Ode to the Corner Bookstore

I am leaving for New York City tomorrow morning, and was thinking about what my weekend's itinerary will include.  I go to New York enough to not feel the pressure of going to the MOMA and the Statue of Liberty, so that leaves me with the added pressure of trying to avoid the tourists like the real New Yorker I'm not. With that in mind, I stick to the streets where I engage in commerce.  The corner bookstore is the kind of place I can shop guilt-free, because, come on, I'm buying books. 

Located on 1313 Madison Ave (Upper East), this cozy nook of a book store isn't quite convenient enough for any college-attending students in New York.  It's crowd is primarily composed of old people living in the area.  My Grandparents used to live about two blocks up, and we would come here all the time when I was younger.  I never really got what all the fuss was about until it was featured in an episode of Sex and the City, prompting me to re-evaluate.  I soon came to realize that this tiny bookstore, where they only keep one copy of each book on display, is really a catch.  Even though they welcome babies and canines- two of gods creatures I don't particularly enjoy- I find the ambiance to be tranquil and warm.  People gather for book signings and readings with distinguished authors, all while being serenaded by flirty jazz through a somewhat vintage speaker system.

All my raving about the Corner Bookstore makes me just a tinge bitter, as I've come to realize that Boston lacks a cute, independent book store like this one, where the staff is all so friendly and knowledgeable and effortlessly chic in a very eco-friendly way. I have gotten to a point in my life where I find myself waiting to buy books in New York at the corner bookstore; primarily the ones that I feel will impress the sales people and will strike up an intellectual conversation.  For example: instead of Shopaholic and Baby, what I might gravitate towards if I was at a generic boarders, I subconsciously (not really) gravitate towards a random Jack Kerouac book (meaning one other than On the Road). The sales person then starts RAVING about Dharma Bums, at which point I have no choice to buy it, and, surprisingly, I am GLAD to do so!

Books feel different when they've been purchased at the Corner Bookstore.  Not only are they usually signed by the Author, but they are crisp and come with a special Corner Bookstore bookmark.  And, if that wasn't enough, The Corner Bookstore inspired the movie You Got Mail. Can you ask for more?