Don't Miss the Grand Opening of the New York City Lego Store in Rockefeller Center

Until I visited the new LEGO Store that opened up in Rockefeller Center last week I never realized just how much New York City needed a store devoted to tiny plastic building bricks.  This colorful showpiece of a store has so much to offer brick building kids and their parents-much more than just shopping! It is a total LEGO experience from the LEGO brick masterpieces throughout the store to the unique products for sale plus they will also be offering regularly scheduled events and programs for kids and LEGO birthday parties in the shop. LEGO fever is set to take over NYC with the grand opening of the Rock Center store on Tuesday, June 29, 2010. Don’t miss the fun participatory events, special guests and special shopping perks.

The first thing you will notice as you walk through the doors are the iconic New York City landmarks created in LEGOs all over the store.  Some in little portholes you have to bend down to see others in huge window displays and some perched in corners.  These recreations are amazing and even the kids will recognize them: The George Washington Bridge complete with a little red lighthouse, The Stock Exchange, the Empire State Building, The Guggenheim, The UN and The Statue of Liberty to just name a few.  There is a massive Chinese New Year-styled dragon snaking his way across the ceiling of the store entirely made of LEGOs (of course.)  But the centerpiece display is a phenomenal LEGO brick recreation of Rockefeller Center down to the smallest detail including the perfect miniature replica of the LEGO Store. (Look for the dragon on the outside of the plastic building.)

There are lots of places to interact with LEGOs, like the very cool 3D animation gizmo called the “digital box” where you can scan specific products and watch them come to life on the screen– planes and helicopters fly, cars drive and so on.  There are workstations all around the store with an endless supply of open ended LEGOs to work with and computer stations set up to visit the LEGO universe online.

If you have a LEGO maniac, the store offers some fun brick building events and programs. Like the LEGO Club, where pre registration and $25 bucks lets kids sign up to work on LEGO projects with other like minded kids on Saturday mornings before the store opens for business.  Or try to make it to the monthly give away of 250 seasonal LEGO mini-models to build on site and then take home.  In July they are throwing a minifigure speed build event where kids can compete against each other to make LEGO minifigure people the fastest.

It sounds like a play center, but it is a retail store, with a lot of cool LEGO stuff to buy. Like the build your own minifigures where kids or adults can put together 3 little people and customize them with bodies, heads and  other accessories like police hats and coffee cups and pack them up in a real looking package for $9.99.  

There is also the totally cool, bright and modern “pick a brick” wall that you just have see to believe. A giant white wall with clear plastic pods sticking off of it filled with millions of LEGOs in every shapes, colors and size imaginable– plus nifty extras like wheels and flowers. A small tub can be filled up for $7.99 and a large tub for $14.99.  This is totally useful for kids who have specific designs in mind and may need 100 white LEGOs to create an airplane or other specific needs that aren’t met in the boxed sets.   

The grand opening is Tuesday, June 29th and LEGO is giving new meaning to the our moniker, The Big Apple, as they construct a 15 foot red LEGO apple in Rockefeller Center’s outside plaza.  New York Yankee, Nick Swisher, will lay the 1st brick at 8am on Tuesday. Stop by anytime between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm Tuesday and Wednesday to add a brick or two to the sculpture until it is complete at 3:00 pm on Thursday.  There will also be LEGO building tables all around the plaza where brick enthusiasts can help the LEGO designers create massive topiaries.  And if you do decide to venture into the store they will give you a free NYC only exclusive gift with a $35 purchase.

If you can’t get to midtown Manhattan this week you may want to check out the LEGO store that recently opened in the Queens Center Mall. Their grand opening festivities are coming up soon – July 9 – 11, 2010.  

The LEGO Store Rockefeller Center
620 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10020
(212) 245-5973

The LEGO Store Queens
Queens Center
90-15 Queens Blvd
Elmhurst, NY 11373
(718) 699-4565

Also invaluable info in the summertime, check out New York City Stores to Play Indoors for Free in our Indoor Guide.