New York Society Library

From our department on East 63rd Street to the New York Society Library on East 79th Street, there are only 16 blocks - a mere 50 meter walk. As we passed Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue, we were surprised by the old houses, which we expected to find in other neighborhoods like Chelsea and Soho, but not here. These houses are like the ones we'd seen in London near Victoria station, with a door that is reached by climbing four or five steps and a service door leading to the basement. An interesting contrast were the huge modern trucks taking goods to department stores and other businesses. If the

The New York Society Library is the oldest cultural institution in Manhattan. It was founded in 1754, when the city was still functioning as the capital of the United States. Its special collections include books from private libraries of John Wintrope and Lorenzo Da Ponte. This library has moved four times, and can currently be found on the Upper East Side, located in a beautiful Renaissance-style building that was once the mansion belonging to Roger S. John. Is a non-profit organization and has about 300,000 volumes, more recordings and various publications and magazines of all kinds.