Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Another great New York feature is the sample sale. Fashion designers can't sell just everything they lay their scissors
to. Sample outfits made specially for store buyers end up sitting on a rack, along with canceled orders, overstock,
and items whose day in the fashion sun has come and gone. In addition to the Internet sources above, check in at
www.clothingline.com
.
Clothingline/SSSSales
(
212/947-8748
) has 20 years' experience running sample sales for a
host of huge names like rag & bone, J. Crew, and Calypso. Days of the week and hours vary; usually opens 10 or 11am.
261 W. 36th St., 2nd floor, btw. Seventh and Eighth aves. Subway: 1/2/3 or A/C/E to 34th St./Penn Station.
Greenlea
This bustling indoor/outdoor Upper West Side fair is a favorite way to spend a Sunday after-
noon. The antiques tend to be priced fairly, marginalized as they are by dealers offering less-inspired contempor-
ary imports, crafts, and clothes. The latter also line the nearby strip of Columbus Avenue. Open 10am to 5:30pm,
until 5:45pm April to October.
100 W. 77th St., at Columbus Ave.
212/239-3025.
www.greenleamarkets.com
. Subway: B/C to 72nd St.; 1 to
79th St.
Hell's Kitchen Flea Market
Though it hasn't quite caught up with its dearly departed predecessor in
Chelsea, this is still the flea scene to beat in the city. Over 150 vendors bring vibrancy to a dingy strip behind the
Port Authority. Prices are within the same stratosphere as you'd find on a suburban lawn. Open weekends, 9am
to 5pm, weather permitting.
39th St., btw. Ninth and Tenth aves.
212/243-5343.
www.hellskitchenleamarket.com
. Subway: A/C/E/7 to 42nd St./
Port Authority.
West 25th Street Market
This churchyard fair is conveniently close to the Garage. Some 125 vendors pack
the space with good retro/antique picks, including clothes and art. Open weekends, 9am to 5pm.
29-37 W. 25th St.,
btw. Broadway and Sixth Ave.
212/243-5343.
www.hellskitchenleamarket.com
. Subway: F/M or N/R to 23rd St.
4 Shekels & Chains: Department Stores
New York traditionally makes it hard for big franchises and chains to survive. The city is competitive to an ex-
treme and there just isn't enough profit margin to pay a bunch of middle-management salaries. Though there are
a few chains sprinkled through these pages, for the most part I avoid the national retailers. They don't give you
enough bang for your buck.
Take an Unböring Trip to IKEA
Escape from Manhattan Island, courtesy of
IKEA,
the Swedish-born affordable style haven. Red Hook, Brooklyn, is IKEA's
first foray into New York City proper, and it's spectacular. In addition to the goods indoors (crazy cheap, and some it
doesn't even look that way), there's a sprawling 6-acre esplanade with amazing harbor views behind the store. Should
you need a break from the action, a bustling in-store cafeteria serves inexpensive food (including Swedish meatballs, of
course).
It costs $5 to ride the
NewYorkWaterTaxi
(
212/742-1969;
www.nywatertaxi.com
)
, leaving weekdays from Pier 11 on
the East River end of Wall Street every 40 minutes between 2 and 7:40pm. The outbound trip is worth a $5 credit on an
IKEA purchase of $10 or more, and that same purchase receipt will get you a free ride back. Weekends are completely
free without even the $10 purchase obligation. 1 Beard St., at Otsego St., Red Hook, Brooklyn.
718/246-IKEA.
See
www.ikea.com/us/en/store/brooklyn
for the full shuttle bus route via Park Slope.
For the Elizabeth, New Jersey, mothership, there's a bus from Port Authority. Unfortunately the bus only runs on week-
ends, and weekends at IKEA are
insane.
Take the Academy Bus, Gate #5, in the lower concourse, Port Authority, Eighth
Avenue at 42nd Street. Buses (round-trip only) leave every half-hour between 10am and 2:30pm and return from Jer-
sey every half-hour between noon and 6pm. The trip takes about 30 minutes each way (
908/289-4488;
www.ikea-
