nyplās main branch but ironically there arenāt really books for you to check out these days lol. a particular highlight is the reading room (pictured). thereās also a small (but very cool) museum exhibit that has stuff like the original winnie the pooh characters, lots of historical political pamphlets, some art, old religious / botanical / astronomical texts, first edition of a vindication of the rights of women, and more.
if you want to actually check out books, thereās another library building across the street lol, it is modern and kinda cool but not as beautiful
Mar 28, 2025
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All of them but the Stephen A. Shwarzman building has a special place in my heart.
When I did my new york residency I spent so much time in the library. I was so broke and it was free and I could spend hours in the presence of other people without any obligation of actually socialising. Every trip I would go to the cafe and buy an espresso, plan my research in the cafe, wander around the gift shop planning what I would eventually buy to take people home, then go into a reading room to plan artworks and learn. The Treasures exhibition was so beautiful (I cried when I saw the real life Winnie the Pooh). Really feels like a peaceful place to sit and think or wander around. I genuinely think about how much I miss my trips there near daily.
Apr 3, 2024
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after my super scientific research of going to every single branch of the nypl this is the best. itās in the main schwarzman branch but you have to walk through another room to get to it + you need a library card (you just have to ask and theyāll sign you up for one!!). also if you want to read any periodicals but donāt wanna pay BOOM they have them. iāve started going on mondays so i can read the sunday paper from the day before. i feel excellent in there. perfect balance of pretty, quiet, and exclusive.
Jan 29, 2024
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title says it all. let's rebrand public libraries as freaky little hangout spots
Feb 3, 2024
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being traditionally cool is really quite boring and iterative, and itās actually very cool and sexy to geek out about something you like or share bits of knowledge on a topic youāre passionate about
Aug 17, 2024
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i had it for a little over a year until i was like wow this is actually terrible! i genuinely think it has negatively impacted society by ruining peopleās attention spans, having a horrific algorithm, and most of all by the most mind-numbing or outright harmful trends -
fake words that people now use IRL (āunaliveā), trad wife tiktok, shein hauls, body-focused fitness vids that encourage fatphobia and unhealthy habits, shallow political/feminist theory and queer discourse, āalpha maleā podcaster tiktok, encouraging overconsumption in general, trends ruining local spots or niche thingsā¦ the list goes on
Aug 17, 2024
a million times cooler than the lackluster āsleekā tech color palette used today
Feb 22, 2025