Bookstores in NYC

Independent bookstore owners are amazing and I’d like to meet all of them. They get to make the store as funky and weird as they want. I love walking through the doors to the unique flair and papery smell.

I don’t know if “bookstore travel” is a thing, but I want to make it happen. I get excited when I stumble on bookstores by coincidence but, this time, I 100% planned an overnight trip to NYC around this gold mine. Check out these 10 bookstores within half a mile radius!

Unfortunately, my trip wasn’t long enough and I didn’t make it to ANY of the bookstores.

I got in late Friday afternoon, checked into the fab and historic Hotel Chelsea, got a last minute invite to a Nelly/Janet Jackson concert, and after that, danced on a rooftop with a horse statue in the misty rain until 3 am.

I also discovered Dominican rap music during the long cab rides between the hotel and the airport. Benjamin, my uber driver, and I ended up being fast friends after I made him turn off the sleepy easy listening music. (The same Bryan Adams song played twice in 10 minutes and it’s basically a 5 minute song.) Benj woke me right up with some really bouncy and melodic bass.

The bookstore tour would have been way less chaotic. Had I stayed on plan, my purifying body wash would not have had to work as hard.

The bookstores will be there. Next time, NYC!