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20 W. 22nd St. New York, NY 10010
212-675-7274
http://www.o2-salon.com For lovely housewives who usually don't have the whole day to kill but sometimes do, this beauty salon offers three different colors of robe, indicating the pace of the service. Cloaks range from blue "relax" (massage, foot rubs and slippers) to siler "rush" (just a cut). Complimentary tea and snacks for everyone. More >>
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633 Vanderbilt Brooklyn, NY 11238
718-789-2008
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24 E. 13th St. New York, NY 10003
212-924-4600
http://www.hrcbest.com The theme at this premium gym is aelegant Turkisha and itas evident the minute you step into the East Villageas NYHRCathe lobby is all about tile work and a Middle Eastern rug. Membership here gets you free toiletries like mouthwash and moisturizer and plasma screen televisions with Internet accessaall to go with your workout. But donat forget to alternate between the mineral whirlpool bath and Turkish rock sauna. What happened to the kids? Donat you remember? The NYHRC is taking care of them in the babysitting area. Marvel at the list of gym features but be certain to ascertain which ones cost extra. More >>
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17 W. 17th St. New York, NY 10011
212-727-7516
A few choice items are on display in this huge, bright store. Ugly clothes with fancy labels reign here, along with a few other neat odds and ends. Check out the linens, which are great for unique gifts. The furniture selection is good, but pricey. It is worth checking out if you have got time though. More >>
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192 10th Ave. New York, NY 10011
212-255-4022
http://www.192books.com This Chelsea bookstore (used and new) takes its cues from the immediately surrounding art world. With ample open floor space and one totally bare wall, the store doubles as a gallery. This winter, Walker Evanas photos will be displayed. More >>
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20 Clinton St. (Houston & Stanton) New York, NY 10002
212-387-8660
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57 E. 8th St. New York, NY 10003
212-228-2192
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212 W. 29th St. New York, NY 10001
212-465-0575
http://www.29thstreetrep.com
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300 W. 40th St. New York, NY 10018
212-594-0944
A claustrophobic, maze-like porn store with aisle names like aAnal Alley,a aJames Bondage Picks,a and aGroup and Gangbangers Anonymous.a More >>
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155 W. 33rd St. New York, NY 10001
212-643-8907
A creepy two-floor sex shop frequented by elderly men. Videos and supermarket romances are in the front and toys, porn, and peepshow booths in the back. More >>
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37 Crosby St. New York, NY 10013
212-226-0067
http://www.atelierjeanyu.com Designed for minute breasts and bodies (the models on their website look near death), the fabric for most of the lingerie here is suggestively thin, not quite transparent, but close. Long sheathy slips, which look a lot like dresses, are good for lounging sexily around the apartment. More >>
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276L 5th Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-832-0951
http://www.3rliving.com Happy eco-couple Samantha Delman-Caserta and Mark Caserta provide home decor and housewarming gifts which are environmentally-friendly and don't stomp on the little people, at 3R Living, their Park Slope gift shop. Short for the big three R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), 3R is the kind of place you can pick up both phosphate-free, biodegradable dishwashing liquid and $56 picture frames fashioned from discarded Argentinian boat wood at the same time. FYI: 3R runs its own in-store recycling program, accepting batteries, cell phones, ink cartridges, CD cases, handheld electronics, and, for some reason, crayons. More >>
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84 Pennsylvania Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11207
718-497-9593
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225 5th Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-398-1187
A stress-free place for under-the-weather cats. The relaxing environment is thanks to a bark-free policy. There are no birds or bunnies, either. This is a small, organized, friendly vet's office is open seven days a week (by appointment). The doctor is Eric Bregman, part of the larger family operation, The Bregman group, with four locations around Brooklyn. More >>
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179 Columbus Ave. New York, NY 10023
212-724-6767
http://www.67wine.com
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7 W. 34th St. New York, NY 10001
212-279-6063
http://www.7wnewyork.com
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725 Ave. Of The Americas New York, NY 10010
212-924-4633
725 Video has an enormous selection of cheap videos, which leave no fantasy unexplored (one porn series features women having sex with their dogs). In the back are fancy peep room booths equipped with volume control. More >>
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80 W. 40th St. New York, NY 10018
212-840-6695
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372 5th Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-9884
http://www.826nyc.org As far as shopping experiences that involve teeny dioramas, lumberjacking supplies, identical items with randomly assigned prices, models of bird feet cast in pewter, and extensive annotations from Dave Eggers go, you can't do much better. I mean, you can buy copies of McSweeney's elsewhere, but can you look at developing state-fair-grade pumpkins at the same time? More >>
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69 E. 8th St. New York, NY 10003
212-228-9657
High school kids who troll 8th street usually find their stylistic gold mine right before they get to Broadway, here at the Village's own ravewear mini-emporium. 8th Street packs in enough baggy nylon pants, Paul Frank baby tees, and slashed fetish minis to feed the most cynical-hearted club kid on a weekend escape from the arents. More >>
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84 E. 10th St. New York, NY 10003
212-460-8599
http://www.99xnyc.com The mod revival is alive and well at the second-story shop 99X, where the coed school wear of the window display hints at inside treasures: Fred Perry polos, Ben Sherman shirts, cardigans with star or skull motif, tartan kilts, Sta-Prest pants, and skinny monochrome ties. Footwear ranges from punkish Dr. Martens to '50s-retro brothel creepers, and accessories include Lonsdale and Merc bags and English-league soccer scarves. More >>
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443 E. 9th St. New York, NY 10009
212-979-7324
http://www.achengshop.com At last, a tiny East Village boutique where the designer is selling real, proper clothes, not just tattered, reconstructed tees. Cheng's crisp, ladylike separates are as good as what you'd get at any of the city's best boutiques, a nice compromise between chic and cool. More >>
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44 W. 18th St. New York, NY 10011
212-243-9000
http://www.aifriedman.com Although A.I. Friedman caters to all kinds of artists and designers, it specializes in commercial customers. Donat get all bent out of shapeaad agencies, architects, publishers, and graphic designers need gear, too. Check out its 12,000-square-foot Manhattan location near Union Square. More >>
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131 Mercer St. New York, NY 10012
212-966-9685
http://www.apc.fr This store would make a Francophile out of anyone. The men's looks are simple but perfect (the fits make sense and the colors are sharp), and the women's collection is more off-center (either vintage-inspired or just plain kooky) but still hopelessly chic. I love everything about this store: the wide, uneven slats of the rough wood floor, the louche and sexy sales staff, the weird, Euro-hipster music (which they also sell, by the way), the spacious dressing rooms . . . the whole thing is just genius. More >>
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680 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10021
212-935-1960
http://www.aaronbasha.com The tony denizens of the Upper East Side have a whole world of signs and signifiers that leave the rest of the unwashed masses scratching our heads. It's hard to find someone who doesn't recognize the Louis Vuitton logo, but did you know that
jewelry from Aaron Basha practically screams class? The house specialty is bejeweled and enameled baby shoes (don't ask) and to me, they look like something from a very expensive gumball machine, but what do I know? More >>
