Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The Strand Central Park Kiosk

These are the Central Park kiosks for the giant discount bookstore called, Strand Bookstore. The small kiosks line the edge of the park along 5th Avenue at 60th Street. I don't know how much business they do here but they are definitely a beautiful sight for the eyes. It reminds me of the book and antique print vendors lining the Seine River in Paris.

So where do you get most of your books -- from the bookstore, online or the library?

17 comments:

dianne said...

I work for Barnes & Noble... I love books!

tapirgal said...

It really is a pretty sight. I think I've come full circle - in my earliest days I got books at the library and the occasional paperback at the drug store when my allowance gave me enough change. They had a rack with classics, oddly enough, and we had no bookstore in town. Later, I loved bookstores and sought them out. Eventually when Amazon.com came along, I bought them there. Now I'm mostly back to book stores. I adore used bookstores especially and always have. Some places I've lived have had excellent ones. We had a used bookstore in Astoria that I really liked and it had a good art section, but the people retired. Lately I haven't had so much time to look. Portland has one of the biggest used bookstores in the world. The question is, when do I find the time to read anything on paper any more? Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Cheers, Ming! Nice post.

Anonymous said...

Hi there!

I usuallay buy my books online (amazon) 'cause it's easier to rummage in! =)

Greetings from Berlin

a big N.Y.C.-Fan

Anonymous said...

Hi "Ming," ... shot on the walk is neat. I like books in spite of the fact that five minutes of reading puts me to sleep. And, I buy books from Strand. All used books as I recall. They have 18 miles of books. I bet you knew that already.

Laurent said...

You're right it looks like what we call "Les bouquinistes" on the Paris Seine river banks (http://dailyphotoparis.blogspot.com/2009/03/bouquiniste.html).

Elizabeth said...

Dear Ming!
How are you?
where are you?
I got a kindle as a Mother's Day present so, maybe I'll get all my books over the web soon....

Meg said...

Danger! Danger! Potential financial damage coming up!! Take away my wallet now!

teahouse said...

I love those kiosks! They are very pleasing to the eye.

And it's interesting that you thought that my friend's evil wife was Asian ;o)...She actually wasn't!

Jane Hards Photography said...

I'm with on the France thing. All three for me for books and second hand stores. Just love leafing through smelly old books.

valeria said...

You're right, they are a bit like the "bouquinistes" in Paris (hope my spelling's right)!!
I like to buy my books in a couple of favorite bookshops here in town... I like to browse about and leaf through the pages. Although, sometimes I happened to use Amazon for books I couldn't find here.

Alexa said...

Well, I bought one from this exact Strand kiosk not long ago!
Nice shot, Ming—I wish we had even more "bouquinistes" here, don't you?
I also find great bargains at half.com.

Anonymous said...

So Paris.... love this photo. Did not know about the area. Another on the list for my next visit to NYC.

I buy from amazon online and from Barnes and Noble neighborhood store.

Doris

Hilda said...

How perfectly lovely, to be able to browse through books in a park!

thwany said...

i'm usually an amazon guy because the books are so cheap there compared to paying full price at the store.

Laila said...

so cute, it's like a little house.

Kinokuniya is the ultimate place for books here, borders comes second

lemon said...

...beautiful sight for the eyes... Right!

I buy books from some favorite bookshops usually, but also recently I buy used ones, very cheap, from ebay.
Have a nice day!
(Lucky you, to live in NY!!!)

Unknown said...

It does reminds me of the book stalls along River Seine.

If I am patient, I wait for the library to stock it. If not, I usually get my books from the physical store. Usually Kinokuniya. ;-)