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While watching A Good Year, Ridley Scott's latest film that opens tomorrow, I couldn't help asking myself who wouldn't want to move to France and live on his or her very own vineyard? That's the plot in a nutshell, and while the film's major flaw is its predictability, Scott's French landscapes and chase-your-dreams spirit made it a shoo-in for our list of movies that most inspired us to travel. The film stars Russell Crowe as Max Skinner, a successful London banker who inherits his Uncle Henry's Provencal chateau and vineyard--a place where Max spent summers as a child, though he has every intention of selling the estate to the highest bidder. That is, until a flood of childhood memories comes pouring back and he falls for a local beauty named Fanny Chenal (Marion Cotillard). The rest, as they say, is history, but the script is hardly the star. For a glimpse of where Max and Fanny share their first kiss, head to Cucuron, about 20 minutes southeast of Bonnieux. The medieval village is located at the foot of the Grand Luberon Massif, a place where Max's late Uncle Henry's philosophy on life--and on life in Provence--may begin to take hold: "There's nowhere else in the world where one can keep busy doing so little, yet enjoy it so much!" Such is life in Provence, where your own Good Year is just a quick flight away.

Chelsea Flea Markets 24th and 25th Sts. from Fifth to Seventh aves. Every Saturday and Sunday, West 25th Street between Fifth and Seventh avenues in Chelsea becomes a sprawling market of antiques and collectibles. Itinerant dealers take over a parking lot and a two-story parking garage, complementing permanent antiques shops and cooperatives in the immediate neighborhood. For almost thirty years the Annex Flea Market would set up shop in the large lot on the east side of Avenue of the Americas between 25th and 26th Streets. In the summer of 2005 the Annex was displaced by real estate development, but it has since begun to reappear in the parking lot at the corner of West 17th Street and Avenue of the Americas, and on the entire block of West 39th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues. The Antiques Garage 112 W. 25th St. (Ave. of the Americas/Seventh Ave.) 212/243-5343 hellskitchenfleamarket.com Sat. and Sun. 6:30 A.M.-5 P.M.; closed Mon.-Fri. What to look for: general flea-market merchandise; advertising, prints, photographs, vintage clothing Every weekend this parking garage becomes a flea market frequented by browsers, collectors, decorators, celebrities, antiques dealers, and bargain hunters. This is the place to search for paintings and prints, vintage clothing and jewelry, linens, toys, furniture from many periods, rare books and records, early-twentieth-century glassware and pottery, and New York memorabilia--advertising and ephemera from city businesses, vintage souvenirs, and old photographs of everything from skinny kids playing on stoops to smiling prostitutes wearing camisoles and little else. Bargaining is routine, but don't expect the dealer to take more than 25 percent off the asking price. "What is your best price?" is a polite way to begin negotiations. Showplace Antiques Center 40 W. 25th St. (Fifth Ave./Ave. of the Americas) 212/633-6063 nyshowplace.com Mon.-Fri. 10 A.M.-6 P.M.; Sat. and Sun. 8:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M. What to look for: Judaica, estate jewelry, pottery The spacious four-story Showplace has more than one hundred permanent booths, each rented by an independent dealer. Most are open on weekends only, but a new resource, the Showplace on Three, has styled room settings that are open every day with a full staff to answer questions and offer decorating suggestions. The galleries on other floors have high-quality, interesting antiques and collectibles, including Scandinavian and British art pottery, prints and paintings, antique Judaica, Russian icons and silver, Art Deco furniture and accessories, bronze statues, porcelain figurines, and religious relics. On the first floor, Gallery 41 has old dolls, amateur oil paintings, and nifty vintage sewing items--buttons, fabrics, patterns, notions, pincushions, and unusual tape measures. There is a repair service for silver and other metal objects near the information booth. A cafe on the lower level is open on weekends and serves sandwiches, sweets, coffee, tea, and soft drinks. Grand Bazaar Flea Market W. 25th St. (Fifth Ave./Ave. of the Americas) no phone Sat. and Sun. 6 A.M.-6 P.M.; closed Mon.-Fri. What to look for: treasures at bargain prices Open all year round, the Bazaar features eclectic dealers who sell both treasures and trash. Some dealers trade in ethnic items, particularly from Africa and the Middle East, including pottery, statues, textiles, beads, baskets, drums, and small pieces of furniture. Most dealers sell the endless array of flea-market wares. DIY star designers such as Doug Wilson are sometimes seen poking around. There's always a chance of finding something truly special, like an eleven-foot-long Gothic church pew or a passable copy of a Baroque painting. Antique Collections Inc. 28 W. 25th St. (Fifth Ave./Ave. of the Americas) 212/367-8808 antiquecollectionsinc.com Mon., Thurs., Fri. 11 A.M.-6 P.M.; Sat. and Sun. 8:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M.; Tues. and Wed. by appointment What to look for: a variety of antiques A few doors east of the Showplace, a distinctive indoor cooperative sits on the site of the former home of Lucretia Jones and her daughter Edith Jones Wharton, who lived there from 1882 until her marriage in 1885. Today, antique clothing, textiles, jewelry, and old clocks ticking away in a back corner recall the Gilded Age that Wharton chronicled, and more than one dealer claims to regularly see a ghost that might be her. To the right of the entrance, William Pass sells couture period clothing of the highest quality at very fair prices. Next to him, Jerome Wilson, Inc., offers pristine Victorian and Edwardian linens, lingerie, and gowns. At the rear, Master Clock restores clocks and watches. Midway on the east side, Illisa Lingerie shows early-twentieth-century lingerie and presents, in a glass case, an informal history of the brassiere.

Chelsea Antiques and Vintage Stores 24th and 25th sts. from Fifth to Seventh aves. F, V to 23rd St. The history of this area is one of mixed usage. After the Civil War, Boss Tweed, supported by the votes of the area's Irish immigrants, made the area into a profitable center for vice that became known as the Tenderloin. In 1885, one-half of all buildings in the Tenderloin were reputed to house illegal activities. In about 1910, loft buildings began to replace the boardinghouses, flophouses, and brothels. A few years later, film production studios located on 26th Street west of Seventh Avenue; Mary Pickford made Tess of the Storm Country (1914) in an old armory on West 26th Street. Light industry, stores that sold industrial sewing machines, and Samuel French Dramatics Company (still there) were among the other assorted enterprises. Thunder Bay Antiques, Ltd. 134 W. 24th St. (Ave. of the Americas/Seventh Ave.) 212/633-8138 thunderbayltd.com Tues.-Sun. 11 A.M.-7 P.M.; closed Mon. What to look for: Asian and Middle Eastern antiques Thunder Bay is filled with idiosyncratic antiques, many from Asia. You'll find golden Buddhas, painted tables, and benches from Rajasthan, cabinets from Indonesia, daybeds from China, and armoires from Morocco alongside a few other African pieces, in addition to an occasional early American or Federal piece. A popular new line, Thunder Barn Ltdl, is custom furniture made in upstate New York from wood salvaged from old barns. Recent paintings by African and graffiti artists are displayed with earlier works by known and unknown painters. In-house design, refinishing, and restoration services are offered. In-stock antique items are pictured, and can be ordered, on the website; catalog is also available. Domestic shipping is free. Olde Good Things 124 W. 24th St. (Ave. of the Americas/Seventh Ave.) 212/989-8401 oldegoodthings.com Daily 9 A.M.-7 P.M. What to look for: architectural antiques The "architecturologists" (as the staff members call themselves) at Olde Good Things follow wrecking balls all over North and South America in pursuit of architectural antiques. The 24th Street store has four levels filled with chandeliers, balustrades, lock sets, sinks, faucets, doors, windows, desks, statues, display cabinets, and much more. From an impossibly heavy sixteenth-century limestone mantel found in a Connecticut mansion to a sweet one-inch lock plate from the Plaza Hotel, the store displays a vast array of artifacts, including stained glass pieces and chestnut flooring--two categories that are increasingly difficult to find. The firm has stores in multiple locations and a huge central warehouse in Scranton, Pennsylvania. More than two thousand items are available on the website. Prices are not always firm; some items have a "make an offer" button. Shipping is calculated on a per-item basis. There is a ten-day return policy. This 'n' That Collectables 124 W. 25th St. (Ave. of the Americas/Seventh Ave.) 212/255-0727 thisnthat-ny.com Daily 10 A.M.-6 P.M. What to look for: vintage costume jewelry The Bakelite in the window of This 'n' That is enough to weaken the knees of the most seasoned collector of vintage costume jewelry. The highly sought-after early plastic was invented in New York City in 1907 by a Belgian chemist, Dr. Leo Baekeland. It was used to make bracelets, flatware handles, and radio cases. It also was used, less familiarly, for the distributor head and cap in the Model A Ford, for the floor beneath the dancing feet of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the film Top Hat, and, experimentally, for lightweight coffins during World War II. Anita Stern, the owner of This 'n' That, has been collecting Bakelite jewelry since the 1950s, when she was a teen-ager and bought it at Woolworth's. She also offers a dazzling array of vintage designer pieces by Trifari, Schiaparelli, Ciner, Miriam Haskell, and Coro, and contemporary designer pieces by Laura Cardillo, Barbera, and Lawrence Vrba. The shop glitters with thousands of crystals and rhinestones, Lucite and Bakelite necklaces are heaped around the necks of mannequins, and stacks of cases hold jewelry categorized by color, material, or motif. The labels on one stack of pin trays read "Butterflys/Bows/Crowns/Birds/Bugs & Flies." Stern is a prized resource for designers, and she rents many of her pieces to stylists for print ads, editorial photographs, and films. Her jewelry is regularly seen adorning models in Vogue, Elle, W, the London Times, Glamour, and Harper's Bazaar. In addition to jewelry you'll find vintage compacts, glassware, perfume bottles, lamps, chandeliers, and other period bric-a-brac. Shipping is available. Deco Etc. 122 W. 25th St. (Ave. of the Americas/Seventh Ave.) 212/675-3326 Daily 11 A.M.-6 P.M. What to look for: stylized lamps and Lucite handbags Deco Etc. is a mini-museum of mid-twentieth-century industrial design. At each turn another pair of wildly imaginative lamps, a piece of streamlined furniture, or a quirky handbag comes into view. The shopwindow holds sculptural glass lamps made in Venice by Alfredo Barbini, Marina Barovia, Archimede Seguso, and the house of Venini. In the entry, a chrome robotic pig lamp from the 1970s with glowing eyes lights the way to two tall French Deco lamps topped with dancing figures by Andre Arbus. Nearly life-sized stark-white torsos form the bases of a pair of lamps by James Mont; they sit on a glass table by Donald Desky, who designed the interior of Radio City Music Hall. Graceful wooden lamps from the 1950s by Edward Wormley are nearby. Interspersed among the designer pieces are anonymous lamps that once decorated the living rooms of America--tall, short, boxy, bulbous--some with monstrous chenille shades, with the vivid color combinations (coral and black, dark green and chartreuse) that epitomized the 1950s. A large showcase near the rear of the store holds hard, boxy Lucite handbags made in the 1940s and '50s. Some are clear, and some are in opaque colors and trimmed with mother-of-pearl or rhinestones. These collectibles can range in price from $200 to $2000. The average price for the handbags at Deco Etc. is about $500. New York Vintage 117 W. 25th St. (Ave. of the Americas/Seventh Ave.) 212/647-1107 newyorkvintage.com Mon.-Wed. 11 A.M.-6 P.M.; Fri. 11 A.M.-6 P.M.; Sat. and Sun. 10 A.M.-6 P.M.; closed Thurs. What to look for: vintage designer evening wear New York Vintage sells couture vintage clothing and accessories, as well as small personal items such as compacts and cigarette cases. The store has high standards for its collection; store policy is that everything must be of superior quality and in excellent condition. The result is an outstanding shop where the clothing appears to be new--even a peacock blue beaded bustle gown circa 1885. Designers represented include Jean Muir, Mary McFadden, Giorgio Sant'Angelo, Yves Saint-Laurent, and Chanel. Frocks by the avant-garde master of prints Ossie Clark could be worn, then framed. The selection of evening wear is lovely and affordable. A Gattinoni one-shouldered silk print tea-length cocktail dress from 1972 is $750, and a black taffeta full-skirted floor-length gown with blue velvet trim by Oscar de la Renta is $495. Customers include celebrities, costume designers, stylists, and discerning shoppers looking for that perfect something. RESTAURANTS Bluedog Coffee Co. 101 W. 25th St. (Ave. of the Americas/Seventh Ave.) 212/229-9222 Daily 8:30 A.M.-between 4:30 P.M. and 6 P.M. Wonderful coffee, fresh pastries and baked goods, sandwiches, salads, and freshly made entrees that change daily. Limited seating (there is a bench outside). Inexpensive. Cafe at Showplace Antiques Center 40 W. 25th St. (Fifth Ave./Sixth Ave.) Sat. and Sun. 8:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M.; closed Mon.-Fri. Self-service sandwiches, salads, and soft drinks. Inexpensive. Antique Cafe 55 55 W. 26th St. (at Ave. of the Americas) 212/213-5723 Daily 8 A.M.-10 P.M. Known for seasonal outdoor seating in a sheltered plaza. Serves light breakfasts and lunches, pasta, steak frites, wine, espresso, ice cream. Inexpensive to moderate.

1. What are some of your favorite places to do holiday shopping in New York? The Flower Market has the best holiday atmosphere in the city. I like things that sparkle, so I go to Jamali on West 28th Street for beaded votive holders and mirror garlands, glitter paper to make place mats, and little lights to stick into flowers. For the real sparkle I go to Grey & Davis/D.K. Bressler on West 47th Street in the Diamond District for fabulous estate jewelry. It's not in the book, but Bryant Park is also lovely, and the stalls there have great gifts. 2. What are some gifts that are unique to New York? The Antiques Garage on West 25th Street has seltzer bottles, old advertising from New York City businesses, and vintage photographs of city scenes. Guss' Pickles on Orchard Street ships that Lower East Side staple anywhere in the country, and Russ & Daughters on Houston Street does the same with smoked fish, bagels, and halvah. 3. When's the best time to find deals around the holidays? There are always deals at the flea markets in Chelsea. 4. How can you avoid the crowds? Don't go to department stores. The small, independently owned stores in Curious Shopper offer personalized service in a much less hectic atmosphere. And by buying from these stores you are supporting family businesses. 5. When buying a present for the person who has everything, where should you shop? For men: Perhaps at Olde Good Things on West 24th Street. They have singular architectural relics there--great old signs, intricate faucets and doorknobs that could be paperweights, four floors of "guy" stuff. For women: Tinsel Trading on East 38th Street. Their collection of metallic fabrics, buttons, and trims goes back to the 19th century, and they have a new line of jewelry, home accessories, and cards made from old stock. Or Deco Etc. on West 25th Street for a vintage Lucite handbag.