Book Culture

Upper West Side & Central Park


The warm aesthetic and friendliness of this neighborhood bookstore belies its size and selection. It caters not just to literary types but to gift hunters looking for mod backpacks, design-oriented homewares, NYC-themed items and fancy stationery. Parents flock to the large downstairs kids' space, which hosts regular story-time sessions in several languages (check the website for times).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Upper West Side & Central Park attractions

1. American Museum of Natural History

0.18 MILES

Founded back in 1869, this venerable museum contains a veritable wonderland of more than 34 million objects, specimens and artifacts – including armies of…

2. Children's Museum of Manhattan

0.22 MILES

This small museum features interactive exhibits scaled down for the 0 to 10-year-old set, including toddler discovery programs and exhibits that stimulate…

3. New-York Historical Society

0.3 MILES

As the antiquated hyphenated name implies, the Historical Society is the city’s oldest museum, founded in 1804 to preserve historical and cultural…

4. Great Lawn

0.41 MILES

Located between 79th and 85th Sts, this massive emerald carpet at the center of Central Park is many a New Yorker's unofficial backyard. Created in 1931…

5. Central Park

0.44 MILES

One of the world’s most renowned green spaces, Central Park comprises 843 acres of rolling meadows, boulder-studded outcroppings, elm-lined walkways,…

6. Dakota Building

0.49 MILES

A turreted, gabled building described in 1884 as so far uptown it was in 'the Dakotas,' this sand-colored gem quickly became the epitome of cool, housing…

7. Strawberry Fields

0.5 MILES

Standing inside the park across from the famous Dakota Building, where John Lennon was fatally shot in 1980, is this poignant, tear-shaped garden – a…

8. Ramble

0.51 MILES

In Central Park, between 73rd and 78th Sts, the leafy 38-acre Ramble is a wooded thicket that’s popular with bird-watchers. It's easy to lose your way in…