zelmo

April in NY varies between sunny and crisp (40s-50s), rainy (and often windy), and sometimes drop-dead gorgeous. Dress in layers and prepare for possible rain.

SF (much more predictable) will be in the upper 40s/lower 50s (and WINDY) at night, and sunny and quite pleasant during the day, unless it rains.

Edited by zelmo on Nov 28, 2005 at 11:57 PM

check out north 2nd street...from market to race...lots of good stores. Second Ubiq (1509 Walnut). Also Matthew Izzo.

I second the ramen museum in Shin-Yokohama...8 different regional ramen restaurants each serve their own style of ramen. Also sushi in Tsukiji (gotta go at the crack of dawn, ideal for jetlag). There's a Gyoza Stadium (competing chefs make their own styles of dumplings) in the Namco Nanja Town amusement park inside Sunshine 60 in Ikebukuro. Lots of screaming kids there.

Near Harajuku station, on a little side street which I think is just north of Takeshita-dori (the narrow east-west street that holds ten thousand jostling teenage girls), there is a little place that sells cream puffs shaped like panda heads. They're adorable, and then you eat them, and the brains (cream) squirts out. They have eyes, ears, mouth, everything.

Steven Alan sample sale

87 Franklin St (Bway-Church)

Thursday 11/17, 8:30am-8pm

Friday 11/18, 8:30am-8pm

Saturday 11/19, 12pm-7pm

30-75% off

Steven Alan men

Steven Alan women

Rachel Comey

Indigo People

Inhabit

Gauge

Prudence

Veena

Wrangler

Trovata

Rogan

and others!

I second between Ebisu and Shibuya along the tracks. Also some good small pieces on the Harajuku side streets, and in Naka-Meguro.

I guess what I mean is that it seemed like every other store sold vintage American housewares from the '50s and '60s, and all the clothing stores seemed to follow the same pattern.

It definitely seemed like there was a lot going on (none of which, as a gaijin, I knew anything about), so don't let this dissuade you from living there.

Where should I go in Tokyo to shop for vinyl toys -- the sorts of things I'd find at Kidrobot or Super 7? I'm especially interested in the stuff that's good but doesn't get exported to the US. Thanks.

Can anyone explain to me what's the deal with Shimo-Kitazawa? I stumbled on it by accident, and it's like this zone where everyone is trying to be as American as possible. Can anyone explain/elaborate?

Next time take the train for $7. Who takes cabs?!

Try West Elm. They have a store in DUMBO. They're especially good for beds.

I'm sort of astonished that the Denim Bar is in the suburbs. Is there a story behind the location?

The co-op in Chelsea is mostly men's. The one in Soho is almost entirely women's. The co-op floors in the UES store are bigger than either of the other stores.

Yes, ISA is closed. It is being turned into a Nom de Guerre.

Is there really anything worth bothering with in Atlanta?

Are you sure? The site doesn't say anything about Labor Day weekend.

I did some research to figure out how the hell to get to these places, and the closest any of these malls are to a train station is about 1.5 miles. What are they thinking?!

Is there anything worthwhile, shopping-wise, in any of these cities, that I can't find in Tokyo?

Thanks!

Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - Labor Day, Monday, September 5, 2005

Monday, January 30, 2006 - Sunday, February 5, 2006.

http://www.tax.state.ny.us/sbc/st_exempt.htm

Premium Goods moved to 5th Avenue and 5th Street in Brooklyn.

I was just there... in4mation and Kicks are the top two by far. If you're into Japanese girl fashion there's a bunch of fascinating stuff in Waikiki too... Pineapple County, etc.

Does anyone know where I can find GLADEE stuff for sale in the US? It's a Japanese accessory brand.

Thanks for the suggestions... because I sweat while riding, I'm looking for something prewashed that I can wash regularly. Dry jeans are great for a lot of things (and I have an APC English which fits well), but not what I'm looking for for bike riding in the summer.

Also, if you're willing to go to Philly, there's a lot of vintage stuff along South Street, a big Buffalo Exchange, and a pretty good Goodwill at Girard and Front.

Beacon's is always worth a try.

There's often good stuff at the thrift store on 3rd Ave between 28th and 29th... not the one between 27th and 28th, which is ass.

The fancy thrift stores on the upper east side (sloan-kettering etc) are often un-picked-over by hipsters. Not cheap tho unless you catch a sale. The Housing Works stores are a good bet too.

Tons of vintage stores in the East Village, check 9th Street between 2nd and A, and of course St Marks.

Also try Salvation Army and Goodwill in upscale suburbs in New Jersey. Lots of aging ex-hippies cleaning out their closets and giving great stuff away.

Hi everyone,

I ride my bike everywhere, which means that my jeans wear out in the crotch really fast; I'm lucky to get 6 months out of a pair.

Biking everywhere also means that my thighs are muscular and disproportionately large with respect to the rest of me.

What I really want are jeans that are cut big in the thigh, tapered to relatively small (not baggy) in the lower leg, reasonably durable, look good from the start (because if they wear out in 6 months there's not much time to break them in), and don't cost an arm and a leg (because I have to replace them every 6 months).

Suggestions for jeans that meet even a few of my criteria are welcome. I live in New York, so I can easily go try on most brands.

Thanks!

p.s. If it matters, I am a man, and I typically wear around a 36-32.

Small update -- the Soho store today had a full line of English jeans, so perhaps they haven't been discontinued after all.