Tour The Mall, Central Park’s iconic, elm-lined walkway, is known as the Literary Walk or Poets’ Walk. The southern end features five statues: Shakespeare, Burns, Walter Scott, and Halleck. A beautiful outdoor literary excursion.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.
3309 Bainbridge Avenue
The Bronx
Tour Edgar Allan Poe spent the last years of his life, from 1846–1849, in The Bronx. This landmark house museum is where he wrote "Annabel Lee" and "The Cask of Amontillado." Open Th-Su.
CREDIT: FLICKR.COM COURTNEY "COCO" MAULT.
209–211 Water Street
Manhattan
Shop Experience the traditional craft of nineteenth-century letterpress in a charmingly atmospheric shop true to its origins. Open every day 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
CREDIT: FLICKR.COM SANG-HEE.
86 Bedford Street
Manhattan
Drink After a decade-long hiatus, Chumley's, the former Greenwich Village speakeasy of choice for many a poet and playwright, recently reopened. It's a bit higher-end these days, but the book jacket decor is back.
102 W. 73rd Street
Manhattan
Eat Pop into a whimsical tea shop that conjures the world of Lewis Carroll, complete with tea and cakes and much else. Plus there's a shop with "everything Alice in Wonderland." Open 8 a.m.– 8 p.m.
The Lounge at 711, 7th Avenue
Manhattan
Drink Five professional actors meet as members of "The Drunk Shakespeare Society." One of them has at least five shots of whiskey and then attempts to perform a major role in a Shakespearean play. Hilarity ensues, cocktails served.
10 River Terrace
Manhattan
Tour Poets House is a national poetry library and literary center, home to readings, talks, performances, classes, a 70,000-volume collection, and more. Open T-Sa, with lots of events to consider, too.
231 Eleventh Avenue
Manhattan
Shop Dubbed "the CBGB of Indie Bookstores," Printed Matter carries contemporary artists' books, zines, posters, prints, multiples, and a broad selection of out-of-print material. Open every day, check for hours.
113 Macdougal Street
Manhattan
Eat Once the haunt of Ernest Hemingway, Eugene O'Neill, Dylan Thomas, and the mysterious Joe Gould, this restaurant underwent a major revamp ten years ago but retains its charm and gets amazing reviews.
45 W. 27th Street
Manhattan
Drink An ostentatious Oscar Wilde–themed hotspot, complete with the city's longest bar and an array of dazzling artifacts. On the menu: lunch, dinner, and Absinthe Drip.
1216 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street
Manhattan
Tour This library contains "one of the most significant historical libraries in medicine and public health in the world." Open T-F by appointment, or check the special events calendar.
59 W. 44th Street
Manhattan
Eat Whether dinner, a drink, or a room for the night, you can't get much more literary than the legendary Algonquin Hotel. Dorothy Parker and her "Vicious Circle" lunched there; go and raise a glass to them.
