macy's from Canal? Any other interesting stores we should see in the area?

Parisinspring, there are Century 21 stores in various places, including in New Jersey (Morristown and Secaucus). Take a look at their website at c21stores.com. I would encourage you to shop in NJ if you are buying clothes, as there is no tax on clothes and some other items in NJ (other than some luxury items like fur coats). There is a tax of about 8.25% on all purchases in NYC.

Also, please get a good map of Manhattan. It seems from your posts that you are not at all familiar with it. The borough is very large, and places like Macy's and Canal Street are quite far apart. If you only have a day you will need to decide which part of town you want to concrete on. Some useful maps can be found at http://www.nycvisit.com/content, www.bestof.net/manhattan, http://www.manhattanaddress.com/, http://www.lowermanhattanmap.com/

For a good detailed map of part of midtown Manhattan centering on the Times Square area, go to http://www.timessquarebid.org

For information on public transit in NJ, go to njtransit.com

Canal Street is a fun atmosphere to walk through. While you're there, be sure to check out Pearl River Mart on Broadway, just north of Grand. It's a fun shop!

Chinatown/canal street is pretty far south in Manhattan, and Macy's is definitely mid-town. It's quite a hike between the two, but by subway it's no big deal at all. I'm guessing the weather's too cold to make it an enjoyable walk.