NYC Recap: What I Read + Bookstore Recs

Ah, I got to be reunited with New York City this month. It was a reunion for the record books.

I’ve never been to NYC in January, so that was new. It (thankfully) wasn’t too cold, but I froze my lil Houston fingers off. Let’s talk about what I packed, what I read, where I shopped, and what I did!

NYC essentials

Going to NYC in the winter means having a reliable, goes-with-everything coat that you can dress up and down! I practically live in these leggings lately ‚ I have four pairs! I wish I would have sprung for these comfy yet stylish sneakers for the trip, but I did get to show off this adorable bookish tote and swing around my tiny and handy little purse. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve bought these sunglasses that are cheap and go with everything. For the love of god invest in a good scarf set WITH gloves — you’re also going to want hand cream and lip repair.

What I read

I curated a big chunk of my January reads around my NYC trip! I read two books before I left, two when I was traveling to and from, and one when I got back! Here are the highlights:

• Everything After by Jill Santopolo. An emotional romance about choosing your own path in life and following your passion. TW: Miscarriage is a huge theme in this book. Full review.
• The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis. A dual-timeline historical fiction set around a Gilded-age mansion in New York City. Full review.
• The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel. A laugh-out-loud read full of the chaos of family (both found and born into) set in a NYC brownstone. Full review.
• No One Left to Come Looking For You by Sam Lipsyte. Set in the East Village in NYC in the 1990s, this short read follows a rock musician who feels he’s on the verge of a big break when his band’s lead singer goes missing. More thoughts.
• A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia. A Gen-Z version of the Devil Wears Prada, but it pales in comparison to the original. More thoughts.

Bookstore recs

I did some damage in NYC bookstores! I went to four in the three full days I was there.

• McNally Jackson. Multiple locations. This one is my top rec because they have everything you’d want from an Indie bookstore. The Prince Street location in Nolita had two stories stuffed with new releases, bestsellers, and every genre.
• The Strand. Multiple locations. This one basically ties with MJ, but bonus — tons of cute swag and rows and rows of used books to hunt through (which I did not get to do bc time is money, honey.) I snagged some merch instead!
• The Drama Book Shop. Midtown. OK, yes, I went to this one because of its impressive — dare I say *dramatic* book display?! And I got to meet up with a fellow Bookstagrammer, @bookedupwithloren, when I was there! I didn’t buy anything because the selection was slim (mostly theater-related fiction and memoirs), as was space in my suitcase.
• Shakespeare & Co. Upper East/West Side. Fun fact — there are two locations of this shop, one on each side of Central Park, so no excuses! I liked it fine, but it was a bit small. I totally scored in their sale section!

Check out my reel to see inside these shops!

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What I did

We packed a lot into our trip, so I’ll hit you with the highlights.

We checked into the Loews Regency in the Upper East Side and grabbed pizza at Emmy Squared Pizza (technically detroit-style, but ‘za is ‘za). The next morning, we grabbed coffee at Birch and took a pilates class at Good Day Pilates (with another bookstagrammer and pilates instructor, Bailey!). We walked around SoHo and hit up some bookstores.

After cleaning up, we went to the Plaza for tea (a literal dream come true!!). Pro tip: the sandwiches LOOK small, but this can (and did) totally replace dinner for us. We ended the night with tons of Heineken 0.0 (dry January, bb!) and live music at The Red Lion in Greenwich Village.

The next day, we took a spin class — no, not at SoulCycle. Fun fact: CycleBar always hooks up first timers with a free class! We grabbed breakfast at Eat Here Now, a diner that low-key costs as much as a nice breaky anywhere else. After cleaning up, we got done up — thanks DryBar! And found another bookstore, whoops!

All dressed up, we went to JoJo, a swanky townhouse converted into a swankier eatery by Jean-Georges, a BFD in NYC food. We cut it pretty close, but managed to cut through Times Square and make it to Six just in time. The review: Absolutely perfect, no notes. I’m still singing the soundtrack, ah!

I allowed myself a #DryJan cheat day that included a pickle martini from The Penrose (highly recommend), endless vodka sodas and karaoke from Iggy’s, and whisky cokes from The Stumble Inn. Capped off a perfect evening with 4 am pizza slices. 10/10 UES night out.

Sunday was slower moving, but we made it to Central Park — finally! — after recovery bagels from Liberty Bagels. I took the subway downtown to make one last bookshop visit and spicy soup from Bao Bao Cafe.

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