Pam at Phantasmaphile has just written an MSN travel guide for the incorrigibly curious, called "An Old-World Sense of Wonder." Pam kicks off her list of wonder cabinet destinations with three NYC shops I plan to visit next month: Obscura Antiques and Oddities (280 East 10th Street), de Vera (1 Crosby Street), and Evolution (120 Spring Street). Yum!
Fortunately for me, de Vera and Evolution are just a few blocks from the Apple Store SoHo, where I and four of my Sciblings will be doing a science blogging panel October 1. If you're in NYC that evening, please stop by - Apple's a great venue, and it should be a lot of fun. . . although perhaps not quite as fun as skulls, turn-of-the-century lab equipment, and taxidermied reptiles.
You should hit up Maxilla and Mandible as well, if you're going to be near the AMNH. (www.maxillaandmandible.com) Excellent natural history shop.
Mandi&Max is a little too expensive for me-- Evolution I can vouch for. I haven't been to the others; I'll have to go soon as well!
Congratulations on the panel, Jessica! I'll try to make the October 1st event.
I went to the Evolution store when I visited NYC for a two week trip (found it purely by accident when I got lost one day) and it was excellent. All sorts of cool stuff in there, though the T-shirts were about the only reasonably priced item in there (unless you happen to want a penis bone from a coyote, that is) - on the other hand, I was hoping to grab an NYC souvenir shirt of some kind so it worked out fine. I certainly recommend it as a place go to look around in.
I can vouch for the NY stores...AMAZING! I haven't been in years though, and must go back ASAP. Thanks for posting this!