Shopping in New York City used to be simple.
You bought drugs on the street, your glasses at Fabulous Fanny's, and everything else at the Virgin Megastore in Union Square. Now, the internet has torpedoed the established order, there are so many more options. For the love of god don't buy drugs on the street. You should still get your glasses at Fanny's, though.
Rebel Rouser + Rat King Emporium: Two shops in Flea Market Alley, a grouping of shipping containers in Bushwick where you can buy books, bikes, and punk-rock action figures. There's even a radio station-KPISS, named after the former resident of the storage unit who'd piss in jars and never throw said jars away. Rebel Rouser focuses on LPs and 45s of the garage/punk/oldies variety and rare books in the noir/horror vein. Rat King (the province of local rock legend and YouTube Yankee Candle reviewer, Andy Animal) focuses on the novelty end of the Rat Fink/x-ray glasses spectrum of our short time here. The entire alleyway is both well worth your time/money and it's really odd/wonderful that it exists at all.
See the complete VICE Guide to New York City.
[Photo via Daniel Arnold]
