Cool Spots for Souvenirs

Cool Spots for Souvenirs

What to get from the city that has everything? Major tourist attractions keep their gift shops well stocked with all the standard souvenirs, and dozens of gift shops dot the Times Square area. If you're looking for grungier souvenirs of downtown (T-shirts with salty messages, tattoos), troll St. Marks Place between 2nd and 3rd avenues in the East Village.

City Store. Discover all kinds of books and pamphlets that explain New York City's government, from pocket maps, NYPD T-shirts, and cocktail napkins printed with subway routes to manhole-cover coasters and a New York City-scented candle (don't worry, it smells like apple pie, not exhaust). The store shuts at 4:30 on weekdays and is closed weekends. 1 Centre St., at Chambers St., Lower Manhattan, 10007. 212/669-8246. Subway: 4, 5, 6 to City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge.

Eleni's. Take a bite out of the Big Apple—in cookie form—with these perfectly decorated treats. The "I'll Take Manhattan" tin includes sugar cookies that mimic local icons like yellow cabs and the Statue of Liberty. Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave., between W. 15th and W. 16th Sts., Chelsea, 10011. 212/255-6804. Subway: A, C, E to 14th St., L to 8th Ave.

H&H Bagels. Looking for a taste of the city? Although a slice of pizza may not travel so well, bagels are another story. H&H can pack its bagels to withstand any plane ride—and in true New York spirit, the store is open 24 hours a day. 2239 Broadway, at W. 80th St., Upper West Side, 10024. 212/595-8003. Subway: 1 to 79th St.

New York City Transit Museum Gift Shop. In the symbolic heart of New York City's transit system, all the store's merchandise is somehow linked to the MTA, from straphanger ties to skateboards decorated with subway-line logos. Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Pl. and E. 42nd St., Midtown East, 10017. 212/878-0106. Subway: 4, 5, 6, 7 to 42nd St./Grand Central Terminal.