Trip Report: NYC Day 2

We planned out Day 2 to be the big shopping day. I wanted to wear my Zebras but rain was threatening so I went with my Supreme Jordans (Laize wore Bape NMDs so we could match our Camos lol). After breakfast at Stumptown Coffee (with Doughnut Plant doughnuts) in the lobby we were off.

Walked down Broadway to Flight Club but it wasn’t open yet so we kept on going to KITH. Such a great store – just as we expected. Laize got a custom T done and we both got KITH Treats to eat on the way across the street to KITH women.

Supreme was the next stop but of course there was not really anything worth buying on a Friday afternoon (despite all the kids buying anything with that logo) so we left pretty quick.

We spent a lot more time at the giant Nike Soho flagship. FIVE whole floors of Nike, plus a mini Jordan store at the top. So many Vapor Max. So much nice clothing. So difficult not to buy anything.

Just around the corner was the Adidas Originals store so we scoped it out in advance of our Yeezy pick up on Day 3. Its a small store but really well stocked with all kinds of boost that is not available on shelf in Toronto. We really do lose out in Canada in terms of anything Boost.

After Adidas it was back to Nike, this time the Nike Lab at 21 Mercer. It was easy to spot because of all the resellers outside with bags full of… Momofuku Dunks?!?! Weird thing to be all about reselling. They didn’t have too much inside but it was fun to see some of the bespoke options in a case. Getting my own bespoke Air Max is a dream for the future.

Stadium Goods is pretty much right across the street. I had looked online before this trip and spotted a not terrible deal on a pair of Air Max I really needed to complete my collection of Atmos. Not everything at SG is overpriced – if you are very choosy and focus on things that are under-rated in the States (like non-hype Air Max), you can sometimes find a fair market price. Which I think I did. The staff was cool to talk to and it was a really positive experience.

Finally we made the long walk back up to Flight Club, where I planned to buy the final Atmos Air Max I wanted. Going down half a size saved me almost $100. Unlike at Stadium Goods, the staff was not chatty, the sneakers were covered in dust and I didn’t feel like anyone really even cared about the customers. I also watched a nine year old wearing crocs (and his mom) buy a pair of Yeezy Zebras at a terrible resale price the day before the relaunch. Kind of depressing for me but he was thrilled. I bet he would have saved hundreds of dollars by waiting 24 hours.

Did I mention that it was about 35 degrees and ridiculously humid all day? Well it was. Laize and I were starving at this point so we walked over to Umami Burger for lunch – it is one of our faves – and then back to the hotel to prepare for the 6pm Yeezy raffle on Footaction/Foot Locker and Champs apps. Where we took Ls across the board. Still a way better experience than lining up for hours! Maybe this is a good thing because my luggage is very, very full.

After a small break to freshen up (did I mention it is like 40 degrees?) we headed out, again, to Madison Square Gardens to watch our first WNBA game (NY Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun). Being in the Gardens was so cool – so much history! The game itself was beyond our wildest expectations. After the NY Liberty fell behind by 20 points in the first half it seemed like it was going to be a blow out. (note: Crystal Waters performed at half-time!!! 90s Electric Circus flashbacks ensued).

I don’t know what happened in the locker room, but the Liberty came storming back in the 3rd quarter and then in the 4th quarter brought the lead down to 6. The crowd was going crazy. Like, playoffs levels of cheering and dancing and jumping up and down. When the Liberty tied it all up with 3 minutes to go, no one was sitting down. Unfortunately the Sun kept fighting just as hard and managed to hold on to the win. It was such a cool experience to be there. The crowd was very diverse and I overheard more than one dude talking about the players with so much knowledge about their playing histories and strengths. I wish that Toronto had a WNBA team. Even if there was just a game or two played in Toronto every year, it would be so cool.