The Question of the Week

[The East Village Inky]

Hey all. I'm going to get you to contribute to the Zinester's Guide to NYC if it kills me! so answer this question, and if it winds up in the Guide (see earlier thread), you'll have your name and your zine's name in lights, ink-lights...

So. Let us pretend that you are en route to somewhere else and you have a layover of say five hours in NYC. Your one acquaintance who lives in this burg is out of town, and you don't have time to see EVERYTHING but you don't want to hang around the bus station / airport / Grand Central for the whole time. It's your chance to do / see / eat / seek out one fun thing, a thing that might be of interest only to you (have a photo made in a photobooth for the cover of your zine / look for an obscure cooking ingredient you've never been able to find / find a quiet place to write in your journal whilst drinking a certain type of beverage / see a Hong Kong action flick....)

What would YOU want to do? You can phrase it as a question (ie where to I see a Hong Kong action flick in the middle of the day? where do I find the Flight of the Conchords guys' apartment) or I, through the miracle of my dimly recalled education, can REphrase your answer as a question when the time comes... New York City is your oyster / vegan mock oyster.

Lay em on me.

[Stankzine]

where to buy second-hand stuff. clothes. records. flea markets.

Zoo!

eat at Seinfeld diner

[The East Village Inky]

You got it, stank. Any particular type of used record you're looking for?

also, when you say ZOO? We've got a bunch of em, but they don't all have little habitats where you can stick your head up inside a glass globe to be eye-to-eye with a prairie dog. Not all of em have gorillas. Not all of em have horny, hand licking goats (thank god). What kind of animal you hankering after?

[Stephanos]

horny goats!

The East Village Inky said:

You got it, stank. Any particular type of used record you're looking for?

also, when you say ZOO? We've got a bunch of em, but they don't all have little habitats where you can stick your head up inside a glass globe to be eye-to-eye with a prairie dog. Not all of em have gorillas. Not all of em have horny, hand licking goats (thank god). What kind of animal you hankering after?

[Stephanos]

where can i find decent ale?

[Wes White]

Where's the best place to browse books and magazines, either alone or in company, after dark? Preferred but not essential extra: the ability to get a coffee and/or alcoholic beverage of choice.

[Amanda Meiow]

I want to visit that place in Central Park where they sail the toy boats.
In movies they always flash back to that place as a nostalgic kind of happy childhood memory spot.

It looks like a cool place to relax, write some stories and make little oragami boats to float away.
I'm not sure how to phrase all that as a question though?

[The East Village Inky]

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful ... I'm not going to give away all the answers now b/c that would spoil the surprise when the Zinester's Guide to NYC actually comes out (and some of em might require a little research. Like, I can think of 5 places off the bat to go for a tasty, well poured ale, but ideally, I should be able to lob around 20 or 30 with COMPLETE authority, don't you think?)

If you're coming to nyc before july 2010 though, let me know and I will answer that question for you right away!

for real, these questions are getting me all jacked up (not in that goaty way) with their goodness - keep em coming!

thank you all!

[R.John Xerxes]

tell me how to get to the Alice in Wonderland statue, where the tompkins sq. riots were, chinatown, abc-no-rio, booze & drugs.

[amy // twelveohtwo]

uhm, i dont have anything to contribute that hasnt already been said.. but i (well, we) could use a copy of such a guide for our upcoming visit (march 26-30th)?!!



ETA: Oh! wait, actually: i want to know where i can find OG pressings of excellent no-wave bands circa 79-81 for not gobs of cash. in particular a copy of 'soul force' by the dance. (ie: point me in the direction of all things non-reissue on factory, 99, rough trade, etc.)

and where, besides bluestockings and abc no rio should we go to for zines/punx/etc., best place for an inexpensive yet delicious vegan brunch, best place for well priced cupcakes, info on things & places that only someone who lives in nyc would know about (hidden gems)....

[The East Village Inky]

ooh fantastico...

robin, you brought by pleasure by putting the alice in wonderland sculpture in the same query with the booze and drugs.

aMy ... you'll just have to come back to nyc after the Zinester's Guide is published, but in the meantime, I do have some listings I've slapped up over the years on my website:
http://www.AyunHalliday.com/guide.html

you can scrounge up some up to the minute punky activities by visiting the archives of Nonsense NYC
http://nonsensenyc.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/nonsensenyc/ne...

there are a few zines at St Mark's books on the corner of 9thst and 3rd ave.all the way in the back.

if your zinely taste runs to comic books, check out Rocketship in my neighborhood - it is awesome. they have graphic novels and comics, and a few self published zines that run heavy on illustration / comic format. those are right at the counter, or in the back on a wire rack. don't be afeared by the fact that it's in brooklyn - take the F to bergen, just 3 stops out from manhattan. plenty of restaurants, bars, a couple of movie theaters, a great indie bookstore (bookcourt) and other attractions to justify the trip. stomp hard on the floor because my undisclosed, underground bunker where i write is right downstairs!

events wise you're in luck! there is an amazing exhibit at the Center for Book Arts right now that has lots of zines and self-publications from several sources, among them Temporary Services in Chicago. they're hanging from strings, you can read to your heart's content. Exhibits up through march 28 (and the next day's my birthday, hooray!)
http://www.centerforbookarts.org/exhibits/

musically, i think i'd send you to Other Music, though I can't speak to how much moolah they'll soak you for...
http://www.othermusic.com/index.cgi
Other Music NYC
15 E. 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
[phone]

Store Hours:
Mon.-Fri.: 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Closest Subway Stops:
6: Astor Place or Bleecker
N/R: 8th Street
F/V: Broadway/Lafayette

[amy // twelveohtwo]

thats awesome, thanks ayun! (full disclosure: i checked out your guide to nyc a few weeks ago. oh and happy early birthday. we're heading down to celebrate *my* [30th] birthday [march 20th] and to see the mountain goats. woohoo!)

[Stankzine]

I keep my eyes peeled for 80s metal, glam rock, thrash, and spoken word comedy records. The cheap kind. It has to cost less than $3. No hoity-toity record shops for me. It needs to feel like nobody else wants it, then I can feel really proud of my find.

When I ask for ZOO, I'm not used to having much choice. My lil Delaware only has one zoo (and I work there!)

I suppose if I could pick and choose my ultimate zoo experience it would be a smallish zoo, because I don't want a bunch of kids or crowds around. I don't require big safari type animals, but I like to look at unique animals like meerkats and lemurs. A wide variety of snakes is a must.