6 Places to Read, Write, & Reflect in New York

There is a strict criteria a place must meet in order to ensure optimal reflecting and writing

New York is city that has bred authors and musicians and poets and creatives for centuries. Some of the best books in the world have been written in cafes and libraries around this city. Patti Smith’s M Train opens in a tiny Greenwich Village café where she goes every morning for black coffee. Jack Kerouac used to spend hours scribbling at Caffe Reggio. It seems as though if you want to find inspiration, a coffee shop in New York is your best bet. And I’ve found this to be true for myself too.

As a writer working on her first novel, I’ve discovered that there is a very specific criteria a place must meet in order for me to successfully immerse myself in my ~novel. It’s like a recipe for macarons. One little error, and everything goes wrong. I lose all concentration. I get discouraged. I start online shopping. It’s a mess. The criteria is as follows:

1. A wide chair. You will never catch me writing in a trendy, minimalist space with backless IKEA stools. I need a big comfy chair where I can sit crossed legged for hours on end.

2. History. I love to feel the spirit of artists before me when I am writing. I love places that feel engrained into the DNA of New York and everyone who has ever lived there.

3. Wifi, bathrooms, and outlets. I feel this does not need further explanation.

In my quest, I have found a handful of spaces that perfectly (or almost perfectly) fit this criteria. And because I want this newsletter to not only inspire you, but to also serve you, I am sharing a list of my 5 favorite places to read, write, and reflect.

The Rose Main Reading Room at the New York Public Library

I’ve been coming to this library a few times a month since October, and every time I walk down this aisle to my favorite chair, my heart skips a beat. I plop down my bag, open my lap top, and ogle at the hundreds of people surrounding me that are also chasing some sort of dream. Authors, academics, students. Everyone is reading in some way, shape, or form, and you can feel it in the air. And the ceilings? The ceilings are just captivating..

Wide Chairs: 5 stars

History: 5 stars

Wifi, bathrooms, & outlets: 5 stars

The only downside is you can’t really bring in any snacks or food. Water bottles or coffee in thermos’ (left in your bag on the floor) are OK. I often bring a granola bar and apple to eat near the bathrooms when I get desperate.

Book Club

I’ve visited Book Club in the East Village twice in the past few months, and I just love it. It’s like stepping back in time to 2007. Social Media doesn’t exist yet. Kindles don’t exist yet. Oat milk doesn’t exist yet (except I am sure they have it). I love everything about it. They have a whole bar you can sit at, a well as 4 leather club chairs and a few small bistro chairs in the back. The music is always some sort of indie rock or indie folk playlist supplied by the cool bartenders and baristas. Plus, they serve wine, so you can easily transition from coffee to something stronger.

Wide Chairs: 5 stars

History: 5 stars

Wifi, bathrooms, & outlets: 3 stars, because they don’t actually have wifi. It is mainly a place to read. I usually write in Google Docs, then use my hot spot to save my work every once in a while.

Café Sabarsky

If I want to pretend I am in Europe, I go to Café Sabarsky. The Viennese cafe on the Upper East Side is a true delight. Counters are lined with decadent tortes and cakes, waiters wearing vest and ties carry silver trays of coffee. It’s as authentic as you can get without boarding a flight to Austria.

Wide Chairs: 5 stars

History: 5 stars

Wifi, bathrooms, & outlets: This is a busy cafe where seats are highly coveted, so laptops are not allowed. I like to come here, bury my phone deep inside my bag, and immerse myself in the pages of a good book or in the pages of my journal. It’s a dream.

Conwell Coffee Hall

Conwell Coffee Hall is located in an old savings bank in the Financial District. Some might recognize the space from Inside Man — an iconic heist movie with Denzel Washington and Clive Owen. Despite no longer functioning as bank, it still very much feels like one. The baristas work behind old bank teller booths and tables are dotted with bankers lamp emitting a warm yellow glow. Conwell is dark, moody, and an absolutely perfect place to lose yourself in the pages of a book.

Wide Chairs: 5 stars

History: 5 stars

Wifi, bathrooms, & outlets: 5 stars

The Othmer Library at the Center for Brooklyn History

I went to an Archives & Research Workshop at the Center for Brooklyn History this past summer and fell madly in love. It was like a scavenger hunt through time. The Romanesque Revival building was designed by George B. Post and built in 1881. And the library is a true gem that feels essentially untouched by the advancements of time. We flipped through old maps, postcards, photos, and blue prints that spanned centuries. And all of this took place in the magical Othmer Library. I learned that anyone can secure a slot at the Library to work on a research project. I’ve yet to return, but it’s on my list.

Wide Chairs: 5 stars

History: 5 stars

Wifi, bathrooms, & outlets: 5 stars

Housing Works Bookstore

Photo courtesy of theknot.com

I love the Housing Works Bookstore. I love every place on this list, but I really love the Housing Works Bookstore. I love that you can buy a new (old) book, sip a Cappuccino, and flip through racks of vintage cardigans — all under the same roof. Housing Works opened their Crosby Street bookstore in 1994 and it has since become a fixture in the lives of New Yorkers. The two-story dark wood bookshelves and spiral staircases are iconic. So iconic, in fact, that Taylor Swift filmed part of the All Too Well (10 Minute Version) music video there. I love popping in, checking out their shelves of new arrivals, and plopping down at one of their outdated (but also somehow timeless?) bistro tables that look like something Borders’ would’ve auctioned off in 2011. It’s perfect.

Wide Chairs: 5 stars

History: 5 stars

Wifi, bathrooms, & outlets: 5 stars

Here’s hoping this list inspires you to take a day to read, write, and reflect. I find that my favorite days are ones where I am usually doing just that — with a coffee and croissant, of course.

Xo, Claudia