Una Ragazza on Shop: Stranded

I was recently home in Asia to visit family and friends, making pit stops in Singapore and Hong Kong. Bali was attached to the tail-end of the trip for a little alone-time with Un Ragazzo, who was a real sport about all the visiting and eating (what a hard life!).

Over the years, I’d brought home a good variety of gifts for folks, and these days, my tried-and-tested, go-to retailers are Abercrombie (for cousins and friends), Lucky Wang, Scholastic and Baby Gap (for Little Ragazza), Brooklyn Republic and American Apparel (for sister), and Strand Bookstore (for godchildren and Little Ragazza).

A whole series of books dedicated to Little Ragazza

The last on that list, Strand, has been a cornerstone destination to fulfill my shopping list for the last five years, ever since my first godchild turned one.

A New York institution that is nearly 90 years old, Strand is the last bastion of what was formerly a group of independent bookstores on New York’s legendary Book Row on Fifth Avenue. Now in the East Village, it is the largest used bookstore I’ve known, proudly carrying the slogan of “18 Miles of Books” that is printed on its store sign and most of its memorabilia. Any would-be shopper is greeted by shelf-after-shelf of used books priced at $1 along the external length of the store, on 12 Street and Broadway. Browsing these hundreds of random titles can be a fun way to kill time, such as while waiting for a movie at the nearby theater to start.

The one-dollar shelves outside the store

Chic totes for a reading crowd

Strand is known for the chaotic look around its shelves, which carry everything from publishers’ overstock and used books to rare, antique and priceless items (rumor has it that they have a centuries-old, handwritten bible and a letter by a former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy).

In the basement is a giant section of the latest books to hit the market, all of them sold at a discount after having been read just once by book critics who had received them from publishers for their book reviews. On the ground floor, my favorite table is the one marked “New York” that carries interesting, sometimes quirky, books of all sorts that showcase the city of New York as a protagonist. I have both received and given away books that have graced this table during my years in the city.

The section in which I had spent the most time in recent years is the Children’s Books on the second storey. Almost every birthday and Christmas present for my godchildren (I now have five, three of which frequently make an online appearance), as well as Little Ragazza, has originated from this wonderful selection. Strand carries many perennial favorites (think Curious George, Baba the Elephant, Harold and the Purple Crayon and the Berenstein Bears) for my target audience. There are also many others which I find myself picking up and putting down each time, after rationalizing that the kids are just not yet ready to enjoy them. I mean, at what age does a child start reading Tintin? It’s a comic strip after all; can a five or six-year-old truly appreciate the wit of Hergé?

The world of Tintin et Milou (otherwise known as Snowy for the anglophones)

In any case, Strand is a lovely place to spend half an hour or half a day. Great place to be stranded in a downpour. Perfect place to geek out and learn about a whole new subject of literary interest. Or just to gawk at delicious photos in the top 100 cookbooks in the country. And equally delicious ones from the latest Fashion Week coffee table books.

When the eyes finally need a respite from all the small print and the back needs a stretch, one can always count on Amsterdam Billards round the corner for that little exercise and liquid fuel. Or, for the adventurous and Twitter-savvy crowd, there are surely a few of my favorite trucks in the 'hood. Enjoy.

Strand on Book Row, circa 1938

(Some pictures taken from the Internet)