Hi Hive friends!
About this post maybe the bookworms of you will be happy, I hope so anyway:) As you know, I was in New York a while ago and took you to Brighton beach, the Brooklyn Bridge and the MET. Today I want to tell you a bit about one of the three public libraries in NYC, the "New York Public Library"- also abbreviated NYPL. It is one of the largest libraries in the world and provides people with about 55 million media. The main building is very centrally located on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, next to the Bryant Park. The library has many branches, 89 in total in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. Here you can also find basic materials for research. Nowadays, about 15 million visitors a year come to the Bibilothek, incredible, isn't it? The Bibilothek even owns a Gutenberg Bible and a copy of the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica written by Sir Isaac Newton.

The NYPL with its "Rose Main Reading Room" as a location for movies and weddings

The official name of the library is the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building and it opened in 1911. Construction had previously taken several years. Admission is free and you can also use the Internet here. The library at Bryant Park is the most famous and impressive, the branches are a little less known. It is "guarded" by two lions, Patience and Fortitude, of which I unfortunately did not take a photo. They now have a kind of cult status. I wonder if maybe they want to protect the people in the Bibilothek from the hustle and bustle outside on the streets of NYC and create a kind of haven of peace for them?
When we went into the library, I was amazed: Although I had already seen really beautiful and large libraries, such as in Heidelberg or Berlin, this one was even more impressive. There were chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, which were very very high and it looked a bit like a movie to me. And I wasn't that wrong: the library had already appeared several times in movies, such as the "Spider Man" movie from 2002 or "The day after tomorrow" and "Sex and the City". Mostly it was the backdrop for scenes between two characters, but in "Sex and the City" it was also the location for the wedding.

The walls also look just too beautiful. We were there later in the evening, so it was a bit darker outside and the Bibilothek seemed lit up, which brought a cozy atmosphere. Would you also like to sink into an armchair here and read a book for a while?

Here you can see a photo between the streets of NYC, I just had to shoot it because it looked so typical for a tourist like me:)

A small tip, if you also plan to visit this library: Visitors are requested to speak quietly so as not to disturb the people working there. Also, you are only allowed to eat and drink in certain areas and photography is only allowed without flash and tripod. At the entrance you might also be asked for your ID, but this was not the case with us.


Outside the weather was unfortunately not so good again that day, so the idea to have a look at the Bibilothek was not so bad :)



The room you can see here is the heart of the Bibilothek. It's called the "Rose Main Reading Room" and you can find it on the third floor. I especially loved the wooden benches and the gold desk lamps that matched the ambiance. I could have browsed here for hours! However, the books may not be borrowed, but must be read in the Bibilothek, as it is a research Bibilothek. There is also a library store where you can buy gifts or souvenirs for your loved ones.

Very close to the Bibilothek you can discover different spots, like the Blue Bottle cafe, where we were told that the espresso there is supposed to be good, or the steakhouse STK Midtown. So you don't have to be afraid of wandering around hungry :)

The Staten Island Ferry with a view of the Statue of Liberty and the skyline

The next day the weather was already better and so we decided to make a small boat trip with the ferry.

It's called the "Staten Island Ferry" and you can use it for free. It runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week between Manhattan and State Island. You have a great view over the Manhattan skyline and can catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, albeit from a distance. If you get bored, you can also go to the small cafe on board and have a drink there. On the island, however, there wasn't much exciting to see for us, apart from shopping, but for us the main reason for taking the ferry was to see the skyline from the water. However, to see the Statue of Liberty up close, you must purchase a Statue of Liberty ticket to visit Liberty Island.

If, like us, you visit NYC in the cooler season, the good news is: The ferry only takes about 25 minutes in both directions, so you can warm up inside and it doesn't get too cold outside in the long run.

I hope you enjoyed the little trip to the library with the two marble lions in front of it. For me it was definitely a highlight of this holiday. I think it was because of the whole atmosphere inside and the appearance and even maybe the lions;). Have you ever been to such an impressive library? If I come back to New York in the near future, I will definitely take a few hours to enjoy reading there. Admittedly, at home I'm more of a home learner, but this location just gets your book heart going, doesn't it?:D
I hope you all have a nice weekend!