Fao Schwartz 5th Avenue, NYC

Most of the 224 toy stores listed for New York come with a working phone number attached, 189 of them, so ringing ahead about stock or hours is realistic rather than a shot in the dark. Fewer, 146, list a website, which means checking hours or browsing inventory online won't always be an option, and calling stays the faster route for a lot of these shops. Scan a listing for both a number and a site before you plan a trip, and call two or three if you're comparing options in the same neighborhood.

Sponsored tags flag paid placement on SiteCity, and none show up in this category yet, so the order here reflects plain directory records rather than any promoted spot. If you run one of these toy stores and a number's wrong or a website link is dead, you can claim the listing and fix the details yourself, which saves a New York parent a wasted trip before a birthday or holiday rush.