Recently, I went to New York City with my best friend as has been our annual tradition for the last three years. This time, we went about it in a wildly different way – we didn’t plan a single thing! (Aside from where we were staying, of course.)

This opened up so many possibilities of adventure that we may not have otherwise experienced, for which I will forever be grateful. The top of the list includes visiting every bookstore or library we came across.

In this post, I have listed the ones that made enough of an impact for me to want to write about them. We stumbled into many others (one of them even twice on accident!) but these stuck out to me in some way, shape, or form. Now, mind you, I am a tourist, so take this with a grain of salt. I welcome any NYC natives to challenge me on these opinions or let me know where I went wrong! I will be back next year, after all 🙂

Without further ado, here are the bookstores and libraries I visited while in NYC for a long weekend. (Roughly in the order I visited them, but it’s not an exact science!)

McNally Jackson Books – Williamsburg: Immediately upon walking in, I felt the pulse of life emanating from the walls. It was busy, which I found surprising for the late evening hour we wandered in. I enjoyed meandering through the tall shelves, carefully navigating to my favorite section – the thrillers – to find it surprisingly accompanied by romance, and not so surprisingly, mystery. It was warm, welcoming, and very charming, and I can see why there are many locations across the city. 

Strand Book Store: I have seen a lot on bookstagram about this bookstore, and I knew I wanted to seek it out at the first opportunity. It. Was. Packed. I felt overwhelmed immediately by the many people wandering the towering shelves and the numerous floors of books begging to be explored. I breathed a sigh of relief when we made it to the top floor to find the rare books area open for visitors. There, much fewer people lingered, and those that did I could tell held admiration for the collection. I’m not sure I would go back, but if I did, I would spend more time in this particular area of the store and avoid the others at all costs.

Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Heights: My first library visit in the city did not disappoint. With a modern feel, I was immediately calmed when entering the space. I particularly enjoyed the banned books area curated by the librarians and appreciated the number of people utilizing the space. It reminded me a bit of my home library and that was comforting. 

New York Public Library – Stephen A. Schwarzman Building: Maybe I am naive, but isn’t a library meant to have books? When walking in, it felt more like a museum than a library, and maybe that’s exactly what it was. I made a last-minute search for libraries near me and this popped up, so we made a beeline as it looked promising and inspiring. We wandered to every floor and every wing and were so confused as to why books for public viewing were nowhere to be found. The only area that seemed to hold books was advertised as exclusively for research. The architecture of the building and the art on display were truly spectacular, as well as the exhibit on Library Treasures, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I wasn’t at least a little bit disappointed in my experience. 

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library: After leaving the New York Public Library – Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, and in desperate need of actual books, we wandered across the street to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, another branch of the New York Public Library. There I found exactly what I was searching for: floors and floors and floors of books ready for viewing. With a modern feel, I couldn’t help but be struck by the juxtaposition between this sleek structure and the historical monument I just came from. My friend and I pondered what happened to the dynamic of a cozy, warm library, that gave way to the efficiencies of the modern libraries we have seen. My only complaint this visit was the terrace being closed, but who can be blamed when it was cold and snowy outside? 

For a completely unscripted trip to New York City, I would deem this a success. We learned a lot, and I’m looking forward to exploring even more libraries and bookstores on my next trip. Do you have any recommendations? If so, drop me a comment!

Author’s note here: this post is not sponsored and these are my true, unfiltered thoughts!