Books and comics
Trainers
Department stores
Fashion
Record shops
Technology
Spas
And a few more of our favourites...
Record shops
Feature continues
Academy Records
The best for used vinyl and CDs, recordings of every conceivable genre
can turn up here, and whether you’re buying or selling, Manhattan’s
savviest clerks provide the biggest bang for your buck.
Academy Records, 12 W 18th St, between 5th Avenue
and 6th Avenue (+1 212 242 3000/www.academy-records.com) Subway: F, L
at 14th St or 4, 5, 6 at 14th St-Union Square. Open Mon-Sat
11.30am-8pm, Sun 11am-7pm.
Beat Street Records
Beat Street is Brooklyn’s biggest record store; their basement digs
stretch out for a city block. It’s the first stop for local DJs seeking
the latest killer vinyl but the real draw here for New York visitors is
the limited edition ‘mix CD’ section.
Beat Street Records, 494 Fulton St, between Bond
St and Elm Place, Brooklyn (+1 718 624 6400/www.beatst.com) Subway: A,
C, G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn or 2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St. Open Mon-Wed
10am-7pm, Thur-Sat 10am-7.30pm, Sun 10am-6pm.
Other Music
This mini audio temple is dedicated to small-label, and often imported,
new and used CDs and vinyl. They orgainse their music with arcane music
categories (check out ‘La Decadanse’ section) and they have a good
range of the hard-to-find, trendier electro white labels.
Other Music, 15 E 4th St, between Broadway and
Lafayette St (+1 212 477 8150/www.othermusic.com) Subway: N, R, W to
8th St-NYU or 6 to Astor Place. Open Mon-Fri 12noon-9pm, Sat
12noon-8pm, Sun 12noon-7pm.
Rocks In Your Head
An eclectic mix of old and new, with a thriving vinyl department of
hand-picked records. The shop specialises in ’60s and ’70s used records
(big on Steely Dan) and newer jazz, reggae, hip hop, soul, and R&B.
You can also find a good selection of global music magazines, CDs and
music books here.
Rocks In Your Head ,157 Prince St (+1 212 475
6729) Subway: N, R to Prince St, B, D, F, Q to Broadway-Lafayette St or
C, E to Spring St. Open daily 12noon-9pm.
The Thing
The sheer size of The Thing’s stock makes this legendary New York
record store unbeatable. It hoards at least 150,000 albums in its
musty, fluorescent-lit basement, haphazardly lining the walls, stacked
in makeshift piles, spilling on to the floor and costing an unheard-of
$2 a disc.
The Thing, 1001 Manhattan Greenpoint, Brooklyn (+1 718 349 8234) Subway: G to Greenpoint Avenue. Open daily 9.30am-7.30pm.
Technology
Apple Store
Whether for the bright-white high-design interior, the chance to try
out just about every new shiny nifty innovation, the free seminars, the
friendly trouble-shooters, this colossal store is definitely worth a
visit.
Apple Store, 103 Prince St at Greene St (+1 212 226
3126/store.apple.com) Subway: N, R, W to Prince St. Open Mon-Sat
10am-8pm, Sun 11am-7pm.
B&H
Not only is B&H a dreamland of all things photo, video and
pro-audio-related, but the impressive checkout method alone is reason
enough to pop into this block-long shop. The ceiling is rigged with a
space-age trolley system that transports purchases from storage right
to the checkout desk.
B&H, 420 Ninth Avenue, between 33rd St and 34th St (+1 800 606
6969) Subway: A, C, E to 34th St-Penn Station. Open Mon-Thur 9am-7pm,
Fri 9am-2pm, Sun 10am-5pm.
Harvey
Although Harvey is known mainly for its huge selection of high-end
electronics, it stocks plenty of realistically priced items and stereo
furniture too.
Harvey, 2 W 45th St, between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue (+1 212 575
5000) Subway: B, D, F, V to 42nd St-Bryant Park or 7 to 5th Avenue.
Open Mon-Wed, Fri 9am-7pm, Thur 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6am, Sun 12noon-5pm.
