New York City Bookstore Crawl with the Best Book Shops (and a Bonus Book Haul)
I just recently got to travel solo to visit my brother in NYC and it was honestly so fun. I walked a TON, ate the best sushi ever, drank a few too many margaritas, and, of course, did a bookstore crawl! You can check out my vlog below or just keep reading to see which bookstores I visited and which ones I thought were the best book shops in New York City.
The Ripped Bodice
This was the very first bookstore I visited in NYC, and I’ll be honest, it was the most aesthetic. With gorgeous murals, fake plans, and an overall cozy vibe, The Ripped Bodice is top of my “must visit” list if you want to visit the cutest bookstores in NYC.
I probably stayed in this bookstore way longer than I needed to looking at all of the beautiful decorations, the cute books (this is a romance-specific bookstore), and the fun prompts (I stayed at a shelf that had “who did this to you” as its title for WAY too long – I do love the damaged trope). Their blind date with a book section was SO cool and their descriptions gave you just enough without being overly specific. The book I landed on buying, though, was Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles (it was under the “who did this to you” section and I couldn’t resist 😂).
Book Club Bar
At the very beginning of my first full day in New York City, I visited Book Club Bar. This one was honestly so cute inside, had the best little patio where I sat and drank my coffee while checking out the book I just bought.
All-in-all, this little bookstore had a lot of great vibes and a TON of events that I wish I could’ve attended. I honestly think I would have liked visiting this one later in the day because I could have gotten a glass of wine and it would have been more acceptable!!
Strand Bookstore
Strand Bookstore was on my list because it landed on every list I researched on which bookstores to visit in NYC. The thing that is unique about this one is that it’s the biggest bookstore in New York. There were literally people lined up outside to sell their books.
I’ll reveal what my blind date with a book ended up being in my video above, but can any of you guess just from the quick description? I’m always down for a cute and cozy romance set in a bookshop. What book lover wouldn’t love that?
Anyway, this store had a HUGE collection and would honestly have most of the books you’re looking for if you’re on the hunt for something specific. While it wasn’t super special, I still enjoyed going to this one even if the construction out front stopped me from getting a good picture of the store 🙃.
It was also really cool to go through the discount section outside (ranging from $3-$7 per book from what I remember). What I liked the most about this bookstore, though, was its blind date with a book section. They had the cutest drawings on each, so, of course, I had to get one.
Bibliotheque
Bibliotheque was SUPER similar to Book Club Bar and I honestly could have chosen one or the other and not minded too much. Bibliotheque, though, has more “bar” vibes than “bookstore” vibes. So, if you’re in it for the books, I would recommend visiting Book Club Bar over this one. Bibliotheque had a more upscale feel to it in my opinion and had a ton of seating areas.
As far as I know, Bibliotheque does not have an outdoor seating area, which was my favorite part of Book Club Bar. I also didn’t end up buying anything from here because I didn’t see any books that really called my name. Not high on my favorites list, but would be a really great place to chill late in the evening while having a cocktail and discussing or reading books.
The Drama Book Shop
This was probably my second favorite bookstore in NYC. The Drama Book Shop sells solely screenplays, books about theatre, and things related to theatre. As someone who seriously loves Broadway (and watched Maybe Happy Ending just a day before – it was AMAZING), this bookstore was so fun to explore.
There was also this huge book sculpture using a ton of books (I think they were fake, but I’m honestly not sure) and they’re all clustered together to form this trail all throughout the ceiling of the store. They also had a cafe and a lot of seating areas. I really wanted to buy a script or screenplay, but I didn’t find anything that I would’ve truly enjoyed, so I decided not to spend my money. Definitely number two on my list for most aesthetic!!
Argosy
Argosy was probably my least favorite on the list. Not because it wasn’t a good bookstore, but just because it wasn’t something I really enjoyed. Argosy specialized in rare books and while I love a book that has history, I’m not exactly a collector. When you walk into this bookstore, you can tell that it’s literally really old books. The smell alone will tell you that.
What I loved most about this bookstore, though, is that it goes all in with the antique vibe having a wooden model of a ship on the ceiling, portraits lining the tops of the walls, and beautiful antique maps to view. Definitely go if you’d like to see an old-timey bookstore that will transport you back in time, but don’t expect to see anything newer than 100 years old here.
Albertine
Alright, so I found absolutely nothing to buy here (not for lack of trying), but I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this bookstore. Albertine is a French and English bookstore (mostly French from what I saw). When you walk up, you’re literally transported into another continent because this building reminded me 100% of Europe. There was a beautiful statue of Le Petit Prince with a plaque beside it and this made me 10x more excited to go in because I ADORE this story.
My main hope was to find an English version of Le Petit Prince in Albertine, but I couldn’t find a single one unfortunately. I did get to see the ornate and beautifully designed ceiling that I had heard so much about before traveling to NYC. It was a dream walking up the stairs and seeing how beautiful that ceiling was. Definitely add it to your list if you’re looking for gorgeous bookstores to visit in NYC!
