I do my best to avoid the tourist traps in New York - but I couldn't help myself when it came to the Christmas windows at the city's top department stores.

So about a week ago, I headed uptown early one Sunday morning to check out the windows at Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys and Bloomingdale's.

Bergdorf Goodman's "Carnival of Animals" themed windows were breathtaking - extremely detailed, elegant and original. They were by far my favorites (I will let the photos below speak for themselves.)

I have to admit, as much hype as the Barneys Lady Gaga inspired windows received, I was quite disappointed. The Gaga's boudoir window, with a chair made out of hair, was definitely worth a look. But other than that I found the rest of the windows quite underwhelming.

Both Bloomingdales and Barneys utilized some social media action to bring their windows into the digital age.

At Barneys, an ongoing Twitter feed ran across a screen in one of the windows, where users could share their wishes for the year.

At Bloomingdales, a camera was put in place where people walking by the windows could stop and have their photo taken. Each photo was then posted directly to the Bloomingdales Facebook page.

Whereas in the past we were only given the opportunity to be outside observers, Bloomingdales and Barneys use of Twitter and Facebook allowed the public to become participants in this annual tradition of New York Christmas window decorations.

And on that note, I hope you all enjoy the photos below - Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Who didn't love a good field trip when they were a kid? No one, that's who (unless you were one of those weirdos who actually enjoyed sitting in a classroom for eight hours a day.)

This weekend I discovered that field trips also exist in grad school!

And when your grad school happens to be in arguably one of the most beautiful and fashionable cities in the world, this highly increases your chances of experiencing a totally awesome educational excursion (which is just another fancy way of saying "field trip.")

On Saturday, along with a group of about 15 other students, I went to look at store design and window dressings at Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, both located on Boulevard Haussman in the 9th arrondissement. 

As they often do during the holiday season, the shops really went all out with some amazing in-store and outside window displays.

Check out the slideshow below, and enjoy!

After months of passing the new Hermès flagship store on Rue de Sèvres (located in the 6ieme arrondissement near St. Germain), I finally decided to stop and take a look inside.

So in doing my best to appear important and wealthy (large sunglasses, Blackberry in hand, avoiding eye contact, etc.) I waltzed in and took a peak.

As you enter the store, you realize pretty quickly that this is no ordinary space - converted from a 1935 art deco Lutetia indoor swimming pool, the store opened in December 2010, and is Hermès second largest store in the world, after Tokyo.

In addition to their usual fare of clothes, accessories (scarves of course), and saddles, this Hermès store also manages to fit in a tearoom, a gorgeous flower shop, a bookshop, and entire sections dedicated to housewares. I guess when you have three stories to work with, you might as well go hard or go home.

Below are a few photos I took, thanks to my trusty Blackberry - for more info and photos, check out these short pieces on the store from Travel Avenue and Wallpaper* Magazine.

For those of you in Paris looking to do some last minute Christmas shopping (whether window or otherwise) look no further than Le Bon Marché, located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.

This store carries practically everything, from typical department store loot like designer jewelry and handbags, to unique children's toys (granted I don't really understand why any child would want something like this per se  -- but I guess with the right imagination, anything can be entertaining).

Even if you can't be bothered to brave the crowds (or spend the dough) inside the store, just wandering around outside is worth the trip.

Like other "grands magasins" in Paris, Le Bon Marché goes all out for their Christmas window displays, (some of which are mobile, play music and change colors) which are meant to entertain and tempt shoppers making the rounds this holiday season.

If you're looking for other department stores around Paris, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and BHV (Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville) all sell similar items and dazzling window displays. 

Below I included some general store info about Le Bon Marché, as well as a slideshow of photos I took one evening passing by the shop's beautiful window displays!

General Info:
24 Rue de Sèvres, 
75007 Paris, France
+33 1 44 39 80 00

Hours:
10am to 8pm: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday
10am to 9pm: Thursday and Friday