St Marks Place
The Telegraph Avenue of the East Coast. You used to be able to find great bargains from people selling junk and knick knacks on the sidewalks - until Mayor Giuliani realized the stuff was stolen from tourist’s cars and cracked down. Gen-X is big here on St. Marks, including the @ Cafe, New York’s answer to drinking lattes while web-surfing. Riot-grrl and slacker fashions can be had in stores along Avenue A by Tompkins Square. The St Marks Bookstore at 3rd Ave and 9th St is on the ground floor of Cooper Union’s dorm, a building John spent a year of his life working on.
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Within the decades around the turn of the century, millions of immigrants arrived in New York, most crowding into the few blocks around this museum. See how they lived at the Tenement Museum and see how they shopped at the Sunday Orchard Street street market. Also check out Russ and Daughters for pickles and lox, Yonah Schimmel for knishes, and Katz’s Deli to get a corned beef on rye. Don’t forget to buy a ‘salami for your boy in the Army.’
Lafayette Street
The ‘in’ street of the 1990’s. Models, artists, students, actors, those of the scene and making the scene are all found at the following: Storefront Gallery, CyberCafe, the Keith Haring Pop Shop, the Small Furniture Shop, Time Cafe, Screaming Mimi’s, Tower Books/Records etc. Start at Spring Street and work your way north to Astor Place.
Also check out:
Strand Bookstore, no women allowed at McSorleys Ale House, the 10th Street Lounge, next door is Shabu Tatsu, Avenue A for the Rent crowd, De Robertis and Venieros, NY Fire Dept Store, NY Marble Cemetery at 2nd St b/t 2nd/3rd Aves, 4th Street avant-garde theaters, Eldridge/Ludlow Street for slacker models, and Amalgamated Housing - ooh look at that brickwork.
Restrooms:
Public Theater, Starbucks at Astor Place, Barnes and Noble at Astor Place, Angelika Theater, McDonalds on First Ave and 2nd St.
Power Spot of the Moment:
Bowery Bar is a former gas station that is now the boite of the rich and famous. Take a peek past the velvet rope and hob-nob with Johnny Depp and Kate Moss, supermodels and other assorted fashion victims.
Time
Deb works around the corner and gets takeout here, sit down though to have lunch with models, photographers, stars and other sundry beautiful people.
Kiev or Veselka
Open 24 hours, known for Eastern European breakfasts. But the piece de resistance in three words = mushroom barley soup.
East 6th Street Indian Restaurants
Some say all these restaurants are serviced by the same kitchen, but try Haveli, Mitali East or Passage to India - BYOB to all these places except Haveli.
Temple Bar
Yeah, you’ll spend $10 for a martini, but it will be the best looking drink you’ll ever have
Ballato’s
Great Italian food though it may be a money laundering operation for La Famiglia, ricotta cheesecake to die for, great low prices
Blue Man Group
You may have seen these guys on TV - banging drums, throwing marshmallows, painting their heads blue, indescribable, but a great show
Public Theater
Some of Broadway’s big hits started in these Off-Broadway theaters, (Chorus Line, Sam Shepard plays or this season’s Rent). See what’s playing and get a leg up on what will be hot a year from now.
|
