re: contemporary art
new gallery just relocated to NYC w/a group show....
preview here- to see if it's your cup of tea or not:
www.jonathanlevinegallery.com

My daughter and daughter-in-law want to go to NYC sometime. I thought about when they decide they are going I'd buy them the 52 Adventures in New York City by Lynn Gordon and Susan Synarski (Illustrator). I don't know what kind of adventures these are. I do love Lynn Gordon's card though.
My dd bought me 52 Ways to Nurture Your Creativity and I just love it. I have some of Lynn Gordon's other cards too that I love.
If you go to the Barnes and Noble site you should click the Sorted by: Title (A to Z). That way you'll get all her cards to come up without someone elses in the mix. Amazon you can sort the same way.
I haven't read all the comment's so I don't know if these cards were mentioned already. I am certainly going to have my dd check out everyone's comment's, so she can have a great time, when she decides to go to NYC.
Both of you have a Great Adventure in NYC!
Warmly,
Flassie

There are so many posts here I can't vet them all but my very favorite free place to visit in NYC is the Public Library - from the great lion statues guarding the steps, the exhibits inside, and the books are all worth a visit.

For good tea, definately check out McNulty's Tea and Coffee on Christopher Street in the West Village (they have a website too, so you can see their selection before you go)

As someone who is constantly in search of great bookstores, I highly recommend Three Lives & Company (http://www.threelives.com/). The staff is really knowledgable and it's just an incredible indie bookstore.

Have a wonderful time and can't wait to hear about your trip!

This is probably a 6th or 7th nod to Kate's Paperie. And like the first nomination said, it is NOT CHEAP, but man is it beautiful. Breathtakingly so.

I think if you just wander around the the Village, you'll serendipitously find a cafe that suits you. I used to really like Grey Dog's Cafe. I also really like Le Gamin. But I kind of like the snotty french attitude. Depending on location, it can also be very, very busy.

I'm jealous. I wish I had a trip to the city planned. Though it is such a trite thing to say, I love New York.

keri - i check your blog often as i find it inspirational...i racked my brain after reading this post for the name of the cafe i visited last bring that i loved so much i wanted to crawl under the table and live there, and parusing other comments, i found that another reader had found it worthy of mention: cafe gitane. i recommend a visit in the fog of early morning. enjoy!

Moved to nyc in march and have been in on the search for things like this ever since.

*Sympathy for the Kettle - 109 St. Marks Place
Cute tea place

*Sweet Sugar Sunshine
Adorable cupcakes and baked treats with a not-nearly-so-long line as Magnolia (if you go to Magnolia, go in the middle of the day)
http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/

*I actually used to work at Kate's Paperie, which is a great resource to look around in and consider selling work to, but isn't, in any way, cheap or inexpensive. Beautiful, nevertheless.

*For ukranian/american home-cooked food at low prices, a safe bet is Veselka, 2nd Avenue and 9th Street. 9th street in the east village is a fun street to wander. Lots of fun boutiques and up and coming artists and designers.

*Also in that neighborhood is St. Marks Bookstore, which specializes in culture, art, and literary novels. They also have an amazing cookbook section. Third Avenue and 9th street.

*On 9th Street is the Cloister Cafe (between third and 2nd avenues), always worth a look for the stained glass windows and tasty eats.

*Leaving the east village for a moment... On 33rd street, between Park and Madison, there is a bird shop (called, appropriately, 33rd and Bird) with a huge aviary in the window. It's amazing to look at and the birds are adorable.

Most all of these places won't be enormously crowded. I like others' suggestions very much, but many are New York favorites... which is why they're good and very very popular, especially on weekends. Just a thought.

Have fun!

Keri-
So great to hear you are coming to NY for a visit! I skimmed through other posts and they had already mentioned many of my beloved places. But here are two cents :-) I cant wait to read about your experience here!

-Kid Robot on Prince St in Soho- a little store filled with fun hip toys by awesome artists.
http://www.kidrobot.com/

-kinokuniya book store-for fun Japanese books
10 West 49th Street

Books of Wonder- new location plus the new Cupcake Cafe in the store- although I went a few weeks ago and there wasnt any cupcakes yet :-P

for Food:
--Hop Kee's in Chinatown- the best bargain around!

-Kelly & Ping in Soho- a bit pricey but its soo cute inside, feels like you just got transported to Asia's countryside

-Cafe Reggio- I think someone else had mentioned this place- its one of the few places you can have coffee and read and write and not feel rushed by the waiter

Have a fun time!

Hi Keri ...

http://www.nydailynews.com/city_life/food/story/275715p-236129c.html

That's a list of 100 great places to eat in NY for under $10 a person. I figure the more money you save on food, the more you can spend at Pearl River and Kate's Paperie!

Have fun and thanks for your advice several weeks ago regarding my nasty spammer. I did take your recommendations to heart.

Cheers

The Gates are only "up" for 16 days...I wish I could see them in person myself. I've never been to NYC... SOMEDAY!

Hi Keri:

I live in Connecticut but I visit New York City all the time:) I'm sure you and Jeff will have a wonderful time. Everyone has made some great suggestions and I have a few too:

-Definetly go to St. Mark's Place, someone else mentioned a cafe there but there are great Japanese restaurants right in that neighborhood and some cool music stores and a GREAT comic store.

-In SoHo on Mercer street is a wonderful little toy store called the Enchanted Forest, they have lots of little puppets and stuffed animals and some great children's books (I discovered Olivia in this store)

-If you want to find some fabrics and yarns to take home you should check out the garment district too - lots of great places for supplies

-another great comic place is on 9th street not too far from NYU

Have a great trip!
~Allison

Stumbled upon this the other day:

keri - just chanced upon your journal last week and bookmarked it (and ordered your book). You'll have a wonderful time here.

native nyer that i am, i'm pleased to see the strand well mentioned - and yes it has spruced up a bit - but upstairs the art and photography space now has great light and (gasp) places to sit!

(the bookstore with the "wise men fish here" sign - the Gotham Book Mart - seems to have moved from West 47th street (the diamond district) to East 46th.)

city bakery (already mentioned here) is having its annual february hot chocolate festival (to kick it off they closed 18th street and brought in an ice rink) the festival has its own website - http://www.hot-chocolate-festival.com/main.html
- check out the art archive, poster, essay contest(?!) and especially the calendar of flavors (chili pepper hot chocolate is featured on the 25th)

don't forget to pick up free copies of the weeklies: village voice and new york press in boxes around town and there are two free dailies
to grab when you need something to read as you wait for the bus: am new york and metro.

the newly redesigned MoMA is a must.

Suggestions on gates viewing:
start early.
the harlem meer in the upper right corner of the park (fifth ave and 110th) was calm and virtually empty on Sunday morning and the area is especially beautiful.

Getting around the Great Lawn was like being on line(in new york we wait on line as opposed to in line)

don't bother if the line inside the Metropolitan Museum to get on the elevator up to the roof garden to view the gates from above is monstrous -you really can't see much of the gates though the view of the city is lovely

Hi Keri, I think you will enjoy a visit to my friend's gallery - www.popinternational.com
If you do get there, tell Jeff I suggested you visit. 473 West Broadway in New York City. 212 533 4262. Monday through Saturday 10am - 7pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm. Have a magical trip.

I live in California now but for 9 years NY was my home. There are so many wonderful things I miss
there.
*Rice on Mott street b/w Prince and Spring has delicious,cute,cheap food.
*cafe gitane on Mott above Prince
*The Farmer's Market in Union Square
*The Wild Lilly Tea Room in Chelsea (21st Street, I think)
*H&M
*Murray's Bagels on 6th Ave. b/w 13&12th street
*Tea&Sympathy an English Tea place on Grenwich

I hope your stay is lovely!

For when you're in Chelsea, I LOVE the City Bakery, which has great pretzel croissants, fabulous hot chocolate, and a eclectic salad bar.
3 W. 18th St. (Flatiron/Gramercy/Union Square)
between Fifth and Sixth Aves.
212-366-1414
And if you're in SOHO, Balthazar is overated as a restaurant, but has a terrific bakery next door with an unbelieveably good pistachio doughnut...
And my favorite place for window shopping, well I do go inside, to enjoy the ambiance of what feels like a naturalist's shop, and to to stroke the most beautiful jewelry and objects made on the planet:
Ted Muehling
27 Howard St.
near Broadway
212-431-3825 not open sunday or monday
Have a great time!

hello, keri. first of all, I lovelovelove your work. you inspire me daily... (and these days, it takes a lot for me to be inspired to create as I am constantly chasing after a pre-schooler with a baby attached to my hip)... anyway, I am a modern dancer/educator/choreographer and visual artist and both your book and site help to keep me creatively alive. thank you.

(I felt that the above must be said as I have been a long-time reader but have never posted before.)

now, for my nyc recommendations:

for fun junk-sifting and brilliantly odd collage materials, I highly recommend the 26th street flea market that goes down every sat/sun (year-round, rain or shine). there are three different sites- two 'parking lot' markets located on sixth ave. (between w. 25th and w. 26th) and the 'garage market' on w. 26th (between sixth and seventh avenues). GREAT fun, I never miss it. I always seem to come away with priceless little treasures- vintage found photos, old letter blocks, old luggage labels.

if you want to eat someplace completely amazing (and so very reasonably priced), please- get thee to moto in brooklyn! for more info, check this out: http://www.circa1938.com. it is delicious in every way imaginable- food, atmosphere, location (little out of the way place right below a subway platform).

also, if you can swing it, take a walk across the brooklyn bridge at dusk. it's unbeatable, in terms of both price (free!) and experience. it can be quite poetic.

don't know what's currently showing at the guggenheim, but I once saw a phenomenal retrospective of robert rauschenberg's work there (one of my favorite artists)... it's worth checking, though. the structure alone is a sight to see.

and finally, a resounding yesyesyes! to these recommendations that have been mentioned already: yaffa cafe, pearl river, strand book store, kate's paperie, magnolia bakery and wandering through the streets of chinatown and the lower east side.

please, do have some fun (no doubt that you will)... the gates exhibit looks AMAZING. hope you will post some of your adventures here...

sahadi's in brooklyn heights.
it's a lebanese grocery store w/ spices galour.
cheap eats surround it and it's w/in waling distance of the promanade that has my favorite view of lower manhattan.

You must check out The Housing Works Used Book Cafe on Crosby Street in SoHo. Lots of great browsing, including an neat upstairs balcony. Also, a little cafe in the back. I go there every time I head into the city and usually manage to find a book I didn't know I wanted until then: http://housingworks.org/usedbookcafe/index.html

and here's another link with additional background info: http://www.volunteernyc.org/org/639276.html

have fun!
Susan

If you haven't found a cheap place to stay yet, I highly recommend The Carlton Arms Hotel. It's THE place to stay for creative folk. Very inexpsensive, and very funky and creative. Each room is painted in a different, unique style by a wide variety of artists. And I believe the hotel actually publishes written material. It's close to the School of Visual Arts, which is also worth checking out. And it's within walking distance of all the sites in Manhattan. Even if you don't stay there, it's a must see.
http://www.carltonarms.com/
(page is a bit slow to load, but worth the wait)

I also highly recommend visiting The New York Public Library. An amazing place. And do say hi to Patience and Fortitude.

Also, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge as the sun is setting is an experience not to be missed.

i love to go to Alice's Tea Room...it's Upper West side on 71st or 73rd close to Central Park. They have yummy big cupcakes and good tea plus a cute little gift shop. It's not incredibly expesive to just get a snack and walk around the park or the neighborhood if the weather is nice :)
xo

Oh my, so much inspiration! I'm going to NY in April (4th visit) and can't wait to check all these places out.

Another must do/see is Serendipity III up near Bloomingdale's and the Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway. We managed the tram last time (fabulous) but couldn't get into Serendipity. It looks beautiful though and does 'frozen hot chocolate' so it's on my list!

I've been to Strand and Shakespeare & Co each time - love them.

There's a chocolate shop in Soho called (something like) Chocolat L'haut Vosges (sorry!) which was great and there's a lovely trimmings shop just around the corner (sorry, no idea exactly where I was). And I'm definitely going to the Magnolia Bakery this time too.

Have a wonderful time, Keri.

Keris x

Oh, Ms. Keri! I am in New York City right this second. I saw the Gates today--very orange (especially on a cold rainy day like today). Here are my suggestions:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art--it's huge and is on a DONATION BASIS (read: any price you give them! $2 bucks? No problem)
Same with The Museum of Natural History!

BUT, for a kind of treat--it is a little pricey as far as drinks go--but the ALGONQUIN HOTEL is so inspiring and I go every time I come here. It's where Dorothy Parker and her group ate lunch every single day AND the New Yorker was planned there AND My Fair Lady was written there. Go for a glass of wine and bask in its beautiful & inspired surroundings. You won't regret it!

Have fun!

oh fun fun :) I love new york city :)

my favorite places to hit:
- kate's paperie (several locations, soho is a good one, but over the holidays I hit the one uptown and it was HUGE!)
- Magnolia Bakery - you like cupcakes? you must go here :)
- Teany - Moby's tea shop and cafe...tea, NY, and it is definitely teany tiny too...but worth the visit. A great spot to refuel.
- Talas is a great bookbinding supply place.
- The Cooper Hewitt Design Museum is worth a visit, and the new MoMA.
- oh, and Cafe Mona Lisa, on Bleecker St.

I could go on...have a ball :)
OH! and Printed Matter is a great place to view some artist books - you might enjoy it:
www.printedmatter.org

wow, this is amazing!!! I am going to try not to be overwhelmed and just make a list, but it all sounds great.

I believe I have been to the strand once before, but i will make sure to drop in again. (I think this is where I saw a sign that said "wise men fish here". I copied it in my own version which is on my front door, it says, "wise people fish here.")

thank you all so much! keep it coming, we could write a book.

does anyone have any suggetions for a mundane journeys excursion? (for explanation visit www.mundanejourneys.com )

oh i love n.y.
someone already mentioned canal st and the plastic shops, lots of bits and bob shops too...like active surplus but more,
also eat a knish on the street...have fun.

Hi Keri,
I write you as a native New Yorker turned country bumpkin, so here are some favorites
*$5 tofu burger and rice at the Dojo on St.Marks
*The lamppost mosaics all over, good one on the way to St.Marks, 8th street and Broadway.
*New York Central's paper dept, really good, 3rd ave and 12th street(on a personal note I went there often with my father who was a painter, always bring back memories)
*If you also like really good cheese at rock bottom prices 3rd ave Cheese Shop, 3rd ave between 10th and 11th
*Don't forget Chelsea, 21st, 22nd, 23rd streets west of 9th Ave, newer modern art galleries.
Have fun! thanks for all the inspiration!

PS - Make sure you go to the main public library at 40th and 5th ave! Lots of free stuff to see & places to write.

And the center for book arts is pretty cool too!
28 w. 27th st. 3rd fl.
information is here:
http://www.centerforbookarts.org/newsite/

And I forgot Pearl Paint on Canal st.

hmmm... lovely little nyc finds... i live in brooklyn, and here are some favorites!

podunk tea room
231 e.5th st. (btwn 2nd and third ave)
11-9 daily (closed mondays)
*lovely food and tea. especially scone with sliced strawberries baked in the middle, and this 7 layer bar of chocolate, coconut, graham, i don't know what else...

doma cafe and gallery
corner of 7th Ave. and Perry in the west village
lots of people go here to work...laptops abound, i sat next to an elderly man once who spent the entire time drawing these intricate line designs in a japanese accordian book... and another time, next to a woman who had a stack of applications to yale (i think she was an admissions person). neat people, excellent food!

books of wonder (very excellent children's bookstore--- new and old)
http://www.booksofwonder.net/home.jsp

anthology film archives
great movie theatre!!!
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/

Marchand de Legumes
252 Elizabeth St. (btwn prince and houston)
*a japanese store chock full of random cute things small and smaller! i can't believe a store like this exists. heaven!

i hear there is a fashion exhibit at the MET with designs made from fur, feathers, and insect wings...

and i recently saw/experienced a wonderful exhibit of ludwika ogorzelec at the nancy margolis gallery:
http://www.nancymargolisgallery.co

enjoy!!!

Ooops, after that "I" should be "(heart) Coney Island, especially off season when everything is quiet and waiting to be photographed."

(saw my arrow as code)

I think you might like Yaffa Cafe - 97 St. Marks Place - for the crazy decor.

Canal Street to buy (BAD temptation if budget is tight) plastic stuff, like dice with no dots and good bits and pieces for collage.

I

Hope that helps. Ever coming to Chicago (where I live) I can suggest loads.

Bookstore:
THE STRAND, don't leave New York without going there. (Broadway and 12th) There's a great comic book store a block north on B'way) The main thing to make sure is that you go upstairs to their antiquarian section. It is beautiful, like being in a library, hushed and chairs for reading & writing in. But ask after you've wandered around the 18 miles of books downstairs.

Reasonable food and cafes- Chinatown and the east village.

Broadway south of Houston down to Canal is just great for looking, browsing and Pearl River (mentioned in comments) is along there. Not to be missed. Cheap. And you can get tea there and sit and write.

My favorite street art (totally free) is by Tom Otterness. He's just the best! You can see his stuff all over the place esp. in subways. And there's a street exhibit extended thru March 18th. Maps are here:
http://www.marlboroughgallery.com/artists/otterness/broadway.html
Here's his website:
http://www.tomostudio.com/exhibitions_subway.html
Oh, you will have a blast.

Seconds on Pearl River and Kate's Paperie.

In addition:
* The famous Strand bookstore (the *original* location: http://www.strandbooks.com) I heard a nasty rumor that they might have straightened it up a bit: I hope not!

* Bubby's Pie Company You can go for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just pie! (http://www.bubbys.com/) *Delicious* Banana Cream Pie if you like that kind of thing : )

* Choose some artists whose work you'd like to see more of, find out which gallery represents them or their estate, and arrange an appointment at that gallery. Sometimes gallery staff are willing to pull artworks from storage for you, which means you essentially get a private viewing! I've done this on several occassions, and it's always been magical and memorable to be able to get alone-time with a beloved artists' work.

* Ursus Art Books (http://www.ursusbooks.com) is a great store with tons of new, used and rare art books. Some are pricey, but some good deals can be had, and it's so fun to look!

* Okay last thing! Ever checked out the rare book room at a library? I haven't done this at the NYPL, but have at other libraries (here in Portland, Oregon and in San Francisco). I just ask the librarian in charge of the room to show me their favorite things - they're usually delighted to have the chance!

Have a fantastic, enriching, crazy good time: can't wait to hear about your adventures!

I have not had the chance to venture to NYC yet but I did see a segment on 60 minutes last night about The Gates - so, so cool. Enjoy!

Keri,

I always read your journal and I love your art, it is so inspiring. As a New York person, I have a couple suggestions for you.

If you haven't been to the Strand bookstore before I highly recommend it. They at at Broadway and 12th st, just take the subway to Union square and walk south down Broadway. It's a crazy used bookstore, packed with books, though my favorites are the carts with random dollar and less than a dollar books outside. You can usually find something interesting and different to read on one of the carts.

If you walk farther down Broadway from there you'll find Shakespeare and Company. I can't remember the exact address, it's about Broadway and west 4th st. This bookstore is more mainstream, but still cute.

And I love going to Cafe Reggio. It's on Macdougal just between Bleecker and West 3rd, south of Washington Square park. They have the best Cappucino, lots of yummy food and tons of atmosphere. If you don't like Cafe Reggio there are other Italian coffeehouses at the intersection of Macdougal and Bleecker.

And Il Laboratio del Gelato (sp?) is really great for gelato. It's on the Lower east side at 95 orchard st. They have the best gelato in New York.

Moby's organic tea shop is nearby. I haven't been there though, so I can't really recommend it.

This is all I can think of for now. Hope you have a good time in NY. I saw the Gates this weekend and they are fabulous. Make sure to go on a day it is sunny if you can.

yes to mocca lounge - I had a tea there (I thought of you when I sipped it because I know how much you love tea and until this particular tea I had no idea why anyone would adore tea so much - oh boy do I know now :) I can't remember the name of it but was described on the menu as having a taste like caramel - and it had an african sounding name. There were sooooo many tea choices there. Also - West Broadway in that neighborhood had street artists - one guy who did three D pics with window screening - his subjects weren't so resonant for me but they were so alive and vibrant - and there were many other artists there too . . . have fun . . . such a lovely city :)

Just went to NYC for the first time in December. I LOVED Kate's Paperie. www.katespaperie.com Very fun journals, paper and pens, and I bought two small blank leather journals on clearance for $5 each. Can't beat that! And I loved the Pick A Bagel by our hotel, around 57th between 7th and 8th somewhere (my first time, didn't exactly know where I was!). They deliver to your hotel for free! Have fun!

Yay for NYC! I like the St. Marks Book Shop (3rd Ave at 9th Street, nearest subway stop is Astor Place, very close to a very cheap but tasty and inspiringly-decorated falafel place called Chickpea). I also found lovely paper for collage at Pearl on Canal Street right near Chinatown/TriBeCa... and there is a Sufi book shop right near that whose name I forgot. Enjoy your trip!

Hey Keri! I've been reading your journal for a long time and am in love with your book, but I've never posted a comment. However, I just went to NYC this past fall and found a few great little places. So here some great (and cheap!) places to visit while you're there:
*Pearl River Emporium in SoHo--I don't remember the exact address, but it's a very large store and you can probably find it online. They have a huge assortment of oriental things, really inexpensive. I got some great paper lanterns, a pair of gorgeous slippers ($3!), and a little chinese notebook. They have a basement with lots of random things, some great finds.

*Jack Spade's store in SoHo, as well as the Anna Sui store. Obviously not "cheap", but great to look in. The stores have lots of inspiration in their walls and so much personality.
*kiva cafe--229 hudson street (212) 229-0898 A small coffee shop/cafe with a great view of the street. So cozy--the owner makes jewlery and pottery. Coffee is served in mugs that she made herself, and she has her pottery (so beautiful!) displayed on the walls. She has organic food as well as sandwiches, soups, and coffee/tea. Such a sweet woman, with a really creative spirit.

mocca espresso lounge: @ the corner of 78 reade and church street. so europea, very modern but still cozy (couches and funky chairs). Really interesting design, great coffee, and really good salads.

Sylvia's--the best soul food ever. I'm not kidding, they have got the most incredible chicken and ribs, corn muffins that you wouldn't believe, and the people are awesome. Our host suggested a great jazz club down the street, where he later met us and even bought us a round of drinks! They have great service and so much personality, and they are pretty cheap too. Located in Harlem right near the subway exit (off of malcom x blvd)
Hope this helps! If you stop at any of these, let me know what you though. Can't wait to hear how NYC was! Oh, and also, there are some great knitting stores and tiny clothing shops over on the lower east side, just walk around and you'll see tons.