Travel

Field Trip: Pickwick Book Shop

 in Bookcase / Books / Travel by

Pick Wick Book Shop

So I went to visit this adorable bookshop called Pick Wick Book Shop in Nyack, NY. It’s an absolutely adorable place and I had driven by it once and fell in love immediately and just had to go check it out. The outside, as you can see, it just so quaint and something out of a story book. And then….you walk in.

Pick Wick Book Shop

This is the first thing that you see when you walk in. BOOKS EVERYWHERE! I mean, I honestly was overwhelmed when I walked in. I had no idea where to go first and what to look out. There were just thousands and thousands of books. Also you were smacked in the face with the smell of books. You know, that musky kind of smell? It was quite overpowering. To me, I loved the smell, but my mum had said that she didn’t love it as it was just too much. But for me, I was in heaven.

Pick Wick Book Shop

I am guessing the ceilings were about 10 feet high or so and the books literally went from floor to ceiling. There were a few bookshelves that actually had books on them on a few of the walls, but some of the walls were just stacked books…EVERYWHERE! I mean it would be a little bit troublesome if you wanted a book towards the bottom of the pile. I struggled to get a book that was only 5 books from the top of a pile that was taller than me.

Pick Wick Book Shop

I mean this was absolutely incredible! To say it was disorganized was an understatement but that was what gave it the charm and what I loved. This wasn’t a place that you really go in looking for a specific book. This is a store that you go in to explore and see what you can possibly find.

Pick Wick Book Shop

There were books there that you expected, such as popular books and travel books and such, but I found so many books that were obscure and just interesting to flip through. I easily spent 40 minutes in here and that was just as a short visit. It was a little hot in there so I had to leave as I was overheating a little bit. It would be better to visit in cooler weather.

Pick Wick Book Shop

I also had a wonderful chat with the owner as I was buying a book.

“Pickwick Book Shop first opened its doors in 1945 and has been owned and operated by Jack Dunnigan since 1975. Jack first visited the bookstore as a young boy at its original location on Main Street. After acquiring the store in 1975 at its current location on South Broadway, Jack has been able to maintain the only lasting local bookstore in the county.”

-From Pickwick Books

He’s such a sweet man and really loves books. He knows his stuff and loves local book places and we had a wonderful chat about these bigger chains. But I was very interested to hear that he’s not worried about his business and the competition from the bigger places because he knows that there will always be people who want the smaller bookstore and as his place is a single store, he believes he can survive. And I am sure he will as there were quite a few people in the store which made me so happy!

Pick Wick Book Shop

Pick Wick Book Shop

Overall I absolutely loved this place and if you are in the Tri-State area, I highly recommend checking out as you won’t regret it. And it was right on the Hudson River and near a wonderful little park where you can stop to watch the water.

Also if you are in the area, you must stop at the Arts Cafe in Nyack which is just down the road. It is run by the towns local library, The Nyack Library, and in this old little house. It’s the PERFECT date spot and has the best coffee ever! You have to get the Cappucino as it’s beautiful! Even if you get it to go.

If you ever stop by Pickwick Book Shop, let me know what you think! You won’t regret it and it’s an amazing experience!

Happy travels!

Field Trip: Amazon Books – Brick and Mortar Review 2

 in Books / Travel by

As you may have heard, Amazon has become part of the tangible world. They now have bookstores! And one has opened near me. So of course, as a book lover, I had to go check one out. What did I find?

Field Trip: Amazon Books - Brick and Mortar Review

So my first impression was that this place was huge. It looked massive from the outside. However when I got in it did have quite a cozy feel. I was quite impressed to find seating places that people could sit down to read the books, but there weren’t tons of those kinds of places. It seemed some people were actually reading the books and others were checking through before they bought.

As you can see the bookstore is neat. Everything is placed specifically and there is absolutely no mess in the store. Don’t get me wrong, I do love organization but this was just too organized. There was no mess and not a single book was out of place. That was just a little bit strange. While places like Barnes & Noble are organized, they are tightly packed and there are so many books to choose between. This one was so much more simple and organized, only displaying popular books. And these books were popular on Amazon’s website, not overall.

Field Trip: Amazon Books - Brick and Mortar Review

It was certainly pleasing to the eye, don’t get me wrong. I would be able to come in, easily find what I want and then leave. It was built for the purpose of being efficient. Not making people stay for hours and look over tons of books and then find something exciting that they hadn’t gone in with the intention of getting. Sure, I saw books that looked good. But when books are messy, it’s the title that get’s me and I pull out so many more books that I would not have ever looked at. Here you see tons of covers, some you didn’t intend to look at, but it’s so much more streamlined and not about digging and finding something special.

Field Trip: Amazon Books - Brick and Mortar Review

They did have this interesting section of “if you liked…you will like”. In a small bookstore I would think this was cute. However here, it was like I was viewing it online. It just didn’t sit right with me.

Field Trip: Amazon Books - Brick and Mortar Review

Also, there were NO prices. On the places where price tags would be, there was the name of the book and the top rated review of the book. But to get a price, you had to take it to a scanner where you would see the regular price and the Prime priced item.

Field Trip: Amazon Books - Brick and Mortar Review

Also a lot of the books were only like 3 or 4 books deep. There weren’t tons of a book out. Sure, that is to make it look better, but I like seeing more books out. Not a display book and like 2 or 3 others for purchasing.

Field Trip: Amazon Books - Brick and Mortar Review

They also had a section for basics. These things are things like headphones and chargers that you might need. Kind of like a mini Apple store section or something like that. I didn’t see the point of this…..and found it kind of silly. But…I mean, if it works…? Sure?

The first thing that is shoved down your throat when you walk into this store is their product, such as Alexa, Echo or the Amazon Fire. I really didn’t like that. Almost a quarter of the store was dedicated to THEIR product. I found this silly and unrelated. There were no other reading devices and no other options. Just their product. And I didn’t like that it was the first thing that you walked into.

Finally, the people working there didn’t give you a personalized service and weren’t willing to help you. They just were doing their job and weren’t there to give you suggestions. I stood looking at the travel books for a decent amount of time, and in a book store that size, someone should have come and asked if I needed help. But no one did. This kind of bothered me. It was just a lot of, “Are you ready to check out?” I didn’t like that. I like talking, I like talking about books and I love suggestions. I didn’t get that here.

Overall, while I will not deny that it was pleasing to the eye, it was not my kind of store. I prefer something messier and tightly crammed. While I go into a bookstore generally looking for something, I like to find things that I didn’t mean to find. That is what a bookstore is for!

I’d suggest checking one out, if you have one near you, but there are so many better bookstores out there that deserve your attention.

Keep it local and small guys!

 

 

Books Around The World (U.K and Poland) 2

 in Books / Food / Fun / Interesting / Travel by

So for my spring vacation I headed off to Europe, specifically the U.K. and Poland, for some family  matters however, while I’m so used to going there, this time I looked out for book related stuff. Because you know..book! <3

So near my little house by Manchester Airport, is a Waterstone’s in Wilmslow which is so adorable and very modern!

books of europe

I love visiting Waterstone’s and seeing all of the absolutely beautiful books, wonderfully organized displays, and it’s all so perfect there. Of course, I do love bookstores that are cluttered and smaller as well as they ave a more home-like feel, however Waterstone’s is very European and it’s know for being so precise.

books of europe books of europe books of europe

Additionally, England has this store called John Lewis. It’s kind of like a Lord and Taylor in America or an up-market clothing store, however they also sell things from furniture to cups, wallpaper and more! One thing they sell is this beautiful mug. It says “HURRAY! TIME FOR HOT CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS AND A GOOD BOOK.” You can purchase it here. I’m hoping to get it soon as it’s really big and so perfect!

books of europe

And what’s better than after shopping at Marks and Spencer (another clothing place) than going for tea and coffee and other yummy treats?

books of europe

Finally, when in Poland I stayed at the Hotel Na Polboru, which is a beautiful hotel outside of Sieradz, Poland. I do recommend checking it out if you ever are in that area. the food is fantastic. They also have this bookcase there, which I am assuming, you can borrow books from to go and read. Either way, it was a nice focal point.

books of europe books of europe

Also, there was a small bookstore in a shopping mall that had a nice selection of books. It was quite interesting to see all of your favorite book covers in other languages!

books of europe

And finally, my small home in the U.K. has a room stuffed with books which is always so much fun to go and pursue through. I always seem to find something new. My goal next time I’m there is to go through them all! And also reorganize as it’s a little messy xD

Overall, while there are many similarities between book shops in the U.S. and around the world, there are subtle changes that make each countries book niche unique.

When I head off to Japan this summer, I’m going to be stopping by one of the most famous book shops in Japan (which is just around the corner from where I will be staying), so that will be such an experience. I’ll also be trying to find other shops that sell books and hope to, over time, see many book places around the world and see how ever shop is unique.

(Question of the day) QOTD: What’s the most interesting book place you have visited, and why?

A Day In New York City – Books, Food and More!

 in Books / Fun / Interesting / Library / Travel by

Yesterday I went into the city with my mom for the day as she had found a Japanese book store and as I love Japan, the culture and am learning the language in university, we decided to go and check it out and tag on a bunch of other stuff too and it was absolutely an incredible day! It was a day filled with culture and books!

Muji in NYC

Our first stop was Muji（無地良品）which was a Japanese convenience store. It sold everything that someone would need in their house and it was absolutely fantastic! Almost all of the stuff in the store was made in Japan and it was honestly so organized and some of the products there were so useful. They had everything from clothing to bits of food to cooking wear to writing good and more. The store was really well set out, smelt soooo good and I felt like I had actually traveled to Japan while within the store. It had this detached feel about it because it was so calm compared to the hustle and bustle of NYC and it was refreshing and a fantastic experience. I know that I’ll definitely be going back. It’s located right within the New York Times Building.

 

The New York Times Building 620 8th Avenue (40th st.)
New York, NY 10018
Tel 212.382.2300
Store Hours
Mon – Sat 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Next, we headed to the New York main store of Kinokuniya Book Store which was the main reason of our visit and to say that I had a fantastic time would be an understatement. It was amazing!!!

It’s set on three levels, the level you walking in on being a regular book store with a Japanese edge, such as Japanese cook books, books pertaining to Japan and other bits and pieces, but a lot of the books were traditional books you’d find in a book store. But they also had some cool stands too. There were also little bits and pieces such as Japanese toys and little action figures.

One of the book stands

A really good phrase book

Neko Sushi

On the next floor was all the manga and it was actually really cool. I had never seen so much manga in one place except in anime’s and seeing all of this was kinda neat. すごい (awesome)!! I’m not into manga per se but I do appreciate seeing it all and having the experience and it was really awesome to see so many people looking at it and buying it. It did have a feel of being in Japan once again because of the types of people shopping there (a lot of Japanese people, and Asians in general as well) and also there was a small cafe in the corner selling traditional Japanese food like sushi and whatnot.

Lots and lots of manga!

Then when you went to the bottom floor, there were lots of gift things and writing utensils, such as calligraphy sets for writing in Japanese and magazines too on one half.

Good luck Japanese cats

Maneki-neko [招き猫] – Good luck cat

Then the second half of the bottom floor was Japanese books. They were books that were written in Japanese and dedicated just to people who could read Japanese and it was honestly so cool. I could only read a little bit of what were there but was able to get my English-Japanese/Japanese-English Dictionary (which I needed) and I found some fantastic books in the ‘learn Japanese’ section. They even had a teach yourself Japanese book that was manga style, so the book was accompanied by manga drawings. Definitely a fun way to learn the language!

Learn Japanese by Manga

A page from the manga book

 

I absolutely loved this book store and would go back for fun gifts as well as books later on and I do highly recommend checking it out as, while it does have books and is a book store, it is an amazing experience!

1073 Avenue of the America
(bet 40th & 41st St.)
New York, NY 10018
Tel 212.869.1700
Store Hours
Mon-Sat 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Sun 11:00AM – 7:30PM

After that, we were of course hungry, and so it was time to grab a bite to eat. We had previously decided that we were going to go and get ramen, try traditional ramen, and we had to find somewhere that did it. I had done some searching but I figured that we’d find somewhere once in the city as the area we were in had tons of Japanese food places. A lot of them were for sushi, but we found a small Japanese ramen place which had good reviews so we headed over. The place we found was called Tabata 2 (it is the smaller of the two restaurants which are only blocks apart). The outside was so basic that I was questioning whether to actually go in. It had a tiny entrance and it wasn’t that fancy.

Front of Tabata 2

Tabata 2

But we headed in and boy was I happy that we did. My mum and I both got ramen and it was fantastic. The food was incredible, the place was small, but it was so worth it. It had a lively atmosphere, the people who worked there were friendly, and the service was really good as well. My first bowl of traditional ramen was the best!

Tabata ramen!

My bowl of ramen

More ramen!

My mums ramen – the traditional Japanese one

557 8th Ave
New York, NY 10018
Tel 212.290.7691
Hours
11:30am – 11:00pm

After that we headed to the New York Public Library to have a look around. On the way they have something called Library Walk which is a bunch of plaques (if you are walking towards the direct front of the library from one block away) that have book quotes and just general quotes on them with incredible engravings. There are tons of them on both sides of the street and people stop to read them, pausing and taking a moment to reflect.

A plaque from Library WalkAnother plaque from Library Walk

Then, you get to the front of the library, which is extremely grand and beautiful!

New York Public Library

Inside, they had their Christmas tree still up and it was absolutely beautiful. It looked so real (I’m not sure if it was or not) but they had made it also look like it was covered in snow and it was gorgeous!

New York Public Library tree

The main room which we came to visit, the Rose Reading Room, was unfortunately closed for renovations but we walked around and were able to seem some of the incredible art work that makes up the ceilings.

New York Public Library ceiling

In the gift shop, they sold these amazingly cute necklaces (which I would buy as a gift for a book lover) and they were literally little books on a chain and were hand bound! I mean how cool, and creative, is that?!?!

Another view of book necklaces Book necklaces

Then, after that I was dying for a cup of tea because the ramen was kind of salty due to the soy sauce, and so we decided that it was time for tea, which is lots of fun. I found a small tea place around the back of the library, across from Bryant Park, called Maison Kayser. It was a Parisian little cafe and it was absolutely adorable and quaint and I loved it. The food was incredible, the atmosphere was great, and the place was beautiful. The best part is that everything is baked in-house and is all fresh! Which made it all the more yummier.

Maison Kayser in NYC

The bar where drinks were made

Tea!!!

Tea! I had English Breakfast, per usual

Small mousse cake from Maison Kayser

The wonderful and yummy dessert – chocolate of course

Walls in Maison Kayser

Wall decorations with lots of French words – very creative

Looking at entrance to Maison Kayser

Entrance way – so warm, cozy and inviting

8 West 40th Street (at Bryant Park)
New York, NY 10018
Tel 212.354.2300
Hours
Mon-Fri 6:30 am – 7:30 pm
Sat-Sun 8:00 am – 7:30 pm

To sum up, it was a fantastic day of many different cultures (from Japan to America (the library) to Paris as well), lots of yummy food, and of course, the best part, books! I do recommend checking all of these places out if you are in the NYC area any time soon because they are amazing and definitely worth a check out. It wasn’t terribly expensive but still the quality of everything was fantastic. And the best part is, is that it was all quite close to each other and easy to do.

NYC is definitely a place everyone needs to visit. I mean who doesn’t love a place with so many cultures and lots of book places too?!