Once Upon a Library - New York Public Library Edition
- ciaobedda
- May 11
- 2 min read
I'm a firm believer that books are a great way to escape from reality.
In the middle of December, you can grab a book, and after a 50-second walk to your coziest couch, transport yourself to a sunny beach vacation.
Libraries, and bookstores, too, offer an escape from the everyday and can create an atmosphere that rivals the settings of the books they hold.
Here's a literary space that lives rent-free in my head - a perfect destination for rainy spring days. ☕️
The New York Public Library.
The New York Public Library first opened its doors in 1911. After an open competition to design and construct the library, featuring the city's most prominent architects of the time, the architectural firm of Carrère and Hastings was chosen to spearhead the project, which became a prominent example of the Beaux-Arts style.
The library used 530,000 cubic feet of marble and, in 1911, was the largest marble building in the United States. From light fixtures to painted ceilings, the library is truly something out of a storybook.
Perhaps even more astounding than the architecture is the fact that the New York Public Library System's collections now total over 50 million items.
The Library's children's collection alone totals over 400,000 items in different languages and formats. One of my favorite displays was seeing Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends, featured as part of the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures.
Visitors can see Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, and Eeyore, stuffed animals originally owned by Christopher Robin in England, the son of writer A. A. Milne. The kangaroo, "Roo," was notably lost in an apple orchard during the 1930s. A replica Roo was given to the Library by Queen Camilla during a visit in April of 2026.
Other notable treasures housed at the New York Public Library include a manuscript of the Declaration of Independence, a handwritten symphony by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and an extensive collection of maps spanning from the 16th century to the present day. The library also hosts traveling literary exhibits, such as A Dickens Christmas, a holiday-season display featuring an annotated copy of A Christmas Carol, photographs, and Charles Dickens’ reading glasses.
"In the reading room in the New York Public Library All sorts of souls were bent over silence reading the past, Or the present, or maybe it was the future, persons Devoted to silence and the flowering of the imagination." -Richard Eberhart, poet (1904-2005)
Outside the Library's 5th Avenue location, walk along East 41st Street, and you'll find "Library Way," a 2-block plaque-embedded stretch of sidewalk etched with lines of poetry, excerpts from literary works, and quotes from writers, such as above.
Whether you visit for a rainy day refuge, research, or inspiration, The New York Public Library remains a place where the fare for travel is freely given, one story at a time.
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