When I first visited NY in 2010 the New Museum left a permanent impression. I love the architecture and the concept of the piled-white-shoe-box look-a-like building at the edge of the Lower East Side neighborhood. The exhibition program is appealingly different, and the bookstore in the foyer is not to be missed!

A place for when you only have a day and your soul needs the smell of an ocean breeze and to feel sand between your toes. You can watch all the craziness of Coney Island from across the water.

It’s a great bookstore with an interesting yet relatable selection of art books 

Pratt has an amazing sculpture park open for everyone to see. 

Offering 20% off on current “indie bestsellers” (and 10% off picks from their well-read staff), you can still get a good deal while supporting one of the city’s last independent bookstores. They also carry an impressive selection of magazines and literary journals that you can flip through in their café. McNally’s event calendar is packed with appearances and readings by authors like Zadie Smith and Chris Kraus, but they're perhaps best known for their in-store printing press and self-publishing services.