Metrosexual retail in Amsterdam?

Sissy-Boy, Amsterdam, originally uploaded by Gordon Gerard McLean.

Sissy-Boy, the dutch retailer, crosses H&M-with-Anthropologie-with-Urban Outfitters, selling everything from cruiser bicycles (something of a US rarity in Europe), international design books, household decor and men and women's fashion. The beautiful basement store in Amsterdam's marvelous Magna Plaza shopping mall is a treasure trove of all things shiny and stylish.

Palace or store?

Galeries Lafayette, Paris, originally uploaded by Gordon Gerard McLean.

The flagship store of Galeries Lafayette is at 40, boulevard Haussmann in Paris. The ornate dome and art nouveau staircases were built in 1912. Looking up from central floor of Galeries Lafayette the view is truly spectacular and all the more so when you appreciate that it's not a palace your walking through, but a department store.

Fresh fish, grey seals and Irish TV presenters?

Howth, Dublin, originally uploaded by Gordon Gerard McLean.

Originally just a small fishing village and surrounding rural district, Howth is now a busy suburb of Dublin, sitting on the peninsula of Howth Head, east-north-east of Dublin city. Howth is perhaps most famous for its fresh fish and its status as the once long-time home of legendary TV presenter Gay Byrne. It's also the only place in Dublin that I've ever seen grey seals up close and smiling.

The stacks of Poolbeg Power Station?

Towards Ringsend, Dublin, originally uploaded by Gordon Gerard McLean.

These are the chimney stacks of Poolbeg – Dublin’s main power station. They have so much significance; for many they were a welcome home coming into the North Wall on the ferry. To others they signpost a key area of the easter rising. For others they remind them of a young U2 photo shoot. For me, when I’m looking out from Sandymount beach, on Dublin’s southside, they are a sign that I am home.

The Smart Car in Paris?

Smart Car, Paris, originally uploaded by Gordon Gerard McLean.

If you have ever even half considered a Smart car but then shelved the idea for lack of practicality, style or vulnerability be prepared to reconsider this position on your next trip to Paris. Smart cars have got to be one of Paris’ most popular vehicles. They squeeze their way into some of the most impossble of spaces, and in some cases side on if necessary. While in some cities they look awkward and trinket-like, in Paris their near-ubiquity makes them look as stylishly sensible as an iPod.

A market like no other?

Fairway Market, Broadway, New York City, originally uploaded by Gordon Gerard McLean.

New York City’s Fairway is truly, as their slogan states, "a market like no other". With its slightly chaotic layout and its sometimes spilling over produce, it never fails to remind me of supermarkets in Ireland when I was a child. That said Fairway is a gourmand’s heaven – great cheese, coffee, olives, fish, meat and vegetables. And if nothing else, their shelves are a fascinating exhibition in the artwork of packaged goods.

Fernando Botero at the Time Warner Center?

Fernando Botero's "Adam", Time Warner Center, Columbus Circle, New York City, originally uploaded by Gordon Gerard McLean.

Two Fernando Botero' statues, Adam and Eve, stand in the lobby of the Time Warner Center's Shops at Columbus Circle. The nude, rotund, cast-bronze figures stand about 20 feet tall, with Botero's trademark exaggerated proportions.

Fernando Botero Angulo is a Colombian neo-figurative artist, self-titled "the most Colombian of Colombian artists".

His work includes still-life and landscapes, but Botero tends to primarily focus on situational portraiture. His paintings and sculptures are, on first examination, noted for their exaggerated proportions and the corpulence of the human figures and animal figures.

The "large people" is what they are often called by critics. Botero explains his use of obese figures and forms as such: "An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why. You adopt a position intuitively; only later do you attempt to rationalize or even justify it."