Now Open: WIRED's Meatpacking Pop-Up

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Are you ready to buy nothing? Good! Because then the WIRED magazine Pop-Up Shop at 415 West 13th Street is ready to sell it to you. Celebrating their fifth annual temporary store for the holidays. WIRED has taken over a raw space in the Meatpacking District where you may go and demo products. That's right, the only things for sale here are WIRED-branded gifts like T-shirts and coffee sets. You can even grab the December issue of WIRED for free on the way out.

We stopped by twice over the weekend?once during the Friday night opening party and once yesterday evening. The douchery was consistent on both visits, even though we had hoped that the faux machismo and focus on flashy tech would be constrained to the opening party, which at times resembled a Midtown club night. And then we spotted the $16,000 wood-panelled computer.

Like the pricey computer ("built like fine furniture"), the products at the WIRED store range from oh-isn't-that-pretty-but-I-would-never-buy-it to this-year's-must-have-but-will-never-be-seen-again. Also, they've got like every other netbook ever available and although we need one desperately, without price information or the ability to buy one there we were completely uninterested.

We don't want to ruin the WIRED store for you if you're looking forward to a visit; it's a nice place to drop into if you're already in the area, but we wouldn't go out of our way to come here. Unless you get your hands on a controller in the Tony Hawk game area, you won't find much to hold your attention.

And supposedly Moby DJed the very end of the opening party, but being jostled and almost spilling the one free beer we could grab from bar onto many Microsoft laptops caused us to give up and go home.

WIRED store information:
Open November 20-December 27. Wednesday-Sunday 12pm-9pm.
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

WIRED store events:
Get Your Gadgets Laser-Engraved
Nov. 21, Nov. 28 & Dec. 5 from 1 to 4pm (Prices vary)

Wired Dad Ken Denmead & Friends
Dec. 5, Dec. 12 & Dec. 19 from 1 to 2.30pm
Bring the kids to the Store for hands-on activities from resident WIRED dad, Ken Denmead.

Game Day Sundays
Dec. 6, 13 & 20 from 1 to 7pm
Hang out in their lower level Game Day Lounge, and catch all of the Sunday football action. They provide the snacks, bevvies and six stunning Samsung flat screens.

Breakfast with Wired Editor in Chief Chris Anderson
Dec. 11 from 8.30  to 10am RSVP: rsvp@wired.com 

Never Stop Exploring: Photo and Video Clinic featuring The North Face Expedition Photographer Jimmy Chin and Videographer Renan Ozturk
Dec. 12 from 3 to 5pm RSVP: thenorthface@wired.com
· Wired Store [Official Site]
· WIRED store 2008 [Racked]