Howdy!

We - me, my wife and my daugther - are staying in New York from Aug 30th til Sep 5th.
Any recommendations what to visit/see with a touch of magic?

Hi Bernd,

Monday Night Magic is generally quite good; most Monday nights.


Tannen's Magic Shop has lectures from top magicians from time to time, you might get lucky that week.

A few blocks away from Tannen's is Fantasma Magic Shop. David Roth used to work there behind the counter from time to time. I don't know if he still does.

There's always so much going on in NYC, that it would be hard to say what will be available on any given day. Your best bet for entertainment choices in NY is to go to the Time Out New York website for comprehensive up-to-date information.

If you'd like to say hello when you get to NYC, drop me a PM and I'll send you my phone number.

Mystic Essentials is a good shop there says one of my witch sisters and that we all ought to get out of Europe this year before the chemical attack predicted by Baba Vanga the Blind Bulgarian Mystic.

Tannen's is definitely worth visiting, as it's (at least, self declared) the oldest magic shop in NYC. It's very small, but the staff there is very nice (at least when I went to visit a couple months ago.) Be forewarned, though... know the specific address when you head there. I don't think there's any signage out front. You go into this nondescript building, take a tiny elevator up to the 6th floor (I think), and zig-zag down the hall until you reach the door. (Kind of an experience just getting there!) Be sure to check out their selection of magic books!

Bernd, Steve Cohen puts on a fantastic show. Here are the details:

https://www.chambermagic.com

Magik Ballay (spelling?) works at Tannen's.
Watching him demonstrate magic tricks is like being at a show.

Bernd, if you go to Fantasma magic, be aware that the address is a little confusing. The postal address is 421 7th ave however they are not really on 7th. As you travel down 7th ave, pass 34th street and watch the building numbers. Fantasma is several doors down on the left. The doorway has a small awning and it sits next to a deli. You must have ID with you and sign it at a security desk for a pass.

I mention this only because the first time I went there, I spent over 30 minutes looking for 421 and finally had to ask for directions.

There's also a local magicians hangout near Tannens' and Fantasma. (Saturdays)
It's a pizza place called "Café Rustico. I forgot the address but you can easily find it via Google.

Does David Roth still work at Fantasma?

Is it still going on? I may catch it this weekend.

It's not a scheduled meeting. As far as I know it's every Saturday.
I only went there one time.
A bunch of magicians get together and talk and jazz.
They meet all the way in the back of the pizza place.
Ask Magick Balay about it.
He works at Tannens'. ( which is nearby).

Not that it makes any difference to me, but since "The Waldorf" will be closed for about 3 years, is Cohen setting up shop somewhere else?

FWIW

CardMaker,
How did you make out in NYC?

Well, I have been there!
https://plus.google.com/+CardMakerBerndM......dG1CqHFr

I've been to both Tannen's and Fantasma and am surprised they are both so hard to find "unless you know." I likewise had a hard time finding Fantasma (expecting to see a sign somewhere visible from the street!). And I was a bit nervous every exiting the elevator for Tannen's and seeing a strange-looking travel agency. Oh well, so long as they both can stay in business being a bit hidden, more power to them!

Finding Tannen's & Fantasma definitely is an adventure. Its almost like finding that elusive Platform 9¾ to Hogwarts! Spent quite some time looking for them when I was in NY earlier this year. It is definitely worth the trouble though.

One thing I also did in NY was visit the gravesite of Harry Houdini. Very easy to find & I think very much overlooked as a place to visit.

Agreed- first time I visited both, they were hard to find. I wasted a lot of time walking back and forth in the same block a few times, and GPS reception isn't great in the middle of big buildings. Building numbers can be hard to find if you're not familiar with the area. So, just for future reference to anyone looking at this post later...

The building where Tannen's is located also has a Sleepy's (the mattress store) prominently advertised in the ground floor. Enter that building and tell the guy at the reception desk where you're going and he'll direct you to floor 6. Make a left when you exit the elevator and walk all the way to the end of the hallway.

The Fantasma building is just next door to the Sbarro. You'll need to show a picture id to the security guy and have your picture taken. He'll direct you to the 3rd floor.