Shopping in New York

I am going to New York at the end of April. I have never been before. Am staying near Madison Ave. I would like some tips on places where I might acquire the following:

*DVDs - new, used, the cheaper the better, favouring arthouse and horror (but show me EVERYTHING). CDs, too, again favouring free jazz, noise etc. TBH, I buy much more movies than music these days.
*BOOKS - new, used etc, favouring crime, sf, general 20th-century American fiction.
*COMICS, MAGAZINES - not really interested in the latest graphic novels etc, but old weird shit that isn't that common in the UK (eg back issues of National Lampoon.)
*GENERAL BRIC-A-BRAC - board games, novelties, whatnot.

want to have breakfast in one really good diner, go to somewhere like the Village Vanguard or The Stone one evening, visit La Monte Young's Dream House, go to the Museum of Modern Art, maybe go to a movie, go to a nice quiet bar, along w/ some of the obv landmarks etc.

Thanks for your help!

I recommend taking a time machine downtown

everybody seems to like the strand for books, idk tbh never had to buy a book here

Or, more serious answers, uh, I guess for books there's always the Strand, which is the big famous not ridiculously cheap but generally good go-to used bookstore. It's not a long walk from there to Other Music, which is a small but good shop for rare/out/free/noise stuff

You could also take the L to Bedford Ave in Williamsburg, hit up Spoonbill for books, go to the various record stores nearby, and then walk up Metropolitan toward Lorimer and go to the comic book shop there (although p sure it's more of a "latest graphic novels" place than an "old weird shit" place). The Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens area of Brooklyn has some good bookstores but I don't think any record/dvd stores (Book Court for new, Community Bookstore for a great big musty old pile of cheap used stuff). For general bric a brac that's not overpriced, IDK, there's such a mark up on random weird bric a brac in Brooklyn these days. The Brooklyn Flea is always fun: http://www.brooklynflea.com/markets/ (indoor location is in williamsburg so could be combined with other williamsburg stuff) but it's more of a hip/bougie flea market with lots of local artisanal crafts and food. You will find interesting bric a brac just not cheap.

The Strand is a fun place to browse. The art book floor in particular is amazing. You won't get the best prices on most things though. But it's worth a visit.

Good stuff, thanks Hurting.

The new (much smaller) location of Mondo Kim's in the East Village is not as good as it used to be when it covered four floors on St. Mark's Place but as a one-stop shop for rare DVDs and music you could do worse. (They seem to concentrate more on DVDs than music nowadays imo.)

walking distance to Other Music

Hi, Ward Fowler! None of that shopping is the kind I know how to do. Recommendations for diners & bars will probably be forthcoming, though. You're staying on Madison and what cross-street?

(indoor location is in williamsburg so could be combined with other williamsburg stuff)

the indoor location of the flea is in Prospect Heights near the Barclays Center (Skylight One Hanson)

ah, my bad, I think I had an old location

or maybe just got thrown by "Williamsburg Savings Bank" + the outdoor one being in williamsburg

Well, in ANY CASE, I remember there being a good bookstore (new books) in Ft. Greene that I think would be walkable from there

and also that's just a nice area to walk around

xpost

Hi, In Orbit! All advice most welcome. I think my hotel is on 38th street?

Yes, must go to Mondo Kim's, thanks dmr - also, there are DVDs at Academy Music, is that right?

greenwich treehouse in greenwich village is my favorite bar, and yes the strand def a must for books.

there's a good comics store near there on Bergen (called Bergen Comics, natch) but it's a latest graphic novels kinda place, not old weird shit

near the Flea location I meant

the Academy in Williamsburg is almost all vinyl, I don't really remember them having many DVDs. maybe one of the Manhattan locations does though.

thanks J.D. - there are a few henry james-related spots i'm hoping to take in, which brings me close to greenwich village i think

Village Vanguard is also in the village, obvs. As an alternative to that you could go to Jazz Standard, which is closer to where you're staying - in the mid 20s (26th?) off Park, i.e. not even a bad walk from your hotel, and has supposedly decent barbecue at the attached restaurant (Blue Smoke) but I haven't tried it. It's sort of swankier and roomier, although not necessarily more expensive than the Vanguard, which just happens to be more cramped and old school. I like the sound a lot at the Vanguard and obviously it has the history, but some people prefer the standard. Jazz Standard is also close to Madison Park, which I like a lot, and which has a Shake Shack kiosk, which, tbh, I have no idea if it even opens in the winter (but there are other indoor locations that do, in any case). All that stuff is also not ridiculously far from the Strand.

As an alternative for slightly cheaper and more up-and-coming jazz, I really like the basement of the Cornelia Street Cafe -- small and intimate and good booking. Avoid the Blue Note at all costs.

There are also some cool buildings around Madison Park like the NY Life building - worth just popping in and strolling through the lobby

The Academy Records on 18th in Manhattan is the one for used DVDs and for an excellent excellent used classical and jazz CD section. Not far away from that is a comics/old magazines/old weird shit/nostalgia stuff store called The Time Machine which sounds like what you want. It's on the second floor of a bldg on 14th.

I feel like Ian is the guy to ask for where to hunt used crime paperbacks...

Thanks Jon, have added The Time Machine to my list.

Thanks Hurting - have always wanted to at least stand outside the vanguard because of this alb:

http://www.classiclps.co.uk/images/shopcovers/P00674.jpg

"again!" ?

Way to sell yr night out.. ?

"What, Coltrane Again?

When I was in high school (like 10 yrs ago) I used to hang out on St. Mark's for stuff like this.

Strand is great

When you go to the Strand you can look for this guy
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/nyregion/at-the-strand-ask-ben-mcfall-he-knows-fiction.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Academy in Williamsburg has some DVDs but not a ton. You should stop by and say hi.
If you're in the Bedford Avenue area, also make sure to go to the poorly named BOOK THUG NATION on North 3rd Street, lots of used books, Decent crime & sf sections, LARGE lit/fiction section.

Thanks Ian, would be nice to meet you. I'm wary of trying to organise a FAP or anything as my time is limited, and I'm not much of a boozer tbh. I take it w33d hasn't been legalised yet in NYC.

http://lucsante.com/commerce/

Really liked this

Luc Sante's books are great too.

where's the cheapest I can get some Rockport ProWalkers?

Amazonlol

Also prob one of those shoe places on Broadway btw Houston and, like, Great Jones

really loving this, 龜

luc sante is great; that's a great piece