Books, music and magic shops in New York City
 

I am not a shopaholic but would like to look at Macys or perhaps Bloomingdales for an hour or two when we visit (definitely not Century 21). But first I need to lose husband. He loves Borders and other big bookshops,Virgin Records or similar would be great and most of all, magic shops. He isnt a magician but likes reading about it, looking at stuff etc! Can anyone give me a few pointers? Thank you!

There's a very, very large Virgin store in Times Square, which could keep him occupied for hours.
As for bookstores, Barnes & Noble is a better bet in the city. In midtown, there are two good ones on Fifth Avenue between 45th and 48th Streets.

Hmm... re: magic store, this may fit the bill. My other fellow NYers here may have better suggestions.

Abracadabra Superstore
19 W 21st St (Cross Street: Between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10010-6805
(212) 627-5194
Directions: N, R; F at 23rd St
Editorial Review
All your masquerade needs, from magic tricks to witch costume broomsticks

Your husband may also enjoy The Strand book store http://www.strandbooks.com/home it's at 828 Broadway at 12th St. Hours are Monday-Saturday 9:30 AM-10:30 PM
Rare Book Room Closes Daily at 6:20 PM
and the store is open Sunday 11:00 AM-10:30 PM

Enjoy NYC!

I like the Barnes/Noble adjacent to Lincoln Center best. There is a Tower Records across the street (Tower is better than Virgin, in my opinion). Being so close to Lincoln Center, this Tower Records has a HUGE classical music collection. Maxilla and Mandible, a interesting "bone" store, is also on the UWS.

I thought all the Tower Records were going out of business.... Is that one staying open? If not, is another record store going into that space? I dearly hope so...!!!

I really don't know about magic stores (which are which) but Tannen's is at 45 west 34 st., just a short distance from Macy's, also on west 34 st. From their website, so you'll have a link, here are some magic shows in NYC that you might consider. Chamber Magic at the Waldorf is supposed to be fantastic (on Fridays).
http://www.tannens.com/nymagic.html

That said, I would rather poke my eyes out than go to Macy's at this time of year, but you said you wanted to go there. It's not really a browsing kind of place (imo). If you do plan on buying anything, stop at the customer service counter first and register for a visitor's discount of 11% (not on cosmetics).

The Strand bookshop that Margo mentions is really immense and there's also a big Virgin store in Union Square near there. If you want to do some shopping, there are some good stores not far from there. DSW is a discount shoe dept store not far and the Union Square market (and Xmas Market) is not far.

There are also some nice stores along Fifth Ave. in the teens and 20s that wouldn't be far from Abracadabra, mentioned by Michelle.

I definitely agree with avoiding Macy's. Mobbed, narrow aisles, unbearably overheated (probably so the sale clerks in skimpy tops will be comfortable).

If I were going to visit only one department store in NYC, it would be Saks. And, Barnes & Noble is right across the street. If he gets bored there, he can always explore Rockefeller Center. If you're in the area, grab hot chocolate to go and watch the skaters in front of the tree.

I think people are right about Macys - crowded and hot so I shall probably stay away - I do fancy the markets though so bookshops etc will be useful while I poke around those. Thanks everyone I shall map out the information.

Hilary even if you don't go in, be sure to see the windows at Macy's if you have time. I don't blame you if you skip going inside, it is notoriously over heated and this time of year it will be very crowded.

One of the Christmas markets is at Bryant Park which is directly behind the main library (the one with the lions out front ;) So if the ice skating is not enough to keep him busy, have him go inside the library and have a look around.

While I like Saks a lot and it's very well located across from Rockefeller Center, I would say if you want to do some shopping, you might go to Bloomingdales (where they also do the 11% discount) EARLY in the morning. There's a big Borders bookstore at the corner of 57 st. & Park Ave.

As far as book stores go, I'd most definitely go to the Strand (as mentioned above & located next to Union Square). A couple of other really good ones are St. Marks Bookshop and Coliseum Books.
You can find Borders and Barnes & Noble everywhere (some B&N locations in NYC are better than others - I like Astor Place, Union Sq., Lincoln Center, Citicorp Center).
If you're a collector or want to find a unique gift take a look at specialized shops (rare books, prints, nautical/maps, hobbies like cooking, autographed works...). Some of the best are Bauman Rare Books, Argosy Book Store, Kitchen Arts & Letters, Partners & Crime, The Complete Traveller Antiquarian Bookstore, and the Biography Bookshop. These are all wonderful places and are very hard to find in places outside NYC.

Neither Macy's nor Bloomies is fun at that time of year unless you're surround by a pack of large guards. (The masses of people are incredible, you'll be elbowed, have you feet stepped on and the stores have employees stationed at the top and bottom of escalators to grab slow moving tourists out of the way so they're not trampled by those getting off behind them. If you must do it - do it at 8 am or 11pm when
the stores are somewhat less crowded.)

Agree Borders is not big in NYC - go to one of the large Barnes & Noble (Lincoln Center or downtown) which are massive and have nice cafes.