A Reader’s Paradise in Manhattan – The Library Hotel

We are so honored to be Writers in Residence at the Library Hotel. As always, all opinions are our own.

The Library Hotel, Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York City
25 feet wide, 100 feet long, and 14 stories high, the hotel is one of NYC’s first sliver buildings

When we write the accounts of our escapades around the globe, we usually don’t bother mentioning where we stay.

It’s not that we don’t appreciate hotels, it’s just that, let’s face it, most are simply a place to lay our heads after romping around all day.

What can we say? “The towels were nice and the TV worked.” Not exactly a captivating story.

But sometimes the accommodations are the story, and such is the case with the Library Hotel in New York City.

In a city with hundreds, if not thousands, of hotels it is hard to stand out, yet the Library Hotel has done just that. So when we were invited to become Writers in Residence, we jumped at the chance.

The idea is to add to the incredible literary ambience of the hotel by having a few writers hanging around, and let us say, it’s a writer’s — or a reader’s — paradise.

Looking down 41st Street toward the New York Public Library from the rooftop garden of the Library Hotel
Looking down 41st Street toward the New York Public Library from the rooftop garden of the Library Hotel

A big part of the atmosphere of the hotel stems from its proximity to the New York Public Library’s main branch.

Around the same time as that massive home to over one million volumes was opened in 1911, a group of businessmen were building one of the city’s first sliver buildings a block away.

The Library Hotel, New York City

After nearly a century of serving as offices, the beautiful little slice of architecture became the Library Hotel.

The renovations left the exterior wonderfully intact, while adding rooms and over a million dollars of mahogany bookshelves in the interior.

The lobby at the Library Hotel in Manhattan, New York City has a card catalog motif

Books are everywhere, from the moment we checked in at the card catalogue-decorated front desk in the shelf-lined lobby, to the hundreds of titles in each room that correspond to its number in the Dewey Decimal System.

For example, our room, 905, is based on 900.005 in the famous library-organizing system, which is the travel and geography category. Absolutely a perfect fit for us, and we fell asleep blissfully reading of far-off places every night.

Our room at the Library Hotel in NYC! Our room, 905, is based on 900.005 in the Dewey Decimal System, which is the travel and geography category. Absolutely a perfect fit for us, and we fell asleep blissfully reading of far-off places every night.

The Library Hotel in New York City is based on the Dewey Decimal System

As we investigated the motifs of the other rooms, we realized that we could have been just as happy in 800.005, filled with fairy tales, or the mysteries right next door, or the Love Suite at 1100.006.

But it would be tough to beat 500.006, the Astronomy Suite where Neil Armstrong took one giant sleep for mankind.

The rooms aren’t the only place designed to inspire reading and writing, the second floor Reading Room serves as a quiet getaway, or the place to be for breakfast and each evening’s wine and cheese reception.

The Reading Room at the Library Hotel, NYC

For even more inspiration, the rooftop Writer’s Den and Poetry Garden did the trick.

Writer's Den and Poetry Garden on the rooftop of the Library Hotel in NYC. At night, the rooftop transforms into Bookmark's Lounge

Going Gypsy from the creators of GypsyNester.com
Get it? It’s a bookmark!

Come cocktail hour, the garden transforms into the hotel’s lounge, Bookmarks.

We couldn’t think of a better place to thank all of the folks at Skyhorse Publishing who worked so hard getting our book, Going Gypsy: One Couple’s Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All, ready for publication, so we invited them all over for an after-work, literary-inspired drink.

We all sipped our “Ernest Hemingway”s and “Tequila Mockingbird”s while enjoying each other’s company and fantastic views of Manhattan.

See how we slipped that plug in there, downright clever, huh? Sorry, couldn’t pass up the chance for some shameless self-promotion.

Especially since we were so excited to see everyone that we forgot to take pictures to commemorate the occasion (still kicking ourselves!).

The bronze sidewalk insets along 41st Street that form Library Way. The walk’s bronze plaques feature quotes from classic literature and authors, paired with innovative artwork by Gregg LeFevre

We also couldn’t pass up visiting New York’s best known literary landmark, the public library, so we followed the ninety-six bronze sidewalk insets along 41st Street that form Library Way.

The bronze sidewalk insets along 41st Street that form Library Way. The walk’s bronze plaques feature quotes from classic literature and authors, paired with innovative artwork by Gregg LeFevre

The walk’s bronze plaques feature quotes from classic literature and authors, paired with innovative artwork by Gregg LeFevre.

The lions in front of the New York Public Library are named Patience and Fortitude. This is Fortitude, and the easiest way to tell them apart is that Fortitude is closest to 42nd Street. Get it? 42/fortitude?

We read our way right to the steps between Patience and Fortitude, the two lions that guard the entrance to the massive archives. Fortitude is pictured above, and the easiest way to tell them apart is that Fortitude is closest to 42nd Street. –> 42=fortitude!

The New York City Public Library, Manhattan, New York City

As we climbed the stairs things felt very familiar, must have been because the grand old building has been the star of countless movies, from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to Spider-Man, to the haunted book stacks in Ghostbusters.

Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to see those famous stacks. The one-hundred-and-twenty-five miles of shelves are off limits to the public. Can’t have the books getting misplaced or out of order, because the proverbial needle in the haystack would seem simple compared to finding a lost volume.

McGraw Rotunda in the New York Public Library
The the attempts at snapping the perfect photo of the ceiling in the McGraw Rotunda are many and varied. We gave up and simply laid down on the floor for ours!
The ceiling of the McGraw Rotunda in the New York Public Library
The ceiling depicts Prometheus giving man the gift of fire, symbolizing knowledge. The murals in the rotunda are collectively titled The Story of the Recorded Word.

So we contented ourselves with simply taking in the grandeur of one of America’s largest marble buildings and viewing some of the artifacts on display. Of course the library has an outstanding collection of rare books, but it also serves as a museum of sorts, with hundreds of heirlooms donated throughout the years.

Do not disturb door hangers at the Library Hotel, Manhattan, NYC

Back in our geography-and-travel-inspired hideaway in the Library Hotel, just thinking about all of those books was a bit mind boggling.

But we contentedly drifted off counting books instead of sheep.

Did we get any writing done? Yup. We wrote this!

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

We are so honored to be Writers in Residence at the Library Hotel. As always, all opinions are our own.

Delve Deeper:
Visit the Library Hotel website

Find out Things You Don’t Know About in NYC – even if you live there!
See all of our adventures in New York City!

YOUR turn: Is this the coolest hotel, or what?


Did you enjoy what you just read? Then you'll LOVE our book!
Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All Going Gypsy One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All 

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59 thoughts on “A Reader’s Paradise in Manhattan – The Library Hotel”

  1. Oh. My. Goodness!!! What a dream of a hotel. How exciting to be invited to stay as Writers in Residence! And to have all the bookish wonderfulness topped off by good service and comfort is the icing on the cake.

  2. We’re huge readers (in fact we say over and over how perfect Kindles are for long term, perpetual travelers!)and can’t imagine being far from a good book. I’d love to visit this quaint and inviting hotel. Thanks for the tour!

  3. I’d love to stay in this hotel. I can imagine spending time on the rooftop Poetry Garden and Writers’ Den doing some writing. Room numbers based on the Dewey Decimal system – fun idea.

  4. I’ve long heard about the Library Hotel, but I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting or staying there. Your article changed that. The detailed description and numerous photos took me there. I hope someday I, too, will get to actually spend the night amid the books.

  5. That hotel looks right up our alley! We are recent empty nesters and enjoy reading here and on Facebook. We are about to take our first Viking Cruise. So excited to be traveling!

  6. I love quirky hotels like this. Plus, it looks pretty luxe too. I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in NYC. Congrats again on the book too!

  7. That is so very cool to have a hotel based on the Dewey decimal system and I love that your room 905 is based on 900.005 — my favourite section at the library- Travel! Will try to stay there next visit to NYC

  8. Wow – I’m way cynical about “hotels I’ve been comped to stay in posts” – but this just sounds awesome- amazing location and I’d love to stay at this hotel!

  9. How cool is that?! I am definitely adding this one to the list and you’re so right about writing posts about where we stay. I think of that as well, but like you said, how much can you say?! Congrats on the book, that’s really great and I did love the book mark. That’ pretty cool in itself, having ones very own bookmark! 😉

  10. There is so very much to see in New York and I’ve spent so little time there. Your photos make me want to visit. My husband and I were just discussing going there right after Thanksgiving to see the Christmas decorations. I love the ceiling with the painting of Prometheus. The Library Hotel looks amazing!

  11. Oh this is fascinating – and what a privilege to be writers in residence – congrats! Will definitely check out the hotel next time we’re in NYC.

  12. What a novel idea! The Library hotel sounds amazing. I love cool one-of-a-kind places like this. Great photos inside the library too. Both places I’ll have to visit on our next Manhattan visit.

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