Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - NYC evening shopping, other

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NYC evening shopping, other

I will be in midtown Manhattan in late December, and I'd like to do all shopping in the evening, after the museums, etc close. I won't have a car. Are there good places to shop for used books, used CDs, used or imported DVDs, exotic consumer electronics? I'm not too interested in new clothing, unless its organic or hemp or otherwise eco-something. Any comments on places to get healthy snacks, preferably organic? I won't have a refrigerator (or a balcony) so I'm thinking dried fruit, cereal, single-serving shelf-stable, etc. Whole Foods (24th St & 7th Ave, 10pm) vs Wild Oats (89th St & Broadway, 11pm, near Zabar's)? Are there neighborhoods where retailers generally stay open late? What distinctly NY things are there to do on a winter evening? (Besides the obvious theater, clubs, bars.)

I would suggest the Village for the types of things you are looking for in a concentrated area. You will be less apt to find these things in Midtown plus Midtown (minus Times Square and Penn Station) generally closes a bit earlier because the bread and butter business (9-5'ers) head home. The Village is easily accessible from Midtown by the 1/9 line (Times Square) for West Village, or the ABCDF lines (Rockefeller Center). The Village is also a great late night place with lots of activity. For used books, you will want to visit The Strand, in the Village. www.strandbooks.com For used CD's, you will want to keep your eyes open for street vendors, but not the ones selling new, ripped CDs. Used CD vendors will be notable for their collection & many notch the jewel cases to indicate used. You will have the best luck finding these near NYU's campus. For consumer electronics, you want J&R (www.jandr.com) near City Hall. J&R is a series of music, electronic, computer, photography stores, and more. Also, you will want to wander down Canal in Chinatown where there are several electronic stores. Chinatown will definitely get you exotic, but on occasion may be from questionable sources. As always, buyer beware. You will find street vendors near NYU will probably carry items that you are interested in that are "organic or hemp or otherwise eco-something". You might find a store, but I'd favor street vendors for those sorts of things. For organic/healthy eating, I would suggest a search on the web for NYC Village area organic markets (there are many!) and restaurants. You may find organic/vegetarian restaurants in the same manner. I would suggest wandering about the Village as a distinctly NY evening. Enjoy!

My favorite area for used CD's is ST. Marks place. Take the 6 train to Astor Place and head due east to St.Mark's. There are places on both sides, I know Venus records is on the left, I forget the names on the right. There is also a MOndo Kim's on that block (right side)but I like the smaller places better.

Richard, head over to Integral Yoga Foods at 229 W. 13th St. IMO, they are the ONLY store in Manhattan that truly stocks organic fruits and vegies. They also have a prepared hot foods section. Many other shops say they are organic but only carry some organic foods, including Whole Foods. Whole Foods does label their produce "conventional" when it's not organic. Other stores say they are organic and are not: there's a 'scandal' going on right now with a store that was labeling its meat organic and it was not. 18th Street between 5th & 6th Avenue carries lots af used CDs. As Alana mentioned, Strand Bookstore has floors of used books. They also have a store near South Street Seaport. There are stores that sell stuff made from hemp and shoes made from vegetarian material. Do a search on Google or Citysearch New York.

Another good food store is Healthy Pleasures. There i sone on University between 11th and 12th sts. There area a few more in other locations as well. In December most retailers are open late because of the holidays. In the village area, many of the store and shops are open quote late. Wander around the Bleecker St area and St. Mark's Place. As already mentioned, the Strand is the place to go for used books.

please excuse my poor typing! i just noticed a handful of mistakes.

For "vegan friendly shoes" shoes you could try moo-shoes on E 26th St btw. 2nd and 3rd Aves. www.mooshoes.com

There was an article on Healthy Pleasures in the NY Times earlier this week. They were accusedof labeling non organic meat as Organic.