Shops and markets 

New York's shops cater to every possible taste, in any combination and in many cases at any time of the day or night. As such, they're a great reason for visiting the city, even if the invasion of chains, like Barnes & Noble, Filene's Basement and even the world's largest K-Mart have caused some worry. Nevertheless, many of the oddest and oldest stores remain, and nothing beats discovering a quirky, independent shop that may specialize only in vintage cufflinks or rubber stamps.

Remember that an 8.25 percent sales tax will be added to your bill; this is bypassed sometimes when paying cash in a market or discount store. Finally, wherever you're shopping, be careful. Manhattan's crowded, frenzied stores are ripe territory for pickpockets and bag-snatchers.

Antiques
New York is the premier antique source in the country, excellent for browsing, with museum-quality pieces available (typically costing a fortune) as well as lots of interesting, fairly priced stuff at the junkier end of the market. Prime locations are the East and West Villages, SoHo, Chelsea, Lower Broadway and the Upper East Side.

Chameleon 231 Lafayette St (between Spring and Prince sts) phone 212/343-9197.
Interesting collection of antique lighting fixtures dating from the nineteenth century to the 1960s. Many from New York residences.

Chelsea Antiques Building 110 W 25th St (between 6th and 7th aves) phone 212/929-0909.
Better quality, better condition, and higher prices than above listings. 150 dealers on twelve floors offer exceptional estate treasures and collectibles. Open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 8.30am-6pm.

The Showplace 40 W 25th St (between 6th Ave and Broadway) phone 212/741-8520.
Indoor market of more than 100 dealers of antiques and collectibles plus an espresso bar. Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat & Sun 8.30am-5.30pm.

Books
Book lovers bemoan the steady disappearance of New York's independent bookstores, and attribute their loss to the phenomenon of Barnes & Noble superstores, but there's still no shortage of places to find books , no matter how esoteric your tastes may be.

GENERAL INTEREST AND NEW BOOKS

St Mark's Bookshop 31 3rd Ave (between 8th and 9th sts) phone 212/260-7853.
Wonderfully eclectic selection of new titles from mainstream to way alternative.

Shakespeare & Co 939 Lexington (at 69th St) phone 212/570-0201. 716 Broadway and Washington Place phone 212/529-1330. 137 E 23rd St phone 212/570-0201 and 1 Whitehall St phone 212/742-7025.
New and used books, paper and hardcover, with some great fiction and psychology selections. There's also a branch in Brooklyn, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Three Lives & Co 154 W 10th St and Waverly Place phone 212/741-2069.
Excellent literary bookstore that has an especially good array of books by and for women, as well as general titles. There's an excellent reading series in the fall.

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SUPERSTORES AND CHAINS

Barnes & Noble 4 Astor Place (at Broadway and Lafayette) phone 212/420-1322. 385 5th Ave (at 36th St) phone 212/779-7677. 675 6th Ave (at W 22nd St) phone 212/727-1227. 600 5th Ave (at W 48th St) phone 212/765-0592. 750 3rd Ave (at 47th St) phone 212/697-2251. 2289 Broadway (at W 82nd St) phone 212/362-8835. 240 E 86th St (at 2nd Ave) phone 212/794-1962. 1280 Lexington (at E 86th St) phone 212/423-9900. 1972 Broadway (across from Lincoln Center) phone 212/595-6859 and 33 E 17th St (Union Square) phone 212/253-0810.
Major US chain, many of its stores with attendant Starbucks cafés. Presentations by authors take place about five evenings a week.

Borders Books and Music 461 Park Ave (at 57th St) phone 212/980-6785. 550 2nd Ave (at 32nd St) phone 212/685-3938.
This Ann Arbor-based chain rivals Barnes & Noble for selection, though not saturation.

SECONDHAND BOOKS

Argosy Bookstore 1 16 E 59th St (between Lexington and Park aves) phone 212/753-4455.
Unbeatable for rare books, it also sells clearance books and titles of all kinds, though the shop's reputation means you may find mainstream works cheaper elsewhere.

Strand Bookstore 828 Broadway (at 12th St) phone 212/473-1452.
With about eight miles of books and a stock of 2.5 million+, this is the largest book operation in the city - and one of the few survivors in an area once rife with secondhand bookstores.

TRAVEL AND OTHER SPECIALTY BOOKSTORES

The Complete Traveler 199 Madison Ave (at 35th St) phone 212/685-9007.
Manhattan's premier travel bookshop, excellently stocked, new and secondhand - including a huge collection of Baedekers.

Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop 15 Christopher St (between Gay St and Greenwich Ave) phone 212/255-8097, www.oscarwildebooks.com .
Aptly situated gay and lesbian bookstore - probably the first in the city - with rare book collection, signed and first editions and framed signed letters from famous authors.

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v United Nations
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v Statue of Liberty & Ellis Is
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v Upper E side
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v Walking Tours
vWest Village

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