New York City Wacky Japanese Gift Guide

The gift guide continues...

Those Japanese are really ahead of the curve. I mean, first, Nintendo. Then sushi. Then Tamagachi. Then Alyssa Milano and Jennifer Love Hewitt as major pop stars. Well, okay, maybe they don't know music. But they good know what looks good and is fun to play with. Us Americans struggle to keep up. Unless you shop at these stores below, beacons of Japanese brilliance shining through the concrete caverns of New York City:

The Store: AC Gears, 69 E. 8th St.

What You'll Find:

Takaratomy Air Guitar Pro Acoustic, $55.99. Air guitarists everywhere now have an alternative to Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Also look for: Cool gadgets like the Dreams DJ Speaker, a keychain-sized device that allows you to DJ-scratch along with your iPod, cool accessories like Angel and Devil Earphones, and the most fun alarm clock you'll ever see, the Bandai Gun Oclock Alarm Clock:



The Store: Kid Robot, 118 Prince St.

What You'll Find:

Yummy Breakfast Keychain, $4.95 ea. Who doesn't want a smiling short-stack of pancakes holding their keys together?

Also look for: Vinyl and metal figurines ranging from the dark and subversive (Cannibal FunFair Figurines) to the adorable and deplorable (cigarette-addicted Smorkin` Labbits).

The Store: Giant Robot, 437 E. 9th St.

What You'll Find:

Lie Detector Toy, $21.00. Now you can tell if they really like their gift.

Also look for: Unique stocking stuffers like the furry monster-shaped Domokun Small Coin Purse, Super Mario Brothers keychains. Also, er, the I'm-not-convinced-it's-innocent Elite Banana Massager, shaped like the fruit.

Tuesday Toy Store Gift Guide

I love toys. So do you. Everyone loves 'em. And in New York City, you're not limited to KB Toys at the mall or Toys R' Us. You can find some toys here that you can't find in many places. Not even at the North pole.

The Store: Dinosaur Hill, 306 E. 9th St.

What You'll Find:

"Where The Wild Things Are" Puppets, $27.50. This is one seriously cute monster.

Also look for: Handcrafted, old-fashioned wooden toys, kid's instruments like a miniature Calypso Steel Drum, and the adorable shaggy Razzy, the owner's schnoodle (not for sale).

The Store: Kidding Around, 60 W. 15th St.

What You'll Find:

Pottery Wheel, $50.00. Because how else can your kid re-create the scene from Ghost?

Also look for: Shrinky Dinks, Creativity For Kids arts & crafts sets, the kid-ridable Yellow Jacket Plane.

The Store: Alphabets, 115 Ave. A

What You'll Find:

MyTunes MP3 Amp, $40.00. Crank up your Coldplay/Joe Santorini collection way past 11.

Also look for: Gag gifts, funky t-shirts, Ugly Dolls, Slinky Dogs, wallets and watches, like the Android “Radar” Watch.

The Store: Boomerang Toys‎, 173 W Broadway

What You'll Find:

Elite Fleet Battery Powered Backyard Flyer Airplane, $18.00. For those not old enough to fly a real airplane.

Also look for: Classic brand name toys like a Thomas the Train Engine Wooden Train Set, animal puppets by Folkmani, and activity sets like Marvin's Magic Box Of Tricks.

The Store: FAO Schwarz, 767 5th Ave.

What You'll Find:

Make Your Own Muppet, $130. Amateur Jim Hensons, now's your chance to create the new Kermit.

Also look for: The home version of the Piano Dance Mat featured in the Tom Hanks movie, "Big," plus basically every toy you can imagine.

Monday Museum Gift Guide

There are lots of museums in New York, all with their own gift shop. And those are great places to find unique gifts not found anywhere else. Below are five that I've been to. There's a lot more where this came from, so get out this week and help the NYC economy by shopping until dropping.

The Store: MOMA Design Store, 81 Spring St.

What You'll Find:

Lumen Oil Lamp, $50.00. Start a forest fire, without all the damage!

Also look for: Muji products, like the Muji Jewelry Box With Mirror, and funky watches, like the Matthew Waldman-designed Zub 20 Zot Watch.

The Store: American Folk Art Museum Gift Shop, 45 W. 53rd St.

What You'll Find:

Handcrafted Board Piano, $38.00. Made in Pennsylvania, adapted from an ancient African folk instrument, its a finger-pickin' good time.

Also look for: A Cat Face Pillow, handsewn by Indian artisans, and an folk-artist-designed Compass Necklace.

The Store: Ukranian Museum Gift Shop, 222 E. 6th St

What You'll Find:

Inlaid Ring Box, $27.00. Because your mail-order Ukranian bride will need something to put her other husband's wedding ring in.

Also look for: Гаррі Поттер - повна серія книжок, which translates roughly to, a collection of 7 Harry Potter books, in the "original" Ukranian. Also Ukranian Dolls and Teddy Bears.

The Store: American Museum Of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St.

What You'll Find:


Space Navigator, $75.00. Give them the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars with this electronic guide to the night sky.

Also look for: The gravity defying Cosmic Rocket, a Paint-Your-Own_Butterfly art kit, and the Chemc500 Chemistry set.

The Store: De La Vega, 102 St. Marks Pl.

What You'll Find:

Become Your Dream T-Shirt, $35.00. James De La Vega's St. Marks street shop isn't a museum, per se, but he's got plenty of graffiti-style, counter-culture art to buy.

Also look for: Prints, stickers and T-shirts from De La Vega's "Mother Series," in which he depicts his mother as Castro, John Lennon, and other figures.

Stay tuned, the city gift finder continues...

The New York City Gift Guide



Holiday time is here again, and whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza or Festivus, you're probably looking to buy a few gifts (or, in the case of Festivus, preparing for The Airing of Grievances). There's no better place to do that than New York City, home to funky, fresh and fabulous gifts you can't find anyplace else.

I've been to a plethora of present purveyors during my time in the city, and I went to some of the best (i.e. most conveniently located to my home, business, and friends' apartments) to uncover some good ideas for your family and friends this shopping season.

We'll cover five stores today, with more to follow all next week!

Browsing these stores is highly reccommended, even though most have websites. They're all colorful, fun and unique. You never know what you'll find. Remember, if you do your holiday shopping right, those Christmas carols will sound a little merrier, those Chanukah candles will seem to burn brighter, that Kwanza basket will appear to overflow with abundance, and that cold aluminum pole just may feel a little less cold.

The Store: Exit 9, 64 Ave. A

What You'll Find:

My Ukelele, $49.00. Make beautiful music.

Also look for: Gag gifts, like a spongy Shower Mic, and interesting gadgets like a Solar Radio.

The Store: Daily 235, 235 Elizabeth St.

What You'll Find:

Rody, $65. A rocking horse for the new millenium.

Also look for: Gag gifts like the "Control A Man" Remote and "Convert To Judaism" Breath Spray, cute items like Animal Clocks.

The Store: VIDEOGAMES NEW YORK, 202 E. 6th St.

What You'll Find:

Nintendo DSi, $299.99. Unreleased in the U.S., this Japanese import is gamer nirvana.

Also look for: Old-school classic gaming systems like the Nintendo Game & Watch.

The Store: Tiny Living, 125 E. 7th St.

What You'll Find:

10x Office Tool, $21.95. Stapler, hole punch, and 8 more office necessities in one tiny package.

Also look for: Accessories for a small apartment, like the Fireplace Candle and Folding Wine Rack.

The Store: Sam Flax, 12 W. 20th St.

What You'll Find:

Kikkerland Windup Zecar, $14.95. Wind-up fun.

Also look for: Desk games like the Ruda Metal Football Game Desk Set and arts & crafts gifts like the Melissa & Doug Table Top Easel.

Christmukah Fun In NYC



I need to go to this:

NBC- F. A. O. Schwarz has a make-your-own Muppet station called The Muppet Whatnot Workshop! The store provides a slew of wigs, eyes, noses, outfits, and body types to choose from, which combined allows for 72,576 different variations of Muppets.

The Make-Your-Own Muppets cost $130 each, but Kermit makes a pretty good argument for buying one, now: Kermit & Ms. Piggy

The puppets are the real deal-- the same materials and quality that they use for the various Muppets shows.

You'll be able to design your own Muppet online starting in February, but if you're in New York City, why wait? Or rather, why not wait... on line at F.A.O., that is, for about two hours or so.