Yet another 'What to do in NYC' question.

October 7, 2015 11:43 AM

Help a geeky, introverted West Coast girl find good food and fun stuff to do in NYC. Snowflakes inside.

I'm headed to NYC for the Columbus Day long weekend. Yay! Saturday and Sunday aren't a problem, since I'll be with family. Monday and Tuesday, on the other hand, I'll be left to my own devices and could use some advice on what to do. My fam lives in the UWS and I'd like to stay in Manhattan, but I could be persuaded to go to the other boroughs if it's worth it. FWIW, I've already done most 'tourist' stuff.

- No museums. I might drop by MOMA, but I've already been to the Met, the Guggenheim, and a chunk of the major museums in Western Europe. I'm museumed out.

- Things I like: books (especially comic books), stationery, and design. Where can I browse stores that sell these things? Bonus points if they also sell cute stickers.

- I also like thrift stores, and given that I'm a 14/16, I don't doubt that pickings will be slim, but does anyone have recommendations, especially for skirts/dresses?

- Someone recommended picking a street and walking down the length of it. Is Broadway a good choice, especially given that I prefer tiny local businesses to big brands?

- I'd also love recommendations for cheap eats - I'm mostly vegetarian (I can eat ground meat, but not fish or chicken) and diabetic, but otherwise pretty adventurous. I'm especially excited to try stuff that's typically NYC.

- On that note, someone please tell me it's NOT worth it to trek out to Ikea for meatballs.

TIA!

posted by Tamanna to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (16 answers total)

Walking the length of Broadway is a great thing to do. It's exhausting, and it will take you all day. Going North-to-South, the first half is the more interesting half, seeing how neighbourhoods change one into the other. That's the easy half. The second half, Midtown to Battery, takes a lot longer and is much more tiring, stopping at every light at every block when all you want to do is keep walking. But it's very interesting, and gives you great bragging rights.

I know you're museumed out, but might geeky you be interested in the Museum of Math?

Speaking of Ikea, the Ikea Ferry is fantastic. It goes from the foot of Wall Street to Ikea Red Hook, and from there, it's only a couple of blocks to Fairway Market, which has a great waterside lunch counter. Cheap and plenty, and the view can't be beat. And Red Hook itself is fascinating, as a neighbourhood in transition.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:55 AM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

There also happens to be a meetup on Saturday in Koreatown.
posted by cowlick at 11:58 AM on October 7, 2015

You realize that it's NY Comic Con weekend, right?
posted by 1970s Antihero at 11:59 AM on October 7, 2015

books (especially comic books), stationery, and design

The big fancy comics store is Forbidden Planet but there's a bunch of smaller ones all over the place.

For books, if you haven't been to the Strand (not sure how "touristy" you'd consider it) go go go.

As far as stationery and design, I'm not sure if you have Muji where you are but it's definitely worth stopping by.

Is Broadway a good choice, especially given that I prefer tiny local businesses to big brands?

This is going to depend on where you are. Broadway in Chinatown, Broadway in Times Square and Broadway in SoHo may as well be different cities entirely. It is a major thoroughfare though so you're going to see a lot corporate flagship stores rather than cute boutiques. Walking from one end of Broadway to another is definitely fun, though (I've done it a few times) and finding smaller, neighborhood-ier stuff is almost as simple as just turning left or right and walking a block or two.

- On that note, someone please tell me it's NOT worth it to trek out to Ikea for meatballs.

Not unless your soul literally burns for them, no. However, they do have a Scandianvian-goods grocery store in there now (at least the one in Red Hook.)
posted by griphus at 11:59 AM on October 7, 2015

Oh, I had no idea Ikea had a ferry. In that case, I'd downgrade my answer from "no" to "eh."
posted by griphus at 12:01 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

You do want to visit the MoMA Design Store (even if you don't feel like you have time for the museum proper). Both the store on the first floor of the museum and its larger branch across the street have big beautiful selections.

Excellent very cheap vegetarian eats at Desi Deli in Midtown. Try Beyond Sushi for (not that cheap but inspired) all-vegetarian sushi. And if you have a smartphone, definitely download LevelUp because there are a lot of substantial (like $5) one time credits for already-cheap NYC places on there.
posted by kalapierson at 12:02 PM on October 7, 2015

Re stickers (and stationary), you might like the Japanese offerings at Kinokuniya (unfortunately located near Times Square).

I love Red Hook, but not sure it's worth the trek. IKEA certainly isn't, though it's a nice IKEA.
posted by three_red_balloons at 12:03 PM on October 7, 2015 [2 favorites]

Oh, and I think the current Picasso show up at MOMA is worth a visit.
posted by three_red_balloons at 12:03 PM on October 7, 2015

You might like Toy Tokyo (2nd ave between 5th & 6th). Also came in to say Kinokuniya as already mentioned. JHU comics (32nd Street between Madison and Park) is great. As mentioned above it is Comic Con weekend and in fact this expands out into New York Super Week - if you look at the Locations list on the left, you can find some offsite stuff that you don't need con tickets for.
posted by mikepop at 12:23 PM on October 7, 2015

Midtown Comics has several locations around Manhattan. You might like McNally Jackson, one of the better independent bookstores in town. Around the corner from them on Mulberry St. is their Goods for the Study store, with stationery, writing instruments, etc. Nearby is a branch of the MoMA Design Store and Housing Works Used Bookstore and Cafe.
posted by plastic_animals at 4:10 PM on October 7, 2015

2nd Forbidden Planet, the Strand, Muji, Kinokuniya, MoMA Design Store. The Port Authority area Muji is actually pretty nice.

Near Madison Square Park (23rd & Broadway) is not only the Museum of Math and Shake Shack, but also Flying Tiger, a Lego Store, and Eataly (with a lot of pricey but very cute housewares).

Then you can continue walking down Broadway to Fish's Eddy, and also gawk at the insane expensive and impractical design-y things at ABC Carpet and Home.

If you're in Soho, Pearl River Mart is worth a browse, and do stop into the Evolution Store.
posted by kathryn at 6:55 PM on October 7, 2015

So thrift stores: If you are at Madison Square Park, there are a ton a couple of blocks east on 23rd starting after Lex: Housing Works, Salvation Army, Goodwill, City Opera, and a couple of others. All are on the south side of 23rd except Housing Works. Walk down 3rd Avenue, and there's another before you hit 22nd on the west side of the street.
posted by amicus at 7:17 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Thrift Shops for clothing:

Housing Works (a number of locations, but good one on West 17th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)

Housing Works
143 W 17th St
[phone]

-- on the same street, opposite side and more toward Sixth Avenue is

Angel Street Thrift Shop
118 W 17th St
[phone]

more thrifts tomorrow...!
posted by DMelanogaster at 7:18 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Cafe Azuri for the best falafel you will ever eat in your entire life. All other falafel will be forever ruined for you so you may want to skip it.

The Israeli owner, Ezra, is typically Israeli (aka gruff and rude), but the food is soooooo good.

Closed Friday nights and Saturdays.


Take a noshwalk to see some interesting neighborhoods in the outer boroughs and interesting parts of Manhattan. You'll get introduced to lots of cheap places to eat.

The NY Public Library has an event with the make-up artist from Wicked this weekend, plus lots of other book related exhibits and events.
posted by brookeb at 9:14 PM on October 7, 2015

I would have a much better time going to Ikea and hanging out in Red Hook than I would walking down Broadway in Midtown, which is one of the least fun areas of NYC. If you start with meatballs at Ikea, you could do all of the following:

Hang out at the Pier 44 Waterfront Garden, which has views of the Statute of Liberty; get a key lime pie on a stick dipped in chocolate at Steve's Key Lime Pies; have a beer at Sunny's, which has been there for more than 100 years; get delicious northern Thai food at Chiang Mai; eat cheesy lobster fries at the Red Hook Lobster Pound.

There's also all kinds of tiny local businesses in the neighborhood, especially along Van Brunt. If you've done all the touristy things in the city and you have two days to kill, it would totally be worth it to go to Red Hook for part of one.
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 12:21 PM on October 8, 2015

Forgot to mention, if you like stationery there's also Foxy & Winston on Van Brunt.
posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 12:24 PM on October 8, 2015