New York, New York is a city of many things, including the setting of hundreds (if not thousands) of books. From borough to borough, and neighborhood to neighborhood, the city has a new story to offer on every corner. Here are just a few places in the city and the stories that take place there.
Water Street, Brooklyn, NY
We’ll begin our tour on the same corner of bakeries that Laura Jean and Peter visit on their trip to New York City in Always And Forever Laura Jean by Jenny Han. While the rest of their classmates are in the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, Laura Jean and Peter go a few blocks over to visit Almondine Bakery(85 Water St), One Girl Cookies (33 Main St), and Jacques Torres Chocolate (66 water St). From there I recommend you walk up one block further to the corner of Water Street and Washington Street where you will see a picture-perfect view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Strand Bookstore
838 Broadway
New York, NY
After a quick snack in Brooklyn, we can move on to our first stop in Manhattan: The Strand. The Strand is an iconic location for buying books, but it was also featured in the book Dash And Lily’s Book Of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. It’s deep in the stacks of this store that our characters meet… er… where Dash finds Lily’s journal and the story begins. It takes a little bit before they actually meet one another.
New York Public Library
476 5th Ave
New York, NY
The New York Public Library is truly a sight-to-be-seen. From the dozens of murals on the ceiling to the thousands of manuscripts and artifacts on display, there is no shortage of attractions. The library can be recognized as the primary location of the book Lions Of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis. Further, in visiting the library you can go to the Central Children’s Room and see on display Christopher Milne’s toy bear and other stuffed animals that inspired A. A. Milne’s Winnie The Pooh stories.
Bryant Park
1065 Sixth Avenue
Unit 2400
New York, NY
Behind the Public Library, you can visit Bryant Park, where there is sure to be something exciting happening. An ice skating rink in the winter, concerts in the summer, and more. Bryant Park is also mentioned in the book A Cricket In Time’s Square by Garth Williams for the nostalgic and blissful sights and scents it gives to the main character, Chester Cricket.
Alice In Wonderland Statue
E 75th St & 5th Ave
New York, NY
In Central Park you can visit one of my personal favorite landmarks of New York City, The Alice In Wonderland statue, which Mateo and Rufus also visit in They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera. When you’re standing in front of the giant mushrooms and characters there’s a certain sense of whimsy
that fills you and can be reflected upon when you look back on pictures.
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art
1000 Fifth Ave
New York, NY
Of course, you’ll want to travel further up the park along Fifth Avenue until you reach The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, the home of two children in the book From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler by E. L. Konigsburg. While I don’t advise sleeping in Irwin Untermyer’s antique bed like the protagonists, I do encourage you to check out the beautifully furnished Wrightsman Galleries of European decorative arts, the Egyptian tombs, and even more exhibits than what are mentioned in the book.
Obelisk
East Drive
New York, NY
After your visit to the Met, you can circle around the back to find Cleopatra’s Needle, the magical monument used to create a portal to Cairo in The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan.
American Museum Of Natural History
200 Central Park W
New York, NY
By crossing Central Park you can then visit The American Museum Of Natural History, but be prepared to wait in line for your admission ticket. Just beyond the doors, you will see a canoe on display mentioned in J. D. Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye. The main character Holden Caulfield reflects fondly on school trips to the museum, as well as the many scientific and ethnographic exhibits that he would study.
Coney Island
New York, NY
Even though a majority of Tiffany D. Jackson’s Let Me Hear A Rhyme takes place in the Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Jackson does make a big point around the characters’ yearly end-of-summer trips to Coney Island.
Two of the characters also make a visit to the beach at Coney Island during one of the colder months. Coney Island is a little far out from any other of the New York locations, but it's certainly worth the trip because of how iconic it is.
*Bonus Location*
Under The Highline
15th Street & 10th Avenue
New York, NY
As a special bonus attraction, if you ever read The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan, you might remember a particular short story called Percy Jackson And The Staff Of Hermes. In that particular story, Percy and Annabeth descend into a cavern through a manhole under The Highline where they then fight the giant Cacus to retrieve Hermes’ staff, which had been stolen. While I don’t think it’s legal for a tourist to remove a manhole cover, you can take a peek at the spot mentioned in the story. You can also take the time to stroll on The Highline, an elevated train track transformed into a park, and enjoy the sights of the Meat Packing District and Chelsea.
There are many, many great books that explore New York City, as well as specific neighborhoods, but I wasn’t able to give as many details for all of them. Hopefully I will be able to make this a series and do a second installment soon. Until then, happy reading!