Plan to Get Away with These 6 Picturesque Fall Weekend Escapes Around the Northeast
Driving distance weekend getaways (and one longer respite) that include where to eat, play and stay in Boston, the Cape, the White Mountains, Maine, New York City and the Adirondacks.
New York City
A bibliophile’s guide to all things bookish in the Big Apple. By Dana Laverty
The main branch of the New York Public Library. Courtesy of NYC and Co./Brittany Petronella
It’s been the setting for countless best sellers, home to thousands of poets and writers, and boasts the country’s largest public library system. So it’s no surprise that New York City is a veritable playground for any self-respecting book lover. Here are some of our favorite spots to explore while you’re on the literary beat.
The Gothic Revival facade of the Library Hotel. courtesy of the Library Hotel
STAY: From the moment it opened in August 2000, I’ve been itching to stay at the Library Hotel (libraryhotel.com). I mean, is there a better way to kick-start a book lovers’ tour of the city? It’s centrally located in midtown Manhattan, just blocks from the main branch of the New York Public Library, Times Square and Grand Central Terminal. Each floor — there are ten — is classified according to the Dewey Decimal System. We stay in a roomy junior suite devoted to astronomy. Sun and stars and solar systems, oh my!
Books are everywhere in the circa-1912 building: in the rooms, in the front lobby and in the reading room, a sunny space open 24/7 with coffee and snacks for guests. We have fun browsing all the titles, and afterward, my daughter plays a few tunes on the piano.
The lobby of the Library Hotel. Photo by Dana Laverty
Turns out having a plethora of books at your fingertips is a great deterrent to aimless doom-scrolling. I spend a good chunk of my night curled up on the couch reading a book about the city’s history and a charming children’s tome about dragons.
PLAY: The first stop on our tour is the main branch of the New York Public Library (nypl.org), located just steps from the hotel at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. At the entrance of the 1911 Beaux-Arts building, we come face to face with Patience and Fortitude, the marble lions synonymous with the library. The stunning architecture alone is worth a visit, but so, too, is the recently unveiled “Polonsky Exhibition of the New York Public Library’s Treasures,” a permanent collection showcasing more than 250 rare items from the library’s coffers.
Charles Dickens’ writing desk at the library. Photo by Dana Laverty
Here you’ll find the stuffed animals that served as the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh, Charles Dickens’ writing desk and his reading copy of A Christmas Carol, a Gutenberg Bible from 1455, Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, Malcolm X’s briefcase and a lock of Beethoven’s hair.
Stuffed animals that inspired A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh. Photo by Dana Laverty
Take a tour of the gilded Rose Main Reading Room while you’re there, and make sure to stop at the gift shop before leaving. It’s a great place to pick up gifts for all your word-nerd friends.
If, like me, you have a manga-loving teen in your life, or you just adore all things kawaii, pop into Kinokuniya (usa.kinokuniya.com), a bookstore devoted to Japanese and English titles, manga, graphic novels, children’s books and adorable stationery sets and home goods.
Stop by the Morgan Library and Museum (themorgan.org) to indulge in some serious home library lust. Peer into what was once Pierpont Morgan’s personal library, an Italian Renaissance-style palazzo designed by McKim, Mead and White that features three levels of books, walnut bookshelves and gilded paintings lining the ceiling. Starting Oct. 15, visitors can take in “The Little Prince: Taking Flight,” an exhibit featuring the library’s original manuscript and photos and personal items from author Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
No literary tour of the city would be complete without a visit to the Strand (strandbooks.com), a family-owned independent bookshop filled with 2.5 million new, used and rare titles. In business since 1927, the store is famous for its breadth of holdings and outdoor sale kiosks. The shop made headlines in October 2020, when third-generation owner Nancy Bass Wyden begged customers to help her store recover from a precipitous loss in revenue due to COVID. In just two days, customers worldwide placed 25,000 online orders and bought more than $170,000 worth of books in-store.
One of the marble lions (Patience and Fortitude) that flank the New York Public Library’s entrance. Getty Images/ValerijaP
Sniff. <wipes tear> Behold, the power of books and book lovers. We are a mighty force!
Venture to the city’s verdant jewel, Central Park, to stroll through the Mall and Literary Walk (centralparknyc.org). Here you’ll find the only straight line in the park, which is bordered by elm trees and the statues of four literary giants: Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, Fitz-Greene Halleck and William Shakespeare. Afterward, tuck into the Society of Illustrators (societyillustrators.org) to take in “The Artist’s Experience: From Brotherman to Batman,” a show featuring the work of more than sixteen African American comic book artists. The exhibit runs through Oct. 29.
Central Park in the fall. Courtesy of NYC and Co./Molly Flores
DINE: All this walking and book lust will surely make even the most intrepid reader peckish.
Luckily, we are within walking distance of Koreatown and other excellent options. We start one of our days with a protein-packed breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and fresh buttered ciabatta from the hotel’s restaurant, Madison and Vine (madisonandvinenyc.com). Hit up Gong Cha for a refreshing bubble tea pick-me-up (you can’t go wrong with the hibiscus green tea).
Adventurous eaters will feel right at home at Er Hotpot, where you can cook your own dinner in soup bases like beef tallow, duck and tomato. Choose from proteins like fresh oysters, beef, Chinese sausage, tofu and octopus and veggies like lotus root, potatoes, mushrooms and corn. If you’re feeling more ramen, visit Zen Sushi and Ramen (zenramensushi.com), a buzzy space where you can choose from fifteen broths, four types of noodles and toppings like asparagus, nori, extra noodles and soft-boiled eggs.
Literary-themed plaques on Library Way (41st Street). Photo by Dana Laverty
If you’re craving authentic New York-style pizza, do yourself a favor and visit NY Pizza Suprema (nypizzasuprema.com). Get in line — don’t be dissuaded, it moves quickly — and choose a slice of hot honey, creamy potato, burrata, veggie lover’s or classic cheese. Take your prize and sit under the picture of Anthony Bourdain standing in line, secure in the knowledge that you made the right decision.
Settle in for a nightcap at Oscar Wilde (oscarwildenyc.com), an extravagant space devoted to the Irish playwright. Pull up to the city’s longest bar and order a mocktail like the Florence Welch (pineapple, tangerine and orange juice with agave and grapefruit soda) or indulge in one of seven gin and tonics named after musicians of Irish descent, like the How Soon Is Now, a nod to the Smiths crafted with Botanist gin, citrus bitters and elderflower tonic garnished with rose petals, limes and a spritz of rose essence. Even Morrissey himself couldn’t help but smile nursing such a drink.
Signs for the Museum Mile. Getty Images/Vvoe Val
NUTS & BOLTS
Travel Time: Three-and-a-half to four hours from Providence.
Miles: 176 miles.
How to Get There: Amtrak’s Northeast Regional or high-speed Acela from the Providence train station to Penn Station; or park your car at New Haven’s Union Station and take a Metro-North train into Grand Central Terminal.
The main concourse of Grand Central Terminal. Getty Images/ND City Scape
Best Season to Go: Fall and spring have cooler temps, but summer has its appeal, too, if you avoid the sweltering subway. Go in the winter if you’re a fan of all things Christmas.
Bucket List for Next Time: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Met Cloisters, home to the museum’s medieval collection.
Worth a Detour: Stop by the PEZ Visitor Center, just off Route I-95 in Orange, Connecticut, on your way back home to see PEZ memorabilia.
A sign outside the library’s gift shop. Photo by Dana Laverty
CITY STORIES
Can’t visit quite yet? Do some armchair traveling with these books set in New York City.
Here Is New York, E.B. White
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Truman Capote
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume
The Godfather, Mario Puzo
Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh
American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
Falling Man, Don DeLillo
Coming up: The Adirondacks, New York
