Where to shop in New York?

[HellCat]

I've been lucky to get a place on a one week college trip to New York in early Feb. Whilst mornings will be dedicated to education, the rest of the time is our own. Amongst sightseeing, I'm hoping to take this chance to possibly snag items I wouldn't be able to find back home.
So if anyone can suggest some decent places to shop in NY for the kind of things people like us enjoy (toys, manga, games, DVDs, etc), I'd really welcome being informed about them.

Thanks everybody! :)

[JetMaster5]

Well, if you're up for Bootleg-Land, stop by Chinatown in Manhattan. They've got plenty, I assure you.

[Wanted]

Virgin Megastore. You'll be able to find plenty of what you want. I don't know about toys, even though I've been inside.

[Eddie G.]

Midtown Comics has a lot of manga, toys (Mostly non-anime sadly), and also a lot of rare DVDs (I'm not sure how much anime though).

[Chad Bonin]

Forget New York. They're evil up there.

Well, not as good as the south at least.

[Artimus Gigan]

There is the big ass Toys R Us which has a ton of mecha(including some rare figures)

There's also alot of Chain stores(FYE, Best Buy) that carry loads of DVDs including some of the hard to find series which are in larger quantities

Yeah big ass Virgin stores is a must

and Chinatown is the land of bootlegs and weird bootleg parafanailia

So pack cash, the tax is high up there

[Umino]

Kinokuniya has to be the best place. Japanese, and English manga, Region 1 and 2 DVDs, Japanese CD imports, etc.

[Juu-kuchi]

http://matrixcollectibles.site.yahoo.com/

Child, you can find many a good Gundam model here.

[Geezil]

Kinokuniya has to be the best place. Japanese, and English manga, Region 1 and 2 DVDs, Japanese CD imports, etc.
And I'll second that, but don't stay at Kinokuniya too long ... or else you just might spend it all (easy to do before you even get to the second floor) and never get over to Chinatown!! :anime:

[Eddie G.]

Forget New York. They're evil up there.

Well, not as good as the south at least.We're not evil. We're just mean. And we're not really mean, we're just rude. And we're not really rude we just move 1.3x faster than most of the country.

[Artimus Gigan]

We're not evil. We're just mean. And we're not really mean, we're just rude. And we're not really rude we just move 1.3x faster than most of the country.Oh please you people drive like mutant snail turtles

slow

[Samurai]

Well, if you're up for Bootleg-Land, stop by Chinatown in Manhattan. They've got plenty, I assure you.The thing about shopping in Chinatown is a lot of the bootleg anime is in the original Japanese dialogue... with Chinese subtitles!

So it's kind of useless unless you can read Chinese or understand Japanese. But shopping for bootleg American movies or cartoons is fine... uh, not that I'd know or anything :sweat:

[Dr Crocodile]

DON'T shop at Virgin, they charge MSRP for everything. If you want to buy DVDs go to Best Buy on 23rd Street and 6th Avenue or 86th and 3rd Avneue. Manga is more or less the same price anywhere though there maybe some speciality shops that have good prices. One good speciality shop that has figures, manga, comics, etc. is Forbidden Planet on 13th and Broadway. It's in the Union Square region.

[lostrune]

Whoa, now where are those ol' NYC or any city's shopping guides when ya need 'em... Those used to be distributed so widely.... :sad:
(Anyone remember the old Anime Crash (http://www.animecrash.com/), one of the pioneer all-anime store with a big hanging anime banner on top, albeit the place was a ripoff? :D )

Anyways, start browsing here: NYC Anime Shopping Guide (http://nyc-anime.memnon.net/#stuff).

Many of the stores can be found around mid-town Manhattan, like in Times Square the Virgin Megastore these people are talking about.

The Image Anime / Hyper Hobbies (http://www.imageanime.com/) people used to know me. If you can get a car to Queens, find Anime Castle (http://www.animecastle.com/)'s warehouse - they keep everything they sell there.

[Hatter]

I'm still kicking myself for not visiting Kinokuniya when I had the chance. Time restrictions, I guess.

The only anime shop I was able to visit was ImageAnime - it's quite small, but they have some nice plush Totoros.

[Viper]

Hey, I'm from NYC and I'm not the rude type. There may be a few mean worms in the Big Apple, but it's still no reason to avoid it altogether.:)

As for shopping in NY, I would suggest avoiding Chinatown. Bootleg DVDs are no good. My mom bought "Day After Tomorrow" and the movie was completely in Spanish!:sad:

I strongly suggest the following places:

Times Square Toys R Us (sadly, the Union Square one is no more)
Virgin Megastore
Borders on 57th & Park Ave
Best Buy, Circuit City, & FYE
Midtown Comics--forgot the location, but you should find some neat stuff there:)
FAO Schwartz--do NOT miss this! Especially now that it just got a facelift.:D

Oh, if you have time, check out some of the museums like:

Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Natural History & Hayden Planetarium
Museum Of TV & Radio--my personal fave!;)
New York Hall of Science in Queens
South Street Seaport--a must see!:D

Plus, if you have enough time and money, try and see a Broadway play if you can. I strongly recommend: Beauty & the Beast and Little Shop of Horrors.:D However, I strongly suggest thinking twice about seeing Avenue Q; it has awful dialogue.:ack:

One word of caution, though. Be very careful about panhandlers. They're pretty much anywhere.:eek:

Well, that's about it. All I can say is I hope you enjoy your stay in the Big Apple.:D Don't worry. Not all of us New Yorkers are bad.;) :anime:

--Erik Zmajkovic a.k.a. Viper; proud to be a New Yorker:D

[JetMaster5]

The thing about shopping in Chinatown is a lot of the bootleg anime is in the original Japanese dialogue... with Chinese subtitles!
Not entirely true. Sure they've got Chinese subtitles, but I'm pretty sure they've also English subtitles there...

...although their subtitles generally suck, but if people want things cheap, that's the way to go...

Oh, and one more thing. New Yorkers are bad people. They'd sell condoms on the streets to make money. They'd wear signs to promote their stores and wear nothing underneath. They'd carjack cars and steal all the visitors' luggages. They'd have dogs poop all around the sidewalks just so other people can step on them. Then, you've also got gangs, grabage bags, freezing temperature, and all that crap.

Well, I've exaggerated, but, to keep things real, the condition in NYC isn't great.

[Samurai]

Not entirely true. Sure they've got Chinese subtitles, but I'm pretty sure they've also English subtitles there...

...although their subtitles generally suck, but if people want things cheap, that's the way to go...Yes, but rarely do I see bootleg DVD's of anime with an English dub and English subtitles, except for maybe something like Pokemon... you can get bootleg games though in English if you know where to look. Again, I'm keeping my mouth shut :p

[HellCat]

First of all, thanks to everyone who replied. You've all given me alot of helpful info :)
Second, I wanted to ask about a few items in general. Does anyone know where in the city I'm likely to be able to find these at a decent price?-

MST3K boxsets
Gargoyles-First Season

And lastly, something I'm thinking of picking up for my sister-

Palisades' Muppet's Animal with stage display base.

Many thanks to anyone who can help me out.

[MrBananagrabber]

I'm going to second Forbidden Planet on 13th and Broadway. It's a great store, you'll definitely find a lot of stuff there. And absolutely go see Avenue Q, I've never enjoyed a broadway play so much in my entire life. Try to order tickets like, now, so you can get good seats. And make sure to use Telecharge and not Broadway.com. It'll probably cost around $100 a ticket, but it's totally worth it.

As for other places to check out, the villiage is always fun to walk around, and that list of museums Viper poster are all great. Just keep in mind museums are closed on Mondays.

Have a great time, New York is an awesome city. Youmay want to pick up a map of the subway, it's much cheaper and easier to travel by that instead of cabs.

[kaine23]

My frequent places:

Image Anime
Kinokunya and Book-Off
Chinatown's Elizabeth Center
Midtown Comics

[Hordesman]

HQ Video on 45th Street.

[G1Ravage]

I've been lucky to get a place on a one week college trip to New York in early Feb. Whilst mornings will be dedicated to education, the rest of the time is our own. Amongst sightseeing, I'm hoping to take this chance to possibly snag items I wouldn't be able to find back home.
So if anyone can suggest some decent places to shop in NY for the kind of things people like us enjoy (toys, manga, games, DVDs, etc), I'd really welcome being informed about them.

Thanks everybody! :)
Early Feb., huh? Bring your boots. I don't think the snow from our last blizzard will have melted yet. Oh, and bring money too. Lots and lots of money. You WILL shop on impulse here. Where will you be staying? I'm guessing this is some sort of college transfer program for that one week, since you said that the mornings will be dedicated to "education".

Let me help you out a bit:

http://www.mapquest.com

MapQuest. Quite self-explanatory. If we start throwing addresses at you, just punch them into MapQuest and you'll see where in the city they are. I also suggest you "explore" the city using MapQuest when you have some free time before you leave. It helps to have a general idea of how the boroughs are shaped, and where all the neighborhoods are. MapQuest now can also list the addresses of restaurants, shopping malls, theatres, etc. It's a great tool when you need to find something.

http://www.mta.info

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's website. Go there for subway maps, bus maps for all five boroughs, as well as bus and subway schedules. Don't waste your money on cabs. The bus and subway fare in NYC is $2.00. Most people pay using a MetroCard, which is sort of like your OysterCard on The Tube. You put money on your MetroCard, and when you swipe it at a subway turnstile, it takes off the $2.00 fare. Plus, you get a free transfer to a bus, or vice-versa.

Since you'll be here for a week, I suggest that you buy a 7-day Unlimited MetroCard. It costs $21, and will give you unlimited rides on all subways and local buses for a whole week! You can buy one at any subway station, either from a station clerk, or from an automated MetroCard Vending Machine.

Now, you want some shopping ideas? Where to begin...

You want toys? Check out the Toys-R-Us in Times Square. It's on the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 45th Street, right in the heart of Times Square. It's HUGE, and they've got a huge stock of any toy you could possibly be looking for.

For DVDs, movies, and the such, I would recommend a store such as Sam Goody or Suncoast. They usually have the better prices, as well as a large stock of anime DVDs, manga, anime toys, and Japanese snacks. Check out http://www.samgoody.com or http://www.suncoast.com to search for stores in NYC. Once I know where you're staying, I can help you about a bit more specifically.

Now, as far as localized "comic book/anime/import" shops go, there are plenty to choose from. One such store is Forbidden Planet, which a great all-purpose sci-fi store. The address is 840 Broadway, on the corner of Broadway and East 13th Street. There's only one other store I know of, but I've never been there. They've recently been advertising LOCALLY on Adult Swim. I forgot the name of the place already, but the address is 102 Saint Marks Place. The commercial boasted a great selection of imported stuff, like model kits, anime, etc.

That's all I can think of right now. Feel free to keep asking questions about the City, or you can PM me. :anime:

[G1Ravage]

If you can get a car to Queens, find Anime Castle (http://www.animecastle.com/)'s warehouse - they keep everything they sell there.
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD.

This place has been in my backyard this whole time, AND I NEVER KNEW?!?!?! :eek: It's only two miles from my apartment!

[Daughterof_Evil]

(Anyone remember the old Anime Crash (http://www.animecrash.com/), one of the pioneer all-anime store with a big hanging anime banner on top, albeit the place was a ripoff? :D )
Oh, god, I do! That amounted to my first New York anime experience, until I discovered Forbidden Planet on Broadway. I remember my brother and sister-in-law referring to it as the "mystery anime store" because it was somewhat hard to find and then it just disappeared one day, like a ninja or something.

[lostrune]

If you can get a car to Queens, find Anime Castle (http://www.animecastle.com/)'s warehouse - they keep everything they sell there.
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD.

This place has been in my backyard this whole time, AND I NEVER KNEW?!?!?! :eek: It's only two miles from my apartment!
Knock on the non-descript red door. It's not actually advertised, so it's easy to miss. Reminds me of the old Speak-Easies of the 1920s. :D





(Anyone remember the old Anime Crash (http://www.animecrash.com/), one of the pioneer all-anime store with a big hanging anime banner on top, albeit the place was a ripoff? :D )
Oh, god, I do! That amounted to my first New York anime experience, until I discovered Forbidden Planet on Broadway. I remember my brother and sister-in-law referring to it as the "mystery anime store" because it was somewhat hard to find and then it just disappeared one day, like a ninja or something.
IIRC, on 4th and Broadway, right in front of Tower Records and Video, where the anime were actually cheaper if you can find them. So basically, Anime Crash's only advantage was its large selection, which at the time was not present in mainstream shops. But now that advantage is gone, they closed down their stores (there's another around Harvard Square, Boston) and switched to licensing and distributing. :shrug:




Second, I wanted to ask about a few items in general. Does anyone know where in the city I'm likely to be able to find these at a decent price?-

MST3K boxsets
Gargoyles-First Season

Oh, for that, just go to any Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=cat12093&type=page&allstores=yes&h=387). :)

[ThePeterNetwork]

There's only one other store I know of, but I've never been there. They've recently been advertising LOCALLY on Adult Swim. I forgot the name of the place already, but the address is 102 Saint Marks Place. The commercial boasted a great selection of imported stuff, like model kits, anime, etc.
I think you've just described St. Marks Comics. I've been there a few times when I worked in the Village, but they are evil because they won't let you preview the comics there. :mad:

I have access to Manhattan, and I've never even heard of Kinokuniya. What's it like there, and what sort of animes/manga do you recommend? I've always wanted to dive into that kind of world.

**off to Google Kinokuniya**

[G1Ravage]

I think you've just described St. Marks Comics. I've been there a few times when I worked in the Village, but they are evil because they won't let you preview the comics there. :mad:Nope.

I stopped by the mystery store today. It's called J1Toy Japanese Toys. It's a small little shop, but they've got a TON of figures there. They've got mini figures, they've got posters, they've imported Japanese Transformers, and they've got every Gundam model kit in existence, including just about every mobile suit from Seed. (Resisted buying a 1/60 Freedom o.o) It's small, but I highly recommend checking the place out. It's run by a really nice middle-aged Japanese guy.

To get there, take the (L) train to First Avenue. Walk south down First Avenue, and then turn left onto Saint Marks Place. It's on the right side, at 102W Saint Marks Place.

Oh! And you know what else he had? A miniature sexy Lacus Clyne doll! :evil: