New York City is like catnip for bookworms, I swear. Maybe it’s because there’s a coffee shop on every corner. Maybe it’s because it’s the home base of the American publishing industry. Maybe it’s the influence of so many hallowed writers who have walked the streets of the city. Either way, if you love to read, you need to take a trip to New York City to live out your bookworm dreams.
I literally titled the plan for my last trip to New York “Bookish NYC Itinerary,” and it was quite possibly one of the most perfect trips I’ve ever taken. New York City can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, since there’s so much to do, so having a specific theme gave me some direction without making the trip feel overly scheduled. And, as it turns out, there are enough bookstores, libraries, literary landmarks, and bookish bars in New York to fill an entire trip (and then some).
Visit NYC’s Most Beautiful Bookish Places.
You don’t even have to crack open a book to appreciate some of NYC’s most beautiful literary spaces. These are worth visiting for the architecture and atmosphere alone.
- New York Public Library in Midtown. I can’t even put into words how beautiful this library is. The pictures will have to do.
- Albertine on the UES. Albertine is a bookstore entirely devoted to books in French and English. You don’t need to be able to read either language, though, to appreciate the gorgeous interior.
- The Morgan Library & Museum in Murray Hill. This museum and research library stemmed from the private collection of J.P. Morgan himself. You’ll want to spend hours here studying the rare manuscripts, inspecting the musical collection and visual art, or just soaking up the pure library energy.
Treat Yourself to a Bookstore Crawl.
NYC has some of the most iconic bookstores in the country, and it’s easy to spend a whole day trying to visit them all. Here are two routes you might want to try! Note: NYC distances can be deceiving, so just make sure you check opening hours.
- If you’re spending the day in Manhattan, this route is for you.
- Start at Barnes & Noble Union Square. This multi-story flagship Barnes & Noble is the largest B&N in the world. While I will always opt to support a local bookstore over a franchise, this isn’t a stop you should miss. It’s that impressive.
- Second stop: The Strand. The Strand is absolutely iconic. Honestly, the first time I went in, I got super overwhelmed by how many people were there, but that’s New York for you. There’s a lot more space in the store than it seems at first glance!
- Final stop: McNally Jackson. There are several McNally Jackson locations around the city. I recommend the SoHo location for this crawl just because it’s the closest to the route, but all of them are wonderful!
- If you want to explore more of bookish Brooklyn, try this route!
- Start at The Ripped Bodice. This romance-only bookstore feels like you’ve stepped into a happily-ever-after.
- Second stop: Books Are Magic (Smith Street location). This is just such a fun local bookshop!
- Final stop: Greenlight Bookstore. Greenlight has more of that classic independent New York bookstore feel to round out your day.
- After my Brooklyn bookstore crawl, I walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset with an audiobook playing, and it was such a main-character moment.
Have a Drink with NYC’s Literary Ghosts.
Grab a drink at one of these historic spots and imagine you’re sharing a table with some of New York’s literary icons.
- White Horse Tavern in the West Village. This famous literary bar was a favorite of writers and poets, including Dylan Thomas.
- McSorley’s Old Ale House in the East Village. McSorley’s has plenty of literary history of its own. E.E. Cummings even wrote a poem with McSorley’s in the title.
- Pete’s Tavern in Gramercy. O. Henry is said to have written The Gift of the Magi here.
Have a Modern Bookish Drink.
If you want aesthetic over historical relevance, these two great options are for you.
- Bookmarks at the Library Hotel in Midtown. This is a rooftop bar at the Library Hotel (which is exactly what it sounds like: a book-and-library-focused hotel). You can enjoy a literary-themed cocktail and views of Midtown on their terrace, with the New York Public Library just blocks away.
- Book Club Bar on the Lower East Side. On my last trip to NYC, I wanted to find a place near where I was staying to grab a solo drink and read, so I just Googled “bar,” and that’s how I found Book Club Bar! This place also has literary-themed cocktails, but it’s more of a traditional bar setting in the front with a bookstore in the back.
Walk in the Footsteps of Famous Writers.
So many fabled writers across the decades have called New York City home. Experience a little of that literary history firsthand—or at least take a tour!
- Algonquin Hotel near Times Square. This hotel was home to the Algonquin Round Table, where Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, and other writers, critics, and actors famously gathered for lunch during the 1920s.
- Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in the Bronx. This is the cottage where Edgar Allan Poe lived during the last years of his life!
- Chelsea Hotel in Chelsea. Authors like Arthur Miller, Dylan Thomas, and Jack Kerouac—along with countless other writers and artists—lived or stayed at this legendary hotel.
Step Inside Your Favorite NYC Books.
Sometimes the best literary landmarks aren’t explicitly bookish at all. Visit the real-life places that have made their way onto the pages of some of the most iconic books set in New York City and see just how closely they match the versions you pictured in your head.
- The Plaza Hotel. Featured in Eloise (and Home Alone 2, so you really can’t miss this).
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art. From From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
- Central Park. Mentioned in The Catcher in the Rye, Stuart Little, and approximately nine billion other novels.
- Washington Square. The title inspiration for Henry James’s Washington Square.
- The Dakota. Rosemary’s Baby—perfect for spooky season.
My Perfect Bookish Day in NYC.
If you only have one day to dedicate to your bookish New York dreams, this is how I’d spend it.
9:00 a.m. — NYPL + Bryant Park. Start at the main library, see the Rose Main Reading Room, and wander around Bryant Park.
10:30 a.m. — The Morgan Library. Walk down to the Morgan and spend an hour or two exploring.
12:30 p.m. — Lunch. Take a break and grab something nearby before beginning the bookstore portion of your day.
2:00 p.m. — Union Square Barnes & Noble.
2:45 p.m. — The Strand.
3:45 p.m. — Washington Square Park. Wander around or just relax for a bit—maybe even start one of the books you just bought.
4:15 p.m. — McNally Jackson SoHo.
5:00 p.m. — Book Club Bar. Buy a book, order a drink, and decompress from your extremely strenuous day of buying books.
7:00 p.m. — Literary drinks at McSorley’s or dinner nearby. Finish your day with a drink at one of New York’s most historic watering holes or grab dinner somewhere in the East Village.
What to Read Before You Go.
Finally, here are some book recommendations that’ll make you feel like you’re in the city before you even set foot in the state of New York! All but one are set in contemporary NYC (Summer Fridays takes place in the ’90s), and they’re pretty quick reads, so you could definitely binge one on the flight in.
- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
- The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
- In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
- Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell
- The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
New York is one of those cities that already feels a little fictional, which might be why it lends itself so perfectly to a bookish trip. You can browse the same bookstores as your favorite authors, read in the parks you’ve encountered in dozens of novels, drink in bars with a century of literary history, and spend an entire afternoon wandering around a library without anyone questioning your life choices. Whether you build your entire itinerary around books or just sneak a few of these stops into a regular NYC trip, I hope you get at least one perfect main-character reading moment out of it.
Sequels and Scribbles 