FAO Schwarz re-opened on Friday at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, about five blocks south of its previous location.
When I visited the store on Monday, the line to get in stretched more than halfway down the block.
I had to wait almost 40 minutes to get into the store.
When I walked in, the store was packed with shoppers.
The front of the store is lined with stuffed animals.
But they aren't cheap — even the smallest plush toys cost around $25.
Some of the stuffed animals in the store are massive.
Also in the front of the store are some FAO Schwarz-brand Christmas products like model trees, snowmen, and lights.
A centerpiece of the store was a model rocket that kids are able to climb in. The inside is lined with lights and mirrors, and kids were running in and out of the rocket and taking photos in it.
Further back on the first floor is a magic shop that will occasionally put on magic shows ...
... a grocery store for kids and wall of play sets ...
... and a huge candy store.
The candy shop carries products like giant slices of gummy pizza and boxes of all-pink Starburst and Sour Patch Kids.
The second floor carries newer toys like Hatchimals ...
... and more traditional toys like stuffed animals by Steiff, which cost as much as $30 for the smallest toys.
Up one more floor is a wall of puzzles ...
... and a huge selection of Barbie products.
The top floor also has a Discovery science station ...
... a Build-A-Bear workshop ...
... and a mini nail salon for kids.
One of the busiest parts of the store when we went was the giant walk-on piano, made famous by the 1988 movie "Big" with Tom Hanks.
There were registers on each floor — and long lines at each.
All three floors of the store were bustling before the holidays, and the store had many elements that made the original flagship such a massive attraction.
