'Tiny New York' explores small things in the big city

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Turns out that old saying "good things come in small packages" really is true. Native New Yorker Suzi Siegel is out to prove it. As the author of the new book Tiny New York, she knows that some of the most amazing things in this city aren't big at all. Suzi grew up in a tiny apartment in the Bronx and now lives in a tiny one in Queens.

Suzi graciously agreed to show me some of her best finds.

We started at Greenwich Locksmiths. At only 125 square feet, the shop is the tiniest locksmith in the tiniest freestanding building in New York City. Owner Phillip Mortillaro also makes metal sculptures and adorned the exterior with—what else—keys. When a major bank wanted to buy this landmark and turn it into an ATM, Phillip said, "No way."

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In Chelsea, the tiniest barber shop is just 95 square feet. It is so small that owner and barber Avi Jacobov has to use the restroom at a nearby diner. But Avi, who is also a matchmaker for his clients, doesn't sweat the small stuff.

"You have to keep going because you have to make a living and have to work," Jacobov says.

His customers wait outside the shop—regardless of the weather.

"You can see I'm waiting in the cold.  I've got no socks on.  It doesn't matter, winter, summer, he's just the best and you just feel, again, he's worth the wait," one customer said.

Suzi didn't just find the tiniest places. She also found tiny things, such as the itsy-bitsy book The Sun by Harry Crosby—the tiniest book at the New York Public Library. It is so small—about the size of a quarter—that you need a magnifying glass to read it.

Our last tiny location was the West 4th Street Courts. They are half the size of regulation-size courts. The site is also called The Cage. Arnie Segarra, the founder of the West 4th Street Basketball League, said this court has produced champions.