I recently returned from a brief visit to New York City. I had been to NYC only once before, 10 years ago. Back then, I visited some of the more standard tourist destinations (Times Square, Central Park, etc.). This time, seeing more of the literary side of the city was a priority. Here are some photos of some of the bookish places I checked out on my latest trip to the Big Apple.

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe is run by volunteers and its stock comes entirely by donation. All proceeds go to services that support people living with AIDS and HIV.

I told myself I wasn’t going to buy any books in NYC that I couldn’t get in Toronto, because 1.) I didn’t want my luggage to get too heavy and 2.) I want to support my local indies as much as I can. But I made an exception for Housing Works. I picked up a copy of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and a cute Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland  journal.

Three Lives & Company

Three Lives & Company is located on a street corner that is easy to miss. But I had heard many good things about this shop, and I also wanted to stroll around Greenwich Village, so I made sure to check it out. It’s a fairly small shop–which I loved because it felt so cozy–but it certainly seemed well-stocked.

The Strand

If you’ve heard of only one NYC bookstore, chances are it’s The Strand. Maybe you’ve even taken the quiz that the store gets job applicants to take, such as this version published in the New York Times a couple of years ago.

The store opened in 1927 and claims to have “18 miles of new, used and rare books.” The Strand is also the last remaining bookstore from NYC’s “Book Row”–48 bookstores that used to cover six city blocks.

Browsing the shop was a lot of fun, but what I enjoyed even more was attending Banned Book Bingo in the store’s Rare Book Room. Hosted by drag queen Sol, the evening included free pizza and beer, lots of trivia about banned books, and prizes made of Strand-branded tote bags filled with books and other items (that I did not win). The event cost $15 to attend, but, in return, everyone received a $15 Strand gift card. So, really, I felt like I got a lot for my $15.

Rizzoli Bookstore

In contrast to The Strand, which sort of feels like a giant warehouse filled with books and book-related items, Rizzoli Bookstore has a much more sophisticated feel to it. Walking in, I was struck by all of the dark wood and chandeliers. In fact, the decor reminded me a bit of Ben McNally Books here in Toronto.

Rizzoli Bookstore has two rooms, The room at the back has two comfy chairs for reading, and, being far back from the street, it’s the perfect place to do some quiet reading.

Albertine

Since Albertine is located on Fifth Avenue, it was convenient for me to pop in for a quick look on my way to the Guggenheim. Albertine specializes in French-language books, but there are some English-language books, too. (It looked like the English books were all original French titles translated into English, but I could be wrong about this.)

This is a gorgeous bookstore. The mural on the ceiling of the second floor is stunning, and the lighting and furniture almost got me to curl up with a book on one of the couches and forget about the Guggenheim (even if I didn’t understand the language the book was written in).

New York Public Library (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building)

Going inside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (the main branch of the New York Public Library) was a must for this visit. The only problem was, I went on a Sunday. I didn’t realize much of the library is closed on Sundays, so there wasn’t as much to see as there would on a weekday or a Saturday. Even the shop is closed on Sundays. But I did manage to take a guided tour and go inside the Rose Main Reading Room, so I’m happy.

Alice’s Tea Cup

I’d read about Alice’s Tea Cup. A book-themed tea shop? I had to check it out. Alice’s Tea Cup has three locations: Chapter I, Chapter II and Chapter III. I went to Chapter II on East 64th Street.

The tea was pretty good (I ordered Anna’s Earl Grey) and the scones were delicious (and quite large), but the cream and preserves were disappointing. However, this certainly is a cute place that does feel special.

Before I went, I thought this place might be geared toward children, and I wondered if I would feel out of place. Maybe the cafe does get more children on weekends (I went on a Monday morning), but, while I was there, the place was filled with adults and there appeared to be at least two business meetings happening. So I guess I shouldn’t try to judge who’s going to be interested in an Alice-themed cafe.