New York, USA

New York, USA

Sunday, 22 December, 2024

From the city that never sleeps to wind-tossed coastal villages and upstate towns that burst into color every fall, the state of New York is rich with remarkable people, compelling history, and frothy pop culture that make it a hotbed for irresistible stories.

New York City is the cultural capital of the world with Broadway, world-class shopping, and a population from all over the world that now calls this melting pot home. That means irresistible food, an orchestra of languages and accents, and multicultural tales — of history, of immigration, of family.

(Listen to our podcast episode New York City: NO! SLEEP! TILL BROOKLYN!)

But don’t miss out on the towns outside the metropolitan area. There are rolling hills swathed in leaves, soaring mountains and dramatic gorges, crashing ocean surf, sweeping farmland, and riverside towns with rich histories and colorful characters of their own.

recommended books

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

buy | read review

Bellweather Rhapsody

buy | read review

The Book of Speculation

buy | read review

Envy of Angels

buy | read review

The Golem and the Jinni

buy | read review

The Great Gatsby

buy | read review

Hello, New York

buy | read review

LaserWriter II

buy | read review

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

buy | read review

Manhattan Beach

buy | read review

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

buy | read review

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

buy | read review

The Monsters of Templeton

buy | read review

Olga Dies Dreaming

buy | read review

Roaming

buy | read review

Table for Two

buy | read review

Take-Out

buy | read review

The Works

buy | read review

Top image courtesy of Will Barkoff/Unsplash.

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featured posts

There's a reason there are 160 songs (and counting) written about New York City. As ol' Frankie Sinatra said, the Bronx is up, the Battery's down — make it there, make it anywhere. It's up to you, New York, New York.
It looks like the enchanted library of your dreams, but it's really the East Room of banker J.P. Morgan's 1906 Library, the heart of the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. Commence swooning.
This weekend, escape to turn-of-the-century New York and meet two unlikely new friends: a Jewish golem from Poland and an Arab jin from Egypt. Their history divides them; their adventures will bring them together.
Mary Kingsbury was the first professional school librarian in American history. She started as a teacher in Latin, math, geography, and zoology — not bad for a girl who's father thought she didn't need an education.
This weekend, we recommend a getaway to Templeton, NY — aka Cooperstown. IRL, there's the Baseball Hall of Fame and James Fenimore Cooper. In the book, there's a lake and old friends and — oh, yeah — a monster.
In this episode, we get excited about two new book releases: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo and Every Good Boy Does Fine: A Love Story in Music Lessons by Jeremy Denk. Then we talk about an exhibit at the New York Public Library featuring art from a new graphic novel.

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