![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.soulbridgemedia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/DSC_1581-4-copy.jpg\" "\\"new")
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Stepping out of the hotel, those Arctic winds still can catch you unaware even near the end of March. If you’re travelling round this time of year, keep your softshell on you at all times. Trust me, you’ll thank me for it. Your other senses like your smell might also take a hit from the Air de City Pollute’<\/em>. Some say its like someone set fire to the Valley (Brisbane), a smoke filled aroma ballasted with rich exhaust fumes, road grime, a dash of hot garbage with a hint of urine. But like any over populated city in the world be it London, Hong Kong or Sydney, its more an expected garnish than an obstacle. Still, would it kill the street vendors to clean their frying grills once every 5 years?? Note, that “seasoning” is added to your – charcoal outside, old tyre rubbery inside pretzel too. Best to stick to retail chains if you want something that resembles bread. The hotdogs are a little better albeit rather small and for $3USD (quite possibly inflated due to the pre-included tourist tax) you can easily find something more filling. Contrary, those roasted peanuts and cashews are absolutely delish and work great as a temp. hand warmer!<\/p>\n When it comes to shopping however, there’s very few cities that come close to NYC, especially when it comes to “street” culture and a weak US dollar. Larger shopping centres and thrift stores like Walmart<\/a> are off the list in Manhattan<\/strong> but for everything else, you’ll find it here.<\/p>\n We started towards Uptown<\/strong> with Nintendo world<\/a> – a multi storey store with, you guessed it, everything Nintendo, right down to a mini museum of retro consoles, controllers and portables. Remember to check with the store clerk when buying games, some American versions wont work on AU consoles.<\/p>\n Nintendo world NYC<\/p><\/div>\n THE NBA Store<\/a> a little further north – if you’ve ever had a passing interest in the game then this is the store for you. It has everything to do with basketball; memorabilia, uniforms, apparel, the works; even a life size Lego version of Celtics’ big man, Kevin Garnett<\/strong>. Sneaker wise however its rather limited to sport shoes, no retro or “street” style releases. You can however get a bit of a dose a couple blocks up at Niketown<\/strong>.<\/p>\n NBA Store<\/p><\/div>\n While not the mecca some would like it to be, Niketown<\/a> still has enough oo’s and ahh’s to deserve a good look through, just don’t expect any retros or rarities, in fact nothing that isn’t a current model. They did have a small sale section which had a couple odd\/older models and colourways but nothing to write home about. The floors are divided into sporting applications with the ones to note being the basketball level – complete with a display case of every Air Jordan all in a white with red trim colourway and life size Lebron James<\/strong> mannequin. Top floor is the most interesting with the Nike iD<\/a> studio, wall of sneakers piled behind glass in the change rooms, ceiling art made entirely of white sneaker soles and our new favourite sub-brand “6.0<\/strong>“, targeted at the crowd that spends any amount of time upside down in the air with some kind of sporting equipment.<\/p>\n Niketown NYC - Air Jordans<\/p><\/div> Niketown NYC<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n The piece de resistance of the store however would be the very Futurama\/Jetsons style tubing that whisk your boxed sneakers from the basement to and from the levels and registers. Cool? Way.<\/p>\n Niketown NYC<\/p><\/div>\n Also up that way is the Apple<\/strong> store for you Lemmings ;p and a few blocks north is Dylan’s Candy bar<\/a> for those with a sweet tooth.<\/p>\n Getting back down to mid-town is as easy as jumping on one of the many buses travelling on 5th Av. If you don’t have a Metrocard<\/a> make sure you have those Quarters ready as they don’t take notes!<\/p>\n Back to Times Square<\/strong> you’ll be hard pressed to miss Footlocker, Journey, Modell’s and Champs<\/strong>. All with a huge range of models and colours and plenty of items on sale as well. Footlocker<\/a> had the biggest range and had a lot of the winterized boots on special being end of season. Plenty of other clothing items too including jerseys, singlets, hoodies and tees all reduced, some down to single figures! Girls will need to look no further when they can get a Mets<\/strong> game jersey as a nighty for $20US (yes yes, its still the Mets but you’re sleeping in it, not wearing it to a game!).<\/p>\n Journey’s<\/a>, as on the west coast has a more alternate\/skate range with a wide selection of Dr. Martins<\/a>, Converse<\/a> and Vans<\/a>. They also had a good assortment of Adidas (Superstars and similar skate models).<\/p>\n Modell’s<\/a> reminded me a bit of Rebel Sport<\/a> for some reason, possibly the layout, possibly the exuberant prices on some items. Sneaker-wise the selection is similar to Rebel sport, only current models and an unusual selection at that, mostly in the sporty vain. Where they differ is they also have sporting equipment, work wear and jeans. Work wear in the way of Dickies<\/a> and the like are average priced, possibly a bit on the high side but the jeans are a steal for $10-20US for Mecca Apparel<\/a> and similar.<\/p>\n Finally Champs<\/a> is like a smaller version of Footlocker but they had a few “in between” models that Footlocker didn’t. They also had many items on sale, some being cheaper than Footlocker.<\/p>\n The best thing about these stores is they’re open till 11pm-midnight some cases 1am so if you get back to your hotel and realise you just HAD to have those 2010 Spiz’ikes then it’s a only a short walk back to buyer remorse heaven.<\/p>\n Heading south down Broadway<\/strong> take a right on 34th-35th<\/strong> and pop into the Kmart <\/strong>for some bargain clothing or travel amenities. Probably not everyone’s choice of a must see, but for licensed game apparel on clearance its worth a look. Knicks<\/strong> sleepwear, Yankees<\/strong> tee’s, jerseys, jackets etc fill several clearance racks along with the standard “Dad” affair at a fraction of the cost, it was perfect for souvenirs. The work wear re: Dickies were some of the cheapest non-sale prices we came across at around $20US for pants and $13 for shorts. Just hope its after they’ve received an order as a lot of the sizes and colours were non-existant.<\/p>\n About half a block further is B & H Photo<\/a> for all your camera bits and pieces.<\/p>\n Back east passing Madison Square Garden<\/a> (say Hi to Spike and Jack for me) and over Broadway<\/strong>, pass another Footlocker<\/strong> and another Forever 21<\/strong> (the American Supre<\/a>\/Jay Jays<\/a>, yes, keep walking) is one of our fave one-stop shops, Dr. Jay’s<\/a>. If you’re into hiphop clothing then this is the place for you. Every major brand is covered from LRG<\/a> to Adidas to Lacoste and the unintentional brands like The Northface<\/a>, its all covered. Caps on street level, a level for menswear then a level of women’s wear. They also have an ok selection of sneakers, some with decent reductions, especially out of season stuff like the Nike winterized Spiz’ikes<\/strong> and Goadomes<\/strong>. Both were the cheapest we saw for $100-120US, so it went with out saying that the Spiz’ikes found a new home. Good selection of work wear and one of the few places that we saw in Manhattan that sold Dickies Girls<\/a>. For those girls looking for black pants that actually fit them, try the Bullpant<\/strong> or Lowrise <\/strong>models, you’ll never look back \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n Nike Air Jordan winterized Spiz'ikes<\/p><\/div>\n Most of the other clothing was all around standard retail prices though there were quite a few models that we didn’t see anywhere else. Some of their range is available online with some great sale items, at the moment the deal is sweetened with a 20% off all orders over $100. With the AUD at almost 1:1 its definitely worth a quick browse, Dr. Jay’s<\/a>. <\/p>\n Around the corner is the Empire state building<\/a> but brave the lines, wait and security at your own peril. More on that later.<\/p>\n Down to W30th Street between 7th and 8th is one of the best anime, toy and collectibles shops that we came across in NYC, Image Anime<\/a>. They have a very respectable range of figures (inc. Revoltech and Figma), busts, models, Manga, clothing and general knick knacks from all your fave anime and animated shows. Just take caution when buying large or boxed items, you’re suitcase space will disappear very quickly. Also remember that some of the more fragile items will have to go in your carry on, so even less room there. Personal experience acquired from purchasing an 18″ hard plastic Gloomy Bear. At <$30US it seemed like a good idea at the time but when it couldn't fit into any bags and had to be carried separately everywhere it got very annoying very fast!\n\nThe final point of interest for florists and wedding organisers on W25th between 6th and 7th is the famous event organiser, Preston Bailey<\/a>. Absolutely stunning work but with an office on the 30th floor and no visible street level show room, its all appointment only, if you can afford him!<\/p>\n Preston Bailey<\/p><\/div>\n Next up we swap the concrete jungle for an actual jungle. Ok its more like a woodlands at best, but we’re they’re to see the animals not the trees at the Bronx Zoo<\/strong>!<\/p>\n Times Square NYC<\/p><\/div>\n New York City 2010 part #1 \u2013 The flight in\u2026<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.soulbridgemedia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/DSC_1603-20-copy.jpg\" "\\"nintendo")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.soulbridgemedia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/DSC_1610-27-copy.jpg\" "\\"NBA")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.soulbridgemedia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/DSC_1623-37-copy-300x199.jpg\" "\\"Niketown")
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\nNew York City part #3 \u2013 Bronx Zoo<\/a>
\nNew York City part #4 \u2013 Sight seeing \u2013 Manhattan<\/a>
\nNew York City part #5 \u2013 Sight Seeing \u2013 Brooklyn Markets and Gardens<\/a>
\nNew York City part #6 \u2013 Shopping: Soho<\/a><\/p>\n