This summer has been one of lots of literary adventures, literally and metaphorically. In addition to having transportive experiences in my reading, I had the opportunity to travel to both New York City and San Francisco and immerse myself in their respective literary cultures.
My trip to NYC was longer and more immersive, as I was attending a writers colony there for three weeks. Being surrounded by writers everyday left me constantly engaged in the culture central of the American publishing industry. While I only visited SF for a few days, I made a point to visit as many bookstores as I could, especially the iconic City Lights.
Between my two trips, I visited a total of 14 bookstores. While this is only a small fraction of the stores in either city, I thought it could be informative to provide suggestions and reviews for future travelers interested in bookstores and literary culture.
Without further ado, here are the reviews!
New York City
The Strand — 828 Broadway, New York City
The first bookstore I visited in New York was The Strand. This iconic bookstore is home to 18 miles of books— including new, used, and rare books. I visited it the day I landed in the city, as it was right around the corner from where I was staying, then wandered in every few days since it was so close by.
The Strand is a really fun spot to visit for any book lover, as there are just so many books! The collection is impressive, the prices are affordable, and they have a great selection of literary and NYC-themed merchandise that make awesome gifts. The outside of the store also has wonderful murals to look at and photograph. However, the Strand is more of a fun spot to visit rather than one for slow, peaceful book perusing. It is full of books and often quite packed with tourists, so it feels loud and rushed. The Strand is a staple of literary culture though— they frequently host amazing events— so if you’re in New York, this is definitely worth the visit.
McNalley Jackson –– 52 Prince St., New York City
This independent bookstore was recommended to me both by students in my writers colony program and by people on bookstagram. On a morning before class, I walked over to visit (and also visited the nearby Glossier store). This store is perfect for a quiet morning with books.
The store is spacious— while there are many tall wooden bookshelves, there is plenty of space to move on both floors. There is also a nice cafe, which is a good place to do work or read. The organization of the fiction at McNalley Jackson was unique, as books were sorted by country or continent of origin. This organization made it really easy to find diverse voices and be intentional about decolonizing my bookshelf!
If you’re looking for a place to find new favorites and spend time doing your book shopping, I would definitely recommend this shop!
Books are Magic — 225 Smith Street, Brooklyn, New York City
If you’ve seen any bookstagram, including my own, you might recognize the iconic pink mural at Books are Magic. I had seen it before leaving for New York and was determined to make a visit to the shop myself. I’m so glad I did!
Books are Magic has wonderful aesthetics— beyond the fun mural, there are cool signs and bookish merch inside. The store itself isn’t that large, and was quite packed for a somewhat random location in Brooklyn, so most of the fun I had at the shop was due to the features of the store itself. The general fiction selection was normal for any store its size, but I did notice that the children’s section was especially cute, equipped with reading nooks and all.
If you are looking for a store to take pictures in or find a fun, cozy, and stylish atmosphere, this is a great spot!
Shakespeare & Co. — 939 Lexington Ave, New York City
After visiting the famous Shakespeare & Co. in Paris a few years ago, when I saw this shop across the street I knew I had to stop by. Obviously a smaller version of the chain, the store still had a warm and inviting atmosphere.
For a small, University affiliated shop, there was still a nice selection available. They also had well put together displays with recommendations, including the pride month one pictured. This store had an awesome feature where they had a printing press in store, so if you wanted a book that they didn’t have, they could print it for you!
If you’re in the neighborhood, it’s a charming cafe and bookstore to visit. However, this isn’t one I would necessarily seek out.
Housing Works Bookstore and Cafe — 126 Crosby Street, New York City
Housing Works is an organization that advocates and aids those suffering from homelessness and AIDS. The bookstore, which offers a wide selection of relatively inexpensive books, supports the efforts of the Housing Works organization. I love this store because of the cause it supports, and because it is an endearing shop.
This bookshop is quite big, because it has an extensive cafe area and two stories of books. It is a great place to sit and chat and also discover old and quirky books. Additionally, the staff at Housing Works were so kind. Do stop by Housing Works and help them support an amazing cause while also supporting your literary habits 🙂
Three Lives & Company — 154 West 10th St, New York City
This iconic bookstore was unfortunately under construction when I visited, so I didn’t take many pictures. It’s a cozy corner bookstore that has been a piece of the community for years. They are known for knowledgeable staff, and carry a piece of New York City literary history.
San Francisco
Folio Books — 3957 24th St., San Francisco
This is a cute bookshop I stumbled upon just walking in the neighborhood. It has a nice selection of fiction titles and YA, middle grade, and children’s books. The staff recommendations were also unique (there were books I hadn’t heard of before, rather than just common best sellers). This would be a great place to find a new read or find a gift for someone.
Dog Eared Books — 900 Valencia St. and 489 Castro St.
I went to both locations of Dog Eared Books, but pictured is the store on Valencia street. Dog Eared has such a positive and colorful vibe. The store isn’t that large, but it does have a nice collection of new and used books. It is an affordable shop and has a prominent selection of books from independent presses.
The stores were both decorated with art from local artists, which provide a great atmosphere to peruse. The stores have a selection of bookish merchandise which would make excellent gifts. If you are in the Castro or Valencia, do stop by and visit!
Alley Cat Books — 3036 24th St, San Francisco
Alley Cat Books has the same owners as Dog Eared Books, so carries the same artistic, colorful vibe. Alley Cat Books is a larger store and features a more expansive English and Spanish selection. Alley Cat has affordable used books, and featured a notable selection of social justice and political books. There is also a gallery space in the back featuring local art.
My experience in Alley Cat was really lovely– the large, unique selection of books is supplemented with art and decoration everywhere. There is a lot of space to cover, between an inviting opening section with recommendations and featured books, the collection in both English and Spanish, and the open gallery space in the back.
Definitely go visit Alley Cat Books for a colorful book buying experience!
Book Passage — One Ferry Building, Shop #42
I was wandering through the Ferry Building Marketplace and spotted this cute bookstore. Located among coffee shops and restaurants, this store is a cozy spot to visit. Despite being quite small, there was a surprisingly wide selection of books. There are plenty of hand-written staff recommendations, and I came across books I hadn’t heard of before but was interested in.
If you’re visiting the Ferry Building Marketplace– which I recommend that you do, as there are so many eclectic shops– be sure to step into this tucked away book store.
Borderlands — 866 Valencia St., San Francisco
Borderlands is a horror, fantasy, and science fiction book shop. I don’t read from those genres often, but I thought I would step in just to look around. They have an extensive collection of new and used books, and there is good space to wander through the tall shelves. If you are interested in speculative fiction, this is a great bookstore for you!
City Lights — 261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway, San Francisco
One of the first poems that got me excited about poetry was Allen Ginsburg’s Howl, which I first encountered my freshman year of high school. Last year— nearly six years later— I took a course on poetry as a political force, where we studied Howl and the history of its publication in depth. Versed in the story of City Lights publishing and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, I knew I had to visit the iconic bookstore.
I was lucky to visit just after Ferlinghetti’s 100th Birthday (which he attended in person!), so the storefront was decorated in celebration of him, with banners that read: “Paper / may burn / but words / will escape.”
City Lights has a history of activism and poetry, and it is deeply embedded in the store. The top floor of the store has a poetry room, with an extensive collection including and featuring Beat generation writers. The poetry room has space to sit and read and is decorated with historic posters, artwork (a painted sign reads “Educate Yourself Read Here 14 Hours a Day”) and Ferlinghetti’s birthday cards. I spent nearly thirty minutes upstairs, where I picked out a 60th Anniversary City Lights Anthology and Julio Cortazar’s “Save Twilight.”
On the first floor, there is an extensive fiction collection separated by geographic area— European Lit, Asian Lit, etc. I found editions of books I had never found in a store before, and it was so difficult for me to walk away without purchasing them all. There was also a wonderful display on “Pedagogies of Resistance.”
The basement had extensive collections of other genres, including theory, children’s books, nonfiction, and much more.
Overall, I spent nearly an hour in City Lights. Though there were many tourists, the shop didn’t feel that crowded because it was so large in size. To embed yourself in San Francisco literary culture and history, but also to find an extensive selection of books and comfortable spots to explore them, definitely visit City Lights!
I am so grateful for my literary experiences throughout this past summer. Visiting The Strand and Books are Magic in New York City, or City Lights and Alley Cat Books in San Francisco, provided me insight into the literary history of the cities, but also allowed me to support independent book sellers and cornerstones of the community. I will continue to seek out bookstores anywhere I travel moving forward 🙂
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