my in laws are going to south africa , and then new york soon. What shall I ask them to bring me back?

[Debris]

Any ideas ? They have asked what we would like , DD1 has asked for a I heart NY t shirt !

NY souvenirs are tricky (I live 2 hours from NYC). NY is known mostly for food, landmarks, and the Yankees. Food is hard to bring home...Are mini statues of the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty really that interesting? If you have a DS, maybe he'd be interested in a Yankees' baseball cap. (Some DDs like them, too.) The I Heart NY shirts, buttons, caps are the iconoclastic NY souvenir. Also, since 9/11/01 (or 11/9/01 in the UK), caps and shirts with FDNY (Fire Department of NY) or NYPD (NY Police Department) have become quite popular and can be found everywhere in the City.

There is a store in NY called Dean and Deluca which my friend from the Netherlands liked when she was here on holiday. She brought home some spices and teas. Maybe you'd find something interesting there. She also asks us to send Levis jeans for her son, as they are a fraction of the price here.

Hi, depending on age of the kids, Keedo clothes in South Africa are beautiful for younger ones (up to 10ish, also Naatjie (sp?). If they're pre-teens or teens then Abercrombie & Fitch from NY - much cheaper than UK. I always ask friends to get me Kiehls stuff in NY - all their products are fantastic and cheaper there than here, as are most of the cosmetic brands. If you like African artefacts, wood carvings etc., they could get you some lovely pieces from the markets in SA or the game parks but they're not to everyone's taste.

It all depends on where your ILs are going in SA - there are good craft markets in every city...

The bead work and the wire work is really very good and there are lots of touristy, colourful kids clothing - the markets near the Cape Town waterfront are just superb for that!!

For yourself, I would ask for some wine ....

With respect to NY - I have always coveted the Statue of Liberty hats ...

Wine from South Africa. My dh went recently and brought back a couple of bottles of wonderful wine - far, far nicer than any South African wine I've bought here.