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Slushy Weather
What would summer be without a slushy? This new, easy-to-use machine will let kids indulge almost anytime. Put ice, salt, water, and either soda or fruit juice into the container, crank, and in a few moments you’ll have plenty of slurping fun for two (and a quick workout). Just beware the inevitable brain freeze ($21.99).
TOYS ‘R’ US
1514 Broadway, at 44th Street
800-869-7787
24–32 Union Square East
212-674-8697
Top of the Markets
Utility Canvas’s market tote is roomy enough for a summer weekend’s worth of clothes – and folds flat for storage when you aren’t using it. Choose from red, green, or blue Maui floral cotton canvas ($70).
UTILITY CANVAS
146 Sullivan Street
800-680-9290
Cubic Feat
Each side of Lexon’s Cubissimo clock provides different information – day, date, time, and temperature. The cube comes in orange, blue, and aluminum, and is perfect for traveling or snoozing at the office (an alarm function is built in; $40–$46).
MOSS
146 Greene Street
212-226-2190
ZIPPER
333 Smith Street, Brooklyn
718-596-0333
Backseat Driver
Kids Travel: A Backseat Survival Kit (Klutz) could be a lifesaver for parents on road trips. The spiral-bound book is chock-full of activities from games to puzzles, quizzes to projects (origami, hair wrapping), and songs for the road, plus the stuff you need to do it all ($19.95).
KIDDING AROUND
60 West 15th Street
212-645-6337
EXIT 9
64 Avenue A
212-228-0125
Pick and Choose
If there is any doubt that the eighties are back in style, this pair of guitar-pick earrings from Fred Flare is one loud, dangly confirmation. The pairs are sold mismatched with two different-colored picks, each with a song title, “Fire & Ice” and “Lucky Star,” for instance ($8.50).
MINI MINI MARKET
218 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn
718-302-9337
www.fredflare.com
Steel Home
Finally, stainless-steel flatware that looks great and doesn’t cost the same as sterling. Gourmet Settings’ twenty-piece sets of 18/10 stainless-steel flatware are available in ten patterns ranging from trendy to timeless, at friendly prices. Modernist fans take note: There are a couple dead ringers for Jensen patterns ($50–$100/set).
BLOOMINGDALE’S
1000 Third Avenue, at 59th Street
212-705-2000
BED BATH & BEYOND
620 Sixth Avenue, at 19th Street
212-255-3550
410 East 61st Street
212-215-4702