New York as Book Country

From the era of Scribner’s, Gotham Book Mart, the Seven Gables Bookshop and the bookstalls on 4th avenue. Manhattan still has its share of delights for the book lover.

Here is Mimosa’s private list of some places for happy book hunting!

Argosy Bookshop - 116 E 59th St

Arguably Manhattan’s most beautiful and best book shop. Take their old fashioned private elevator upstairs to shop for prints. Their personal  service (something Hotel Mimosa really values) is impeccable. 

Books of Wonder - 18 W 18th St

Specialty book store for children’s books, including rare collectible books. 

Chartswell Bookstore - 55 E 52nd St

Housed in a old New York landmark building which has other eclectic shops is this specialty bookstore that sells books by and about Winston Churchill. 

The Corner Bookstore - 1313 Madison Ave

A long standing beautiful bookstore on Madison Ave with old style personal service that stores like Scribners used to have.

Kinokuniya Bookstore - 1073 6th Ave

This shop has books, magazines, gifts and toys from Japan. They have a wonderful informal cafe which often host cosplay events on the weekends. 

Kitchen arts and letters - 1435 Lexington Ave

The best wine and cookbook store in the city, well worth the trip uptown. Has extensive collectible cookbooks as well. 

Mysterious Bookshop - 1099, 58 Warren St

This specialty store has book signings and rare mystery books. It has one of the most comprehensive collections of Sherlockiana and Sherlock Holmes pastiche novels, as well as their own published reproductions of famous detective novels. 

Neue Galerie Design & Book store - 1048 5th Ave

This jewel of a space for design and architecture monographs is right next to the famous Sabarsky Cafe. We recommend this cafe elsewhere for superb Viennese coffee and pastries. 

The New York Public Library at Grand Central 42nd St.-476 5th Ave

Houses many collections and has wonderful, eclectic reading rooms, such as the Map Room on the ground floor. 

Pierpont Morgan Library - 225 Madison Ave

The museum is free Friday nights from 7-9 pm. Come also for the classical music in the atrium and their two gift shops. 

Strand’s Rare Book Room - 828 Broadway

This treasure trove is located above the largest bookstore in Manhattan. 

Three Lives & Company - 154 W 10th St

 Since 1968 this lovely snug book shop has been a place for book lovers in the west village. We recommend having a meal at the Spotted Pig afterwards and a drink at the White Horse Tavern for a fantastic West Village evening.  

Copyright 2018 by Hotel Mimosa

Winter Food

What to eat when the temperature is 27 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.22 Celsius)? We love to go to King’s Kitchen and eat Cantonese when it snows and we want some food that will take the chill away. Fast. Rice Congee (or porridge) with pork and preserved eggs arrives so hot here it will take you time to eat or you will burn yourself. We love their delectable wasabi fried mushrooms as a perfect pairing to the congee. These wasabi-flavored appetizers taste almost like oysters. A very warming beverage is their fresh ginger honey, so invigorating! Another specialty is their custom made hot pot rice casseroles in which you choose the ingredients yourself. Try chicken, mushrooms & sausage, or eel with scallions (as pictured below). There’s a sweet soy sauce for the rice casserole, or a homemade red pepper sauce on every table. If you’re in a hurry you can order any roasted meat (pork, duck, chicken) over rice, it literally takes two minutes to arrive. We always encourage our guests to go deep into Chinatown but you have to go to Brooklyn to eat this variety of dishes and when it’s 27 degrees or snowing why not just go around the corner from Mimosa! 

The Hip and Trendy Lower East Side

Our hotel is perfectly situated near the beginning of the shopping district and the Lower East Side (the LES) where there is much to see and do.

If you walk only 35 minutes up from Orchard or Ludlow streets (please see our map of our hotel area), you will see an architectural collage as each neighborhood unfolds into the next. Near our hotel a historic Jewish neighborhood has metamorphosized with the newest boutiques shops, bars and cafes. At Essex and Grand street, you might recall scenes from the film “Crossing Delancey”. When you reach Houston Street, you will see a 1970’s neighborhood largely unchanged, which also sidetracks to Alphabet City, a beatnik area of the 1990’s. Reaching St. Marks Place a mixture of Polish and Japanese flavors come into view. On 3rd avenue & St. Marks (or thereabouts) if you look 360 degrees, you will see the most energetic display of architecture in the LES. If you head west, you will eventually reach the old Greenwich Village (in 10 minutes) but if you stay on 2nd avenue, a dense collection of eateries takes you up to 14th street where you should make a left, heading west to Union Square, the next popular area. From there continue to proceed along 14th street to the beginning of Fifth Avenue and head uptown. 17th and 18th streets are particularly nice for eating and shopping. Herald Square (34th street) is a vast area worth exploring. Of particular note is the Korean neighborhood at 32nd street. Finally you can head up to 42nd st, which is Midtown Manhattan. We love Bryant Park, Times Square and the Grand Central station as three vantage points from which to explore. The total walking trip from our hotel to 42nd street is approximately 1 hour, without stops. 

Design, concepts, photos, drawings and text are copyright 2017 by Hotel Mimosa