Science Fiction Tour of New York

In Fall 2001, CUSFS began hosting a "Sci-Fi Tour of New York" to introduce that year's crop of eager young freshlings to the wonders that our fair city holds for geeks such as ourselves. Since not everyone is lucky enough to be a CUSFS freshling, we hope the list below will serve a helpful introduction.

It's designed to be completed in 4-5 hours, though you should definitely allow extra time for browsing, eating, and museum-going.

Are we missing anything? Please let us know!

Categories: Anime ~ Books ~ Comics ~ Costuming ~ Gaming ~ Food ~ Movies ~ Museums ~ Points of Interest ~ Miscellaneous

Anime

Book-Off New York
14 E. 41st St between Madison and 5th
(212)685-1410
Hours: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. daily
Notes: used Manga and Japanese CDs

Image Anime
103 West 30th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
(212)631-0966

Kinokuniya, Manhattan
10 W. 49th between 5th and 6th (across from Rockefeller Center)
(212)765-7766
Hours: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily
Notes: new Japanese books/comics

Books

The Strand
828 Broadway at 12th Street
New York, N.Y. 10003
(212)473-1452
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. / Sunday: 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

The Strand Annex
95 Fulton Street (3 blocks east of Broadway)
New York, N.Y. 10038
(212)732-6070
Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. / Saturday and Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Mercer Street Books
206 Mercer Street between Bleeker and Houston
New York, NY 10012
(212)505-8615
Hours: 10 - 10, Monday to Thursday; 10 - Midnight, Friday and Saturday; 11-10, Sunday
Notes: Used, out-of-print, and rare books. They buy books and records.

Comics

Cosmic Comics
36 E. 23rd Street between Park and Broadway(2nd Floor)
New York, NY 10010
(212)460-5322
Notes: Next $20 is free when you buy $100 worth of comics

Forbidden Planet
840 Broadway at 13th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212)473-1576
Hours: Monday - Saturday, 10-10; Sunday, 11-8

Jim Hanley's Universe
4 West 33rd Street at 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
(212) 268-7088
Hours: Monday - Saturday, 9-11; Sunday, 10-9
Notes: Considered by most to be the best store in the city

Midtown Comics
200 W 40th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues
New York, NY 10018
(212)302-8192
Hours: Monday - Saturday, 11-9; Sunday, 12-7
Notes: Next $20 is free when you buy $100 worth of comics

Roger's Time Machine
207 W. 14th Street between 7th and 8th (Second Floor)
New York, NY 10011
(212)691-0380
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 12-7 / Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: 11-7:30 / Sunday: 1-6
Notes: This place is reputed to have some really great dollar bins. They don't take credit cards, so be sure to bring cash.

The Sleep of Reason
47 West Eighth Street between 5th and 6th Avenues (Second Floor)
New York, NY 10011
(212)982-7901

St. Marks Comics

11 Saint Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues New York, NY 10003 (212)598-9439 Hours: Monday: 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. / Tuesday - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 1 a.m. /Sunday: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

150 Chambers Street between Greenwich and West Broadway New York, NY 10007-1000 (212)385-4108

148 Montague Street (Second Floor) Brooklyn, NY (718)935-0911

Notes: Watch out for their semi-annual back-stock sale. Supposedly very worth it.

Costuming / Period Clothing / Unique Fashions

Religious Sex
7 St. Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues
New York, NY 10003
(212)477-9037

Halloween Adventure
104 Fourth Ave between 11th Street and 12th Street
New York, NY 10003-5232
(212)673-4546

The Fashion District

Gaming

Forbidden Planet
See the Comics section for location information.
Notes: Has a pretty decent selection of d20 stuff, though at times they've been known to completely ignore RPGS.

The Compleat Strategist
11 East 33rd Street between 4th and 5th Avenues
New York, NY 10016
(212)685-3880 or (212)685-3881
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 10:20-6 / Thursday: 10:30-9
Notes: They carry all sorts of games, not just RPGs.

Neutral Ground Gaming Room 122 W. 26th Street between 6th and 7th (fourth floor)
New York, NY 10001
(212)633-1288
Hours: noon - midnight daily
Notes: Come here for a significantly bigger selection of RPGs than Forbidden, not just limited to d20. These guys also offer a good deal of space for your gaming pleasure.

Eateries

Mars 2112
1633 Broadway at 51st Street
New York, NY 10019
(212)582-2112
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 12-9 / Friday: 12-12 / Saturday: 11:30 a.m. - midnight / Sunday: 11:30-9
Notes: Overpriced and shlocky, but it's genre. May be worth checking out once, especially if you can get your local sci-fi society to pick up half the tab.

Jekyll and Hyde Club
1409 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) between 57th and 58th Streets
New York, NY 10019
(212)541-9517
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 11:30 a.m. - midnight / Wednesday and Sunday: 11 a.m. - midnight / Friday: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. / Saturday: 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Notes: See www.eerie.com for info on the Jekyll and Hyde Pub, the Slaughtered Lamb Pub, and Dark (vampiric dance club)

Movies

Various Kim's Locations

Museums

American Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave at 36th Street
Astoria, Queens
(718)784-0077
Hours: Tuesday - Friday: noon - 5 p.m. / Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Admission: $8.50 / students and seniors: $5.50 / children 5-18: $4.50 / children under 5 and members: free
Now Playing: Expanded Entertainment. "Follow the four-decade evolution of digital game play from the research lab to the arcade and into the home, while brushing up on your skills at more than 20 games and interactive works of art."

American Museum of Natural History / Rose Center
Central Park West at 79th Street
(212)769-5100
Hours: 10 a.m. - 5:45 p.m. daily (on Fridays, the Rose Center stays open until 8:45 p.m.)
Suggested Admission: $12, students and seniors $9, children $7.
Now Playing: "On view in the Hayden Planetarium: the Planetarium launches its second space show, narrated by Harrison Ford. The movie takes viewers beyond the cellestial sphere to plumb the heights and edepths of the universe in search of alien life."

Museum of Television and Radio
25 West 52nd Street
(212)621-6600 or (212)621-6800
Hours: Tuesdays through Sundays: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. / Thursdays until 8 p.m. and Fridays until 9 p.m. (theatres only)
Contribution: Members free; $6 for adults; $4 for students and senior citizens; $3 for children under thirteen.

Sony Wonder Technology Lab
56th Street between Madison and Fifth
(212)833-8100
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. / Thursday: 10- 8 / Sunday: 12-6

Points of Interest

Description of NYC's reaction to popular Sci-Fi Events
Supposedly there's LOTR-related graffiti all over the city. We've yet to find any (except for the obvious stuff in Columbia's tunnel system), so let us know if you've been luckier than we have. Also see this article on Tolkein fandom in New York.

History of Fandom

Monster Walks
Gargoyles and monster statues throughout NYC

The Spinning Cube in Cooper Union Square
Intersection of St. Marks Place and Third Avenue

Toys / Gadgets / Miscellaneous Fun Stuff

Love Saves the Day
119 Second Avenue at 7th Street
New York, NY 10003-8331
(212)228-3802
Hours: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. daily
Notes: Vintage toys, cheap vintage clothing, and much, much more

See Hear
59 E. 7th Street between 1st and 2nd
New York, NY 10003-8117
(212)505-9781
Hours: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. daily

Star Magic Space Age Gifts

745 Broadway between 8th and Waverly New York, NY 10003-6810 (212)228-7770 Hours: Monday - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. / Sunday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

1256 Lexington Avenue between 85th and 86th New York, NY 10028-2046 (212)988-0300 Hours: Monday - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. / Sunday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Toy Tokyo

121 Second Avenue at 7th Street New York, NY 10003-8337 (212)673-5450

109 East 73rd Street between Park and Lexington New York, NY 10021-3548 (212)673-5424

Warning: Liable to make your head explode.