subject: New York Habitat's Top 5 Literary Hotspots In New York City [print this page] New York City is the place to be if you want to experience literature in a truly unique way. Besides the world famous libraries that the city has to offer, there is literary history in everyday pubs, bookstores and parks. New York has many literary haunts that are inspiring places for both published authors and the everyday person who enjoys writing or reading a good book. If you want to share a bar stool that a famous poet once sat on or simply sit outside amongst others scribbling away in their journals then this list should get you started during your stay in New York. Stay in a New York Habitat vacation rental while you visit these top 5 literary Hotspots.
The Strand Bookstore
The Strand Bookstore is a New York Institution. Opened in 1927 and still operated by the same family, the store has withstood the Great Depression, The Second World War and, perhaps most impressively, the watershed changes from text to digital literacy practices and the onslaught of the corporate bookseller. Despite a massive Barnes and Noble bookstore just a few blocks away, The Strand is the preferred bookshop for any New Yorker in the know.
The New York Public Library
Amid all of the slightly-choreographed chaos of the city is the New York Public Library, a serene oasis in the center of the concrete jungle. From the exterior, the grand branch of the New York Public Library system on the corner of 5th avenue and 42nd street appears as hectic and crowded as any other corner of the city, with guided groups gathering on the structures front steps and adventuresome youngsters clamoring for space with pigeons on the backs of the foreboding marble lion statues that stand guard at the entrance. However, once one wanders into the interior of the building a world of literary and architectural brilliance opens up like the pages of a novel.
Bryant Park
Bryant Park is truly many things; lunch spot for thousands of workers on any given weekday, host of one of the worlds greatest fashion shows and an office for the students and professionals sitting at the green tables typing away at their laptops. But perhaps more than anything, Bryant Park is one of New Yorks great literary haunts, with a history both glorious and checkered and a world-class library as its next-door neighbor. (link to blog article)
Village Pubs
New York has a great literary tradition that often mingles with one of the citys other proud pastimes, drinking. Many New York writers, past and present, have found inspiration in the citys drinking establishments and at the bottom of their sudsy pints and swirling martini glasses. Indeed, dozens of pubs in New York City claim to have hosted a literary great or two in their bar stools and the majority of them have valid claims. Greenwich Village in the southern section of Manhattan island, is the one place that has mixed a tradition of writing and drinking more than any other. Bibliophiles, historians and drinkers alike can appreciate a bar stool that Hemingway once sat in or imagine Bob Dylan jotting away song lyrics in a corner booth.
Brooklyn Neighborhoods
In literary terms, Brooklyn is the new Greenwich Village. Just as the Village once hosted a community of young writers and artists with the lure of cheap rents and a creative vibe, contemporary Brooklyn provides a home for New Yorks 21st century literary scene. While rents in Brooklyn might not be as cheap as they once were in the Village circa 1960, the borough of Brooklyn is home to the writer collectives, cafes, reading spaces and pubs that are essential to creating a supportive community for working writers.
Each of these literary haunts offers something different, whether you want to enjoy a good book in The New York Public Library or sit outside in a park in Brooklyn and write. Visit the New York Habitat website and find an apartment rental that suits your needs as well as many other tips on what to see during your stay in New York City.
Visit the New York Habitat Blog to read more about each of these literary hotspots. You can also follow New York Habitat on Twitter and Facebook.
