Christmas is almost here and once again holiday travel plans are being made. With the iffy situation at today’s airports, Queens-bound travelers are considering an alternative to traveling with already bought presents: shopping at the destination itself. Yet even as many a seasonal traveler is able to weather this slight inconvenience with aplomb – after all, green goes with anything and if all else fails, a gift card makes for a great present – there are those who want to put a personal touch on their gift giving. This is of course especially pronounced when giving presents to children, but tends to become a bit tricky when there are teens on your gift giving list; there are no gift recipients more fickle in their tastes and mercurial in their acceptance of what’s hot and what’s not than teenagers!
If you find yourself in this position, do not fret! There are five surefire store locations in Queens where you will find cool, hip and undoubtedly much desired presents that no teen will turn down!
For those slightly geographically challenged, it is worthwhile to remember that Queens is the largest borough of New York City. As such, it is home to a number of fascinating neighborhoods and also well known shopping areas that will make your gift procurement a task much easier than at first you might have anticipated! Read on for five locations where you simply cannot go wrong:
If the teen on your gift list loves hip hop and even though you would not know a 50 Cent from a Ja Rule, you can still find some fashionable clothes that will look fabulous and will have the adolescent swoon! Think Baby Phat and Phat Farm, Wu-Wear, Shady Limited and of course the ever popular Rocawear and head on over to Infinity Sportswears located at 90-54 Sutphin Blvd. in Jamaica, NY 11435. Open daily from 10:00 AM (well, 10:30 AM on Sundays) until 8:30 PM (make that 7:30 PM on Sundays), this store has everything a budding hip hop aficionado could ever want to see in her or his wardrobe.
Music always is a big winner with teens and if the teen on your list loves a Latin beat, you cannot go wrong by visiting Rincon Musical at the Queens Center located at 90-15 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, NY 11373. A huge selection of everything Latin awaits you but the truly unique gift you will be looking for are the authentic Puerto Rican bongo drums which are suitable for professionals! There are also other musical instruments available, but the percussion section is phenomenal. Sure, the teen’s parents may not appreciate your generosity with respect to percussion, so be aware that this might be the last year you will be invited for the Christmas holiday to this family and therefore go all out and buy the best of the best! Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM and Sundays from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
For the scholarly teen that may have just left behind the preteen years and is not yet afraid of having a bookish reputation, the gift shop at the New York Hall of Science is a fantastic location to find everything science. While books and DVDs are plentiful, what you really want to check out are the high end microscopes and also the science kits geared toward the older kids. Any teen with a serious scientific bend may even appreciate a membership to this great museum since it offers a vast library of scientific texts and DVDs, any one of which may be borrowed by members. Visit the NY Hall of Science located at 47-01 111th Street in Queens, NY 11368 but call 718-699-0005 first to find out what the hours are as they differ throughout the months.
The fashion conscious teen girl who is always perusing the latest fashion magazines for the proper accessories will appreciate if you do not forget to visit Laila Rowe, a store well known for its costume jewelry – they are frequently featured in high end style and other trend setting publications – but also other accessories such as hats, shawls, scarves and handbags. Coneintiely located in the Atlas Park Shopping Mall, 8000 Cooper Ave. at 80th St., Glendale, New York 11385. The store’s hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
The adventurous shopper will enjoy an outing to the Flushing Mall where Chinese is the language of choice and signs are not always printed in English. A host of different stores awaits you at this mall, but special attention should be paid to J.L.S. Trading Inc. and Sun Star/Sun Shine Gift Shop Inc. The address is 133-31 39th Ave. in Flushing, NY 11354 and since store hours vary by vendor, it is wise to contact the mall directly at 718-888-1234. Keep in mind that this shopping trip is not for the faint of heart, and unless the teen on your gift giving list shares your sense of awe and adventure with respect to Chinese oddities and oriental peculiarities, you will find yourself most likely purchasing Hello Kitty and familiar anime merchandise.
