Undiscovered New York: Flea market mania

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Here at Undiscovered New York, we often find ourselves wondering why our city is so expensive. It’s usually the first question from friends and family who come to visit us here in New York, and truthfully, they’re kind of right. Want a beer? That’ll be $7 (plus tip). Headed to a Broadway show? $60 for the cheap seats. Hotel room? Unless you’re staying at the Hotel Carter, expect to pay at least $100-$200 per night.

But as New Yorkers will tell you, there’s plenty of places to get a bargain if you know where to look. That is especially true when it comes to weekend flea market hunting, the city’s unofficial hobby. Whether it’s vintage clothing or costume jewelry, antique furniture or formica countertops, rare vinyl or a delicious vanilla pastry, New York’s flea markets offer a little something for everyone. And the best part is, New York’s vibrant community of artists and independent craftmakers ensure there’s just as much new merchandise for sale at flea markets as there is old gems.

So forget about blowing your vacation savings at Saks Fifth Avenue or down in SoHo. This week, Undiscovered New York is taking you inside some of New York City’s best flea markets and telling you where to find them. Click below for our picks of the best.
Annex / Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market
For the past 15 years, one of New York’s best flea markets was along 24th and 25th street in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. That all ended in 2008, when rising rents forced the market to close and move shop. Thankfully, the change has been for the best, combining the fantastic variety of Chelsea’s once thriving vendor scene with the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market on West 39th Street.

The market now combines an enormous range of items, everything from African tribal artifacts to Mid-Century Modern furniture to fine silver. It’s one of the first stops for the city’s bargain hunters and those on the lookout for a truly unique item to decorate their apartment, in New York or beyond.

Brooklyn Flea
True to the quirky and eclectic tastes of its neighborhood’s residents, the Brooklyn Flea is among the newest additions to New York’s wide array of weekend shopping markets. First opened in 2008, this smallish market is held each Saturday in the courtyard of Fort Greene’s Bishop Laughlin Memorial High School and during colder months at two smaller “pop-up” markets in DUMBO. Don’t let the size fool you though – what this market lacks in size it more than makes up in a very well curated selection of items and great food.

In addition to a great selection of vintage records, the market stocks a nice mix of interesting vendors selling home furnishings, jewelry handcrafted by local artisans and some of the best food this side of the East River. Even if you’re not the shopping type, it’s a fun place to spend a weekend afternoon chowing down on a delicious taco and checking out the crowd. If you want a unique New York souvenir, check out the vendor who sells vintage tin ceiling tiles!

The Market (Nolita)
Each weekend, a crowd of visiting trend hunters descends on Nolita, a hip neighborhood “North of Little Italy” that is home to a large number of boutiques and unique businesses. But before they browse Nolita’s sometimes pricey shops, New York City bargain-hunters head straight for The Market, a weekend market for young designers on Manhattan’s Mulberry Street. Unlike the Annex / Hell’s Kitchen market, Nolita’s The Market is all about brand new stuff. It’s also a great place to find unique one-of-a-kind items like clothing and bags you can’t find anywhere else.

Find a cupcake in New York

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Leave it to New Yorkers to be picky and demanding. Whether it’s upscale meals or obscure vodka brands, we want what we want, and if you don’t carry it, you’re somehow “lesser.” Cupcakes are no different. From my window, I can see the Upper West Side‘s Magnolia Bakery (one of three in the city), and there are many others.

In The Atlantic Monthly, a close look is taken at cupcakes, particularly in New York. The balance between cake and frosting is considered crucial, and (thankfully) Corby Kummer gives you a sense of who’s who in the large and growing world of Manhattan cupcake bakeries.

Well, starting with my neighborhood, poor Magnolia is said not to have any flavor in the cake (which I think is a bit harsh). Buttercup’s icing is better, but the cake isn’t. Sugar Sweet Sunshine – which, like Buttercup, comes from former Magnolia talent – is better than both.

Sadly, Kummer missed the latest entry into the Manhattan cupcake market: The Little Pie Company. Known for the most amazing cakes and pies in the city, sex and cupcake blogger Rachel Kramer Bussell tried in vain to get one on Christmas Eve last year. Later, she did succeed, and the cupcake was everything she’d hoped it would be.

[Via The Atlantic Monthly]

[Photo: cupcake from The Little Pie Company, Cupcakes Take the Cake]

Get desserted in New York

by Annie Scott on

No it’s not a typo. Walking Tours Manhattan has dessert-themed walking tours. They guide you around, feed you, and walk you. It’s like you’re their dog — their sweet-toothed dog.

It’s called their Recessional Special: Free NYC Dessert Fest. And it is indeed free! They request a $1 donation or whatever you feel is appropriate, and the purchase of any desserts is additional, but all you have to do to participate is show up.

The next Free NYC Dessert Fest tour will be on Sunday, March 1st in Harlem.

Meet our tour guide with the red ball cap saying Walking Tours Manhattan on Sunday March 1, 2009 at 11:30am at Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. and Frederick Douglass Blvd. Then we?ll visit Sylvia’s Soul Food Restaurant, Lee Lee’s, and our last stop will be Make My Cake. Tour lasts 2 hours. Walking distance is 1 mile.

This is a great way to trek (safely) through historic Harlem and get sweetened up along the way! For more information, visit Walking Tours Manhattan. Their regular walking tours are just $25.

Improve your chances of getting a cab

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Sometimes, it’s easy to catch a cab. Three or four pass by, and all you have to do is get the attention of one of them. Contrast that, however, with a rainy day in Manhattan at 5:30 PM. You and the rest of the world want 35 blocks of yellow car bliss, and most will be disappointed. Fortunately, there are now a few ways you can take control of your transportational fate.

I remember taking the train from New York to Boston a few years ago. A blizzard brought LaGuardia to a standstill, and I had no other choices. I realized about an hour from South Station that the entire train would be hunting taxis desperately in a city not known for swarms of them clogging the streets. So, I called a taxi company from my neighborhood (East Boston, at the time) and gave the simple instruction: “Don’t let anyone in unless they give my name.” The driver understood … and promptly let the word out that there was an insane amount of business.

Without that call, I’d still be waiting for a ride from Southie to Eastie.

Of course, that’s an extreme case. Everyday life provides enough challenges. Hailing a taxi on the street is the baseline, though some cities use taxi stands instead. If you’re out in the ‘burbs, reach out and touch some one. Calling for a taxi not only adds a bit of predictability, it lets the driver know a bit about you. Details such as home or work address and phone number can come in handy if a fare turns into trouble.

Instead of using the phone to talk, you could take advantage of new technology (such as Taxi Magic for the iPhone). Tap the screen a few times, and you can book your next ride. Taxi Magic is available in 25 cities in the United States. Sadly, though, New York is not among them.

In any city, iPhone or not, bad weather or periods of high demand could leave you frustrated – and stranded. The temptation to take a ride from a “bandit” (i.e., an unlicensed cab) can be pretty high. After all, you just want to get from A to B. Fight the urge! These rides are illegal … and for good reason. Unlike licensed taxi drivers, bandits aren’t checked for criminal histories and drug use. The cars aren’t inspected, and they may not even be insured. Roll the dice if you like, but understand that the stakes are high. All you get for winning is a trip home.

[Via CNN, photo by Brian Sayler]

Undiscovered New York: Going underground

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Welcome back to Undiscovered New York. If New York was a human body, with Times Square as the heart and Central Park as its lungs, the city’s subway system would certainly be its veins and arteries – unnoticed yet vitally important.

No public transportation system could possibly encompass as many hyperboles. The smelliest. The slowest. The dirtiest. The most confusing. The hottest in the summer and coldest in the winter. The most entertaining characters and crafty schemers. The greatest human spectacle in the entire world. The most beloved.

To experience the New York City subway is literally to experience New York itself. It is at once a microcosm of the city’s dense, layered history and wildly diverse cultures, full of interesting stories, entertaining and annoying performers and people-watching at its finest. Since it first opened in 1904, the subway system has expanded to include over 460 stations, carry around 5 million riders per weekday and become the only metro system to run 24 hours a day 365 days per year.

But aside from being wildly confusing for first time visitors (express lines and construction anyone?), the New York City subway is more than simply a way to get from Point A to Point B. It’s an unsung tourist attraction in its own right. Among the hundreds of stations are world-class works of art, amazing hidden stations and a fascinating history that dates back over a hundred years. Want to learn more? Click below as Undiscovered New York digs into the secrets of the New York City subway system…
Underground Art
New York is one of the world’s great cities for art, with institutions like the MoMA, Guggenheim and The Met. But did you know some of New York’s best artwork is underground? New York’s MTA “Arts for Transit” program is dedicated to beautifying the city’s many subterranean spaces, adding bright tile mosaics and wild installations straight out of your imagination. Make sure to check out a couple of our favorites:

  • 81st Street Museum of Natural History – a favorite of both locals and tourists alike, the 81st Street Stop on the B and C trains features amazing artwork suited to the collections at the American Museum of Natural History directly above. You’ll find the stations walls covered with life-size dinosaur bones, coral reefs and unique wildlife.
  • Atlantic/Pacific stop, Brooklyn – in February 2009, New York’s MoMA launched a new project in this Brooklyn hub, installing around 50 reproductions of masterpieces from the museum’s collection including works by Picasso, Warhol and van Gogh. A great way to absorb some culture while you wait!
  • Houston Street Stop, Manhattan – though not necessarily the most famous, the 1 train stop for Manhattan’s Houston street certainly boasts one of the more interesting themes. The station is decorated with a surreal tableau of “subway under water” mosaics, including an octopus and some turtles that have taken over the station.

Underground Secrets
With a system of underground lines that stretches back more than a century, the New York City subway holds its fair share of secrets, myths and hidden history. Brooklyn is a particularly rich area for New York subway lore, including a hidden underground tunnel that runs along the Borough’s Atlantic Avenue. The man who rediscovered the hidden space, Bob Diamond, now leads regular tours sponsored by the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association. Sign up to get a unique look at some of the city’s fascinating history.

One of the most interesting aspects of the subway is that many stations are abandoned. Just below New York City Hall is the beautifully preserved City Hall station, a beautiful remnant last open to the public in 1945. The New York Transit Museum offers occasional tours – check the website and you may get lucky.

Anyone looking to get a further taste of the New York subway system’s rich history should stop by the New York Transit Museum in downtown Brooklyn, which in addition to many exhibits on the evolution of the city’s mass transit system includes vintage subway and elevated train cars.