SouvenirFinder

@freecia-- great suggestion re: magazines-- I love how European magazines often wrap women's magazines in plastic and pop a little gift or sample in there (makeup etc). I'd buy magazines more often here if they did that! I actually bought one on my last trip thinking I might feature it at some point. Great point about no stores=no locals and very true, thinking about my recent London trips where I stayed in a real neighborhood in an apt (huge Tesco across the street) v. a hotel in Trafalagar (no grocery store anywhere!)

Along those lines I also love local bookstores and dvd stores. Even though I download and stream everything at home and you can probably get most anything online, it's the way they display items (in a great shop) that I love. Online, I have no idea what British books that aren't published here might interest me-- but if I go into a bookshop they've got the staff picks, table displays etc that point me to the books that I would be interested in.

Dianne47

After grocery stores I enjoy shopping local drugstores or pharmacies. I'm rather a fanatic about bath gels and like to see what's available locally. I also look for small tubes of laundry detergent for washing items in the sink. Sometimes I locate great finds for gifts in drugstores.

Hotels for shopping would be helpful, especially non-chain inexpensive lodgings.

carole_d

Street View in Google Earth is great for checking out shops near your hotel before you leave. On a recent stay in Bulgaria, I found several small grocery stores near my hotel beforehand. I marked them in Google Earth and after I arrived I just reviewed them quickly to get my bearings.

ETA: I really like your site. I'll be checking it out more thoroughly when I'm not at work.

SouvenirFinder

Street view is a great idea, thanks for the tip-- I've been looking at google maps, but I don't always know what a grocery store is called so a visual is much better.
All this talk about grocery stores being favorites made me focus my attention on one for my next post, what to find in an Austrian grocery store (chock full of fun stuff), hope to have it up in a few days!

l etoile

Your blog is right up my alley! I tend to specialize in the hardest to bring home things you can imagine though (think appliances, furniture, large gongs ).

These are some very old threads I started, but you still might find some inspiration in them. I still check them from time to time before I head out.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...und-world.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-get-home.html

MissJoeyDFW

Great blog, I really like it. As you continue to expand on it be sure to blog about out off the beat and path cities and unusual shops. Sometimes when planning my travels I wonder is there anything to do or see in _ _ _ _ _? Websites like yours are great ways to find out that information.

ShopAround

It was offered to me by my Aussie friends when I was in Sydney in 1994 and I couldn't bring myself to eat it. I'm not a vegetarian, but I had just been petting wallabies that afternoon and couldn't even choke it down to be polite (as I did with Vegemite - yuck!).

Nanook

I love your blog and the photos. Especially like the Austin one, as well as the Starbucks mugs blog. Who knew? I've bookmarked your blog page and will keep reading. Keep up the great work! You have a fan right here.

SouvenirFinder

Thanks Nanook! I didn't actually write Austin and Starbucks-- I had some blogger friends guest post for me, I simply "curated" them : ). I agree, they were both fun posts-- I hope to add more guest posts in the future and grow the site.

I live in New York City and probably should start writing more about souvenirs from my home town, but living here I'm finding it difficult to figure out what people want to bring home from here! Does anyone have input?

Some ideas I'm thinking about covering: FAO Schwarz (they have make-your-own muppet workshop as well as some FAO specific old-timey toys), the best bagels (you can buy a dozen, bring home and freeze), check out the "best of" in some museum gift shops, FDNY hats/tees, some tips about what to shop for at some of our department stores, focus on unique boutique shopping areas?

tcl

Very well done blog. ^

I really like the format, the way it's organized and the range of subject matter. Also, the ratio of photo to verbiage is good and keeps one interested. I have just bookmarked your blog

To be honest, I had originally avoided looking at this thread and clicking on the link because I assumed that it would be a stereotypical "I want this, I want that. Must have mascara, nail polish, handbag" type of shopping blog most travel blogs degenerate into after time. Love that your blog topics are focused, practical and concise.

Dianne47

To be sure. How about hot chocolate shops, chocolates, milliners, obscure shoe stores, tea rooms, etc. Some suggestions for vendors: Kee's Chocolates in Soho, Lisa Shaub in LES, the Moulded Shoe near L & T.

MariaSF

I recommend the comic book store "Forbidden Planet" (Broadway and 12th, near Union Square), for gifts and souvenirs for big kids, teens and "nerdy" adults.
Last time I was there, after I was done shopping, I walked over to Momofuku Noodle bar (1st Ave. between 10th and 11th streets), for a bowl of ramen.

freecia

How about some good NYC bookstores? They're fun to wander.

I remember reading on this Swedish blog that part of her New York shopping was cold medicines they couldn't get in Sweden. But here's also a few posts of an outsider's view of what to shop for in NYC
http://www.chezlarsson.com/myblog/20...pping-spr.html
http://www.chezlarsson.com/myblog/20...ng-part-1.html
http://www.chezlarsson.com/myblog/20...ng-part-2.html

I also visit B&H or some such large camera store while I'm in NYC to poke at camera gear in person. Last time I just got a microfiber cloth that also helps set white balance.

Ok, not very helpful (with inappropriate language), but on a snarktastic day, I'm reminded of this tumblr blog from two Times Square concierges who probably get asked "Where can we find XYZ" all the time http://howmaywehateyou.com/
My own "annoy the Times Square hotel concierge" question was "Where can we buy black & white cookies on a Sunday afternoon?"

SouvenirFinder

@tcl-- thanks for the thumbs up! I know, lots of blogs are semi-spam, with totally useless stuff written solely for the purpose of getting page views.

@Dianne47-- chocolates are a great idea, I'll add your suggestions to my list. Local tea (and coffee) shops are a good bet too.

@MariaSF-- Forbidden Planet is definitely on the list already (I have a brother who collects and goes every time he visits me). Didn't know Momofuku was right there too- great tip!

@freecia-- yes been planning to cover the Strand. B&H and/or Adorama is a good idea too-- I certainly spend enough $$ there myself!!
I am drooling over the gorgeous photos of the swedish blogger! Her long souvenir list made me laugh-- many of those are also on my list of things to cover (there was a great thread on Reddit about what foreigners like to buy in the US so some of those odd things made the list-- I am currently writing a post on those red solo cups (aka "American party cups").
Funny concierge blog-- I could never do that job, I have no poker face when it comes to hiding my annoyance! : )

thepreppytraveler

I agree with the comments - what a fun blog! And you cover so much ground!

I particularly liked the Stockholm and Vienna posts. Keep it up!!