NYU is an urban campus with no gates. The buildings ring Washington Square Park, and everything in this guide is within walking distance: most of it a few blocks from the arch, the rest a longer walk up to Union Square or down into SoHo.
Broadway, 8th Street to Houston. The NYU Bookstore (726 Broadway) is the campus store, on the east side of the park. A block or so north, Staples (769 Broadway) at 9th Street covers binders, printer ink and shipping, and it opens at 7am on weekdays. Keep walking south past Houston to Blick Art Materials (443 Broadway), for paint, sketchbooks and framing, and Pearl River Mart (452 Broadway) across the street for housewares and gifts.
Bleecker, MacDougal and Thompson. South of the park is the old Village student strip. Mamoun's Falafel (119 MacDougal St) serves halal falafel and shawarma until 2am or later every night. Caffe Reggio (119 MacDougal St) is an Italian coffeehouse in the same building. One street over, Generation Records (210 Thompson St) stocks vinyl that leans hardcore, punk and metal. On Mercer, Think Coffee (248 Mercer St) has free WiFi for studying.
8th Street and University Place. West 8th Street holds two of the best dinners near campus (see Eat Nearby). Pranakhon (88 University Pl) is a two-story Thai spot just north of the park.
Astor Place and Third Avenue. East of Broadway, H Mart sits on Third Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets in the base of NYU's Alumni Hall, with cheap Korean groceries and snacks. St. Marks Place and Third Avenue are lined with good-value restaurants.
West and north of the park. C.O. Bigelow (414 Sixth Ave), an apothecary operating since 1838, and Three Lives & Company (154 W 10th St) are just west. Strand Book Store (828 Broadway) and Beacon's Closet Manhattan (10 W 13th St) are up toward 14th Street.
For official NYU gear, go to the NYU Bookstore (726 Broadway). NYU says it sells course materials, school supplies, stationery, NYU-branded clothing and gifts, and general trade books. It keeps a textbook rental library, and online orders can be shipped or picked up in the store.
The NYU Technology Store sells Apple and Dell computers plus accessories and peripherals for class and the dorm.
Neither store posts hours on the pages we checked, so call 212-998-4658 or email nyubookstore@nyu.edu before a special trip, especially around move-in and Commencement.
NYU's own move-in guide quotes students on where they actually went: the Staples on Broadway, the H Mart next to Alumni Hall, the Trader Joe's in Union Square and the Union Square Target. Staples (769 Broadway) has school and desk supplies and a UPS shipping counter, open Monday to Friday 7am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm. H Mart (Third Ave between 9th and 10th Sts) is the nearest big grocery for instant noodles, rice, fruit and drinks.
For the bigger haul, walk up to 14th Street. Target Union Square (10 Union Square East) has bedding, storage, home goods and order pickup. Whole Foods Market Union Square (4 Union Square S) faces the park. The Union Square Greenmarket sets up on the north and west sides of the square Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 8am to 6pm.
For kitchen gear, Fishs Eddy (889 Broadway) sells mugs, plates and bowls, many with New York motifs. ABC Carpet & Home (888 Broadway) across the street is the place for a rug or a lamp.
Books first. Strand Book Store (828 Broadway) at 12th Street sells new and used books and has a desk that buys used ones. Barnes & Noble Union Square (33 E 17th St) has four floors, vinyl and a café, and stays open until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Below Houston, McNally Jackson SoHo (134 Prince St) is open until 9pm every day, and Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (126 Crosby St) sells secondhand books, vinyl and CDs, with proceeds funding HIV/AIDS services.
For records, Generation Records (210 Thompson St) is the closest dig to the dorms south of the park.
For clothes, Beacon's Closet Manhattan (10 W 13th St) buys, sells and trades used clothing and is open daily 11am to 8pm. Screaming Mimis (240 W 14th St) has vintage dresses from every decade and stays open until 8pm Monday to Saturday. For running shoes and intramural gear, Paragon Sports (867 Broadway) at 18th Street has footwear, tennis, outdoor and a full floor for soccer.
A few specific ideas, all a walk from the park:
- NYU Bookstore (726 Broadway): official NYU sweatshirts, caps and gifts for the family.
- Three Lives & Company (154 W 10th St): ask the staff for a novel to give a graduate.
- Murray's Cheese (254 Bleecker St): a wrapped wedge or two for parents heading home.
- Li-Lac Chocolates (75 Greenwich Ave): chocolate Empire State Buildings and Statues of Liberty.
- Big Night (236 W 10th St): colored martini glasses, cocktail napkins and candles for a host gift.
- Fishs Eddy (889 Broadway): New York mugs and dishes, sturdy enough to pack.
- MoMA Design Store SoHo (81 Spring St): design objects and museum exclusives for a graduate's first apartment.
Coffee first. Caffe Reggio (119 MacDougal St) is a Village coffeehouse for espresso and cappuccino, with Italian food all day. Think Coffee (248 Mercer St) uses organic, fair-trade beans and has free WiFi.
Cheap eats. Mamoun's Falafel (119 MacDougal St) is the late-night standby, open until 2am Monday to Wednesday and until 4am on Friday and Saturday. The rest come from the MICHELIN Guide's Bib Gourmand good-value list. Pranakhon (88 University Pl) does Thai with plenty of heat. C as in Charlie (5 Bleecker St) mixes Southern and Korean flavors in sharing plates. Over by Third Avenue, Bánh Anh Em (99 3rd Ave) takes no reservations, so expect a line for banh mi and pho. Yellow Rose (102 Third Ave) makes Tex-Mex on house-made flour tortillas, CheLi (19 St. Marks Pl) serves Shanghainese food, and Sobaya (229 E 9th St) has served soba since 1996.
For a parents' weekend dinner, three MICHELIN one-star rooms are a block or two from the park. Shmoné (61 W 8th St) is Eyal Shani's vegetable-driven neo-Levantine spot. Frevo (48 W 8th St) is a chef's counter hidden behind a rotating art display. Family Meal at Blue Hill (75 Washington Pl) serves one seasonal menu family-style. Check each website for hours.
NYU Stern's visitor page lists the subway routes to the Washington Square campus. Take the A, C or E, or the B, D, F or M, to West 4th Street. Take the N or R to 8th St-NYU, the 6 to Astor Place, or the 1 to Christopher Street-Sheridan Square. PATH riders can take the train to the Ninth Street station at Sixth Avenue and Ninth Street. For Union Square shopping, the 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R and W stop at 14 St-Union Sq.
If you drive, Stern lists indoor garages open 24/7 near the park, including Thompson Street Garage (221 Thompson St), Minetta Garage (122 W 3rd St) and Washington Square Garage (2 Fifth Ave). Stern visitors can get a parking receipt stamped at its first-floor information center for an NYU discount.
For a full day out, two of our districts are worth the trip. Herald Square is straight up Sixth Avenue or Broadway at 34th Street, with Macy's Herald Square (151 W 34th St) for department-store shopping and B&H Photo & Video (420 Ninth Ave) for cameras, laptops and film gear.
The Lower East Side is a walk east along Houston Street. Stop at Russ & Daughters (179 E Houston St) for bagels and smoked fish, then head down Orchard Street to Desert Vintage (34 Orchard St) and Sweet Pickle Books (47 Orchard St).