The New York Streetfairs
New Yorkers know a good deal when they see one. What matters most when making a purchase is quality versus price, simplicity with taste and with food, flavor and freshness. Compared to their counterparts in the rest of America, Manhattanites are more fit and/or slimmer because they walk a lot, sometimes more by need than by choice.
The whole of Manhattan is a mall. Shops sit side by side everywhere - Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Loft, The Children's Place being the more affordable clothing chains that populate the city. The pricier designer shops line the stretch of Madison Avenue. If they don't seem affordable, just browsing the goods is motivation enough to walk blocks of concrete pavement. Those who want value for their money and still be in fashion know where to get the goods: Century 21 downtown for European brands of clothes and shoes at sometimes half the price; Daffy, Filene's Basement, Loehmann's and T.J. Maxx also make for great bargain hunting places.
In the weekends, as soon as winter melts its last snowfall and the weather starts to bring the mercury to bearable levels, the streetfairs of New York begin to unfurl into up to 10 blocks of avenue space at a time. It brings mayham to traffic, the trash that it leaves behind reminds one of those EDSA rallies against ERAP (much easier and faster to clear up with street cleaning trucks than the broomsticks of the Metro Aides). But I love them, as much as every other city dweller who descend on them to browse their wares.
The goods are actually pretty much the same: souvinir NY shirts, Imposter sunglasses for $5 (great deal!), houseplants, dried flowers, knick-knacks for tiny apartments, pirated CD's of Italian/Spanish/Greek and reggae music or used CD's selling for about $6, socks of all kinds, leather goods, fashion jewelry, scarves, production overrun of sneakers and other shoes, $10 watches and the assumed rip-offs: fake perfumes, cosmetics you'd be deadly scared to put on your face.
Today, being one of the last great weekends before autumn officially sets in, streetfairs were everywhere. On Second Avenue it closed the stretch of 43rd Street to 53rd. I met up with a friend who suggested we get lunch from the fair and ended up sitting at the park on 47th chowing down French crepes from one of the stores (I had mine with apples and walnut!).
47th Street Park
Since she had to do her laundry (while I had already done mine earlier in the day with some sweet help from a friend) we said goodbye and I headed for home. As the bus reached 60th Street and turned westward crosstown instead of uptown, I was sure there was some more street closings for street fairs. I got off on 86th Street and true enough, a huge arch of red, white and blue balloons danced with the wind. Huge masses of people had gathered and loud live band music was playing and it seemed like a giant street party. It was only after I had passed the huge truck blocking 83rd street did I realize that this streetfair ran for more than 20 blocks!
Balloon arch on 86th Street
20 blocks of street fair
The concert
The wares were the same and so was the food: fried seafood, cheesesteaks, Italian and Asian food, tortellinis (the best in New York, it advertised), pies (the best in New York, it advertised), and Italian gelatos (the best in New York, again!) that you'd think the best food this city ever serves only comes during the weekends.
My favorite all summer had been the popcorn which comes in several flavors: regular, caramel (favorite!!!), chocolate, spicy (hmmmm, good!), cinnamon and buttered.
Kettle Corn
I had tried to call up the MO who lived nearby so I'd have someone to walk with all the way down to 66th Street and the back uptown but when his voicemail picked up instead, I decided to call it a day and start my trek home. On the way back, I decided to stay away from the Kettle Corn booth. But because it was so irresistable, I couldn't help but pick up an ear of roasted corn (super sweet! for $2), ice-cold lemonade ($1) and those things pretending to be flowers that you pin to your jacket so you think you look like Sarah Jessica Parker ($5 for 3).
On the way to the exit at 86th Street, I picked up some brochures for the Fall 2004 offerings of the YMCA on 92nd street and then gave the Bush inflatable a grand uppercut to the cheers of many onlookers. These streetfairs really have everything you need, even a vent for your angst.
We hug him or we punch him - I punched
The whole of Manhattan is a mall. Shops sit side by side everywhere - Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Loft, The Children's Place being the more affordable clothing chains that populate the city. The pricier designer shops line the stretch of Madison Avenue. If they don't seem affordable, just browsing the goods is motivation enough to walk blocks of concrete pavement. Those who want value for their money and still be in fashion know where to get the goods: Century 21 downtown for European brands of clothes and shoes at sometimes half the price; Daffy, Filene's Basement, Loehmann's and T.J. Maxx also make for great bargain hunting places.
In the weekends, as soon as winter melts its last snowfall and the weather starts to bring the mercury to bearable levels, the streetfairs of New York begin to unfurl into up to 10 blocks of avenue space at a time. It brings mayham to traffic, the trash that it leaves behind reminds one of those EDSA rallies against ERAP (much easier and faster to clear up with street cleaning trucks than the broomsticks of the Metro Aides). But I love them, as much as every other city dweller who descend on them to browse their wares.
The goods are actually pretty much the same: souvinir NY shirts, Imposter sunglasses for $5 (great deal!), houseplants, dried flowers, knick-knacks for tiny apartments, pirated CD's of Italian/Spanish/Greek and reggae music or used CD's selling for about $6, socks of all kinds, leather goods, fashion jewelry, scarves, production overrun of sneakers and other shoes, $10 watches and the assumed rip-offs: fake perfumes, cosmetics you'd be deadly scared to put on your face.
Today, being one of the last great weekends before autumn officially sets in, streetfairs were everywhere. On Second Avenue it closed the stretch of 43rd Street to 53rd. I met up with a friend who suggested we get lunch from the fair and ended up sitting at the park on 47th chowing down French crepes from one of the stores (I had mine with apples and walnut!).
47th Street Park
Since she had to do her laundry (while I had already done mine earlier in the day with some sweet help from a friend) we said goodbye and I headed for home. As the bus reached 60th Street and turned westward crosstown instead of uptown, I was sure there was some more street closings for street fairs. I got off on 86th Street and true enough, a huge arch of red, white and blue balloons danced with the wind. Huge masses of people had gathered and loud live band music was playing and it seemed like a giant street party. It was only after I had passed the huge truck blocking 83rd street did I realize that this streetfair ran for more than 20 blocks!
Balloon arch on 86th Street
20 blocks of street fair
The concert
The wares were the same and so was the food: fried seafood, cheesesteaks, Italian and Asian food, tortellinis (the best in New York, it advertised), pies (the best in New York, it advertised), and Italian gelatos (the best in New York, again!) that you'd think the best food this city ever serves only comes during the weekends.
My favorite all summer had been the popcorn which comes in several flavors: regular, caramel (favorite!!!), chocolate, spicy (hmmmm, good!), cinnamon and buttered.
Kettle Corn
I had tried to call up the MO who lived nearby so I'd have someone to walk with all the way down to 66th Street and the back uptown but when his voicemail picked up instead, I decided to call it a day and start my trek home. On the way back, I decided to stay away from the Kettle Corn booth. But because it was so irresistable, I couldn't help but pick up an ear of roasted corn (super sweet! for $2), ice-cold lemonade ($1) and those things pretending to be flowers that you pin to your jacket so you think you look like Sarah Jessica Parker ($5 for 3).
On the way to the exit at 86th Street, I picked up some brochures for the Fall 2004 offerings of the YMCA on 92nd street and then gave the Bush inflatable a grand uppercut to the cheers of many onlookers. These streetfairs really have everything you need, even a vent for your angst.
We hug him or we punch him - I punched