thursdaysd

In less than three weeks I'll be starting a six month RTW (see http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...y-comments.cfm ) with four nights in New York City. I was wondering if there's a good travel store anyone can recommend in case I have some last minute shopping... My nearest metro stop will be at 14th St. and 8th Ave.

ellenem

This place is just around the corner from where you will be staying on Greenwich Ave between 12th and 13th.

http://www.flight001.com/

doug_stallings

This is a very good dote, but there may be many more options depending on what you may need. Paragon at Broadway and 18th Street is a sporting goods store but sells a lot of travel stuff. Bed bath and beyond sells loads of travel size toiletries at sixth ave and 19th.

travelbuff

There are Dwane Reade, CVS, Walgreen and Rite-Aide pharmacies all over the area, on 14th St and 8th Ave you won't have to walk far.

thursdaysd

Thanks. What I'm likely to be looking for are Streetwise maps for Vancouver, Tokyo and Hong Kong, a very light-weight folding umbrella in a pale color (it will double as a sunshade) and a Lewis and Clark money belt. I checked the website for flight001, which looked like the kind of place that should have those items, but doesn't seem to...

nytraveler

You should be able to get the maps at any B&N - which are all over the city - there's a large one on 18th St. And any drug store should have small folding umbrellas on any day that it rains.

Sorry don't have a clue about a money belt - don't use things like that - just a purse.

nyer

Try the Container Store at 6th avenue 18-19th street. You can also order items online to be picked up in store.

Aduchamp1

The Complete Traveler is a most interesting emporium.

http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/gui...ng-detail.html

Idlewild has a good selection of travel books with a beautiful front window. It has the name of the NY airport before it was called JFK.
http://www.idlewildbooks.com/

As NY Traveler noted the Barnes and Noble on East 17th Street has an extensive travel section of the more popular books and a large selection.

For fast drying clothes and other specialized traveling gear, Tents and Trails is excellent. As the name notes it is more for the outdoor traveler but there are many useful items available.

www.tenttrails.com

For money belts and such try Innovation is a chain of luggage stores and two NY favotrites, Altman's Luggage and Ambassador.

http://www.altmanluggage.com

http://www.ambassadorluggage.com

thursdaysd

Thanks Aduchamp1 - that should keep me occupied for a while! Love bookshops...

hawksbill

Maybe I'm missing something here, but if you still have 2+ weeks until your departure, why not just order the stuff you know you need on the internet? The Lewis N. Clark money belt and the Vancouver and Tokyo streetwise maps are all available on Amazon, and they're all eligible for Amazon Prime, which means you can have free two-day shipping if you're a Prime member. And the other thing, the Hong Kong Streetwise map, doesn't exist.

That being said, these are great suggestions, and I'm particularly interested in checking out the Complete Traveler. I used to like the Hagstrom Map Store in midtown, but alas, it has closed.

And, by the way, what an amazing itinerary!

Aduchamp1

The most interesting independent bookstore is another NY institution called the Strand. It is very close to where you are staying on Broadway and 13th Street, although its travel section is limited. If you are reader of serious fiction and non-fiction, this is the place.

http://www.strandbooks.com/

thursdaysd

hawksbill - I'm not a prime member, and amazon says that the vendor for Lewis N. Clark takes an extra 4-5 days processing. I already have one, I wanted to replace my backup, and figured New York should be a good place to do so.

Glad you like the itinerary - I'm currently trying to make (fairly budget) hotel reservations for India...

doug_stallings

I know you'll be able to find a money belt in NYC, but I don't know you'll be able to find a Lewis and Clark one. I'd order it online. Two weeks is more than enough time. This is a specialty item. The Container Store carries Eagle Creek, and I doubt they have the Lewis & Clark moneybelt.

Flight 001 isn't a book/map store, but the B&N superstore on 17th Street between Park and Broadway (top of Union Square Park) does have a large travel section, including maps. I'm also pretty sure that Idlewild would have the maps as well (it's a great store).

hawksbill

thursdaysd, you're right, Amazon only sells that Lewis N. Clark money belt from a third party. My bad.

Speaking as someone who just spent a week shopping around New York for stuff for a much less ambitious trip, I still think you're better off ordering stuff from the internet, if you know exactly what you need. That way, you can visit all these cool travel stores just for fun, to see if there's something that interests you, rather than having to feel stressed if you can't find the things you need. It'll be no fun taking subways all over town because the enormous B&N store happens to be sold out of the Vancouver map on the day you visit.

ekscrunchy

HI, Thursday:

If you go to the big B&N store on east 17th Street, you will be around the corner from Paragon, where there is quite a good selection of travel clothing; you can easily walk from your base on 8th Avenue.

You might also walk through the farmer's market across the street from the B&N store..mon, wed, fri, sat....


http://www.paragonsports.com/

Note that Paragon does not open until 10am; 11am Sundays.

thursdaysd

Hi eks - thanks - must definitely visit the market. Plus, maybe the B&N will have Footprint's India, which the one here doesn't. I don't want to buy it as I won't be taking it with me, but I'd like to take a look at the hotel recommendations.

I have bought the money belt, from ebags, although apparently Lewis N Clark calls it a waist stash.

thursdaysd

Oh, BTW, any recommendations for good Indian restaurants in NYC, eks?