Last-Minute Holiday Shopping at the 72nd Street Duane Reade

Last Sunday, we met our friends on the Upper West side to see Little Red, a pantomime performance at the ArcLight Theatre. We go every year to see the annual holiday Pantomonium show, and this is one of my favorite holiday traditions.

We were coming by car from the suburbs, and wanting to make sure we weren't late, actually ended up getting to the Upper West Side early.  Perfect.  I had a few things I needed to pick-up from tape to teachers' gifts, and now I had the time to make a quick run into Duane Reade.

We walked into the Duane Reade at 72nd Street (2075 Broadway), and I will admit it:

I was shocked and impressed.

This wasn't just not like the Duane Reade I knew, this wasn't like any drugstore I knew.

Wondering why I'm saying this wasn't exactly an everyday drugstore? For reasons like these...

Organic baby food:

Keith Haring bibs:

A Bar, where you can have growlers (reusable containers) filled with beer:

And this was just downstairs. We headed upstairs via escalator, much to my children's delight,

and once we got to the second floor I will admit I took a moment and admired the view below of Broadway:

Then I spied the gigantic cosmetics area, and the many awesome holiday gifts. Like tons of nail polish choices:

The kids of course got confused (as often happens) that we were there to buy stuff for them, so there was some distraction when Ziggy saw his beloved cars:

When Kay saw those big eyed animals she adores:

And Magpie, well, you could hear her screams downtown when she spied "DUCK TAPE!!!"

All in all, it was a great - and unexpected - holiday shopping expedition.

And in case you were wondering, yes, I remembered to get tape.

We left with a few gifts, including perfect-for-teachers Lindt chocolates:

We all left happy - me, ready for the holidays and the kids, ready for the rest of our day in New York City.

For my son, this meant a cupcake at the Red Velvet Westside Bakery (141 West 72nd Street):

And a call at the corner pay phone:

Thanks Duane Reade for the great shopping experience, I can see why you're called the Jewel of the Upper West Side!

To see more photos from our shopping trip to Duane Reade, please check out my Google+ Album.

You can follow Duane Reade on Twitter @DuaneReade and via the hashtag #DReade. You can also like them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DuaneReade).

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias.

All opinions - and money spent at Duane Reade - are my own.