Several years ago, I followed a series of links on the Internet to discover Bookstore Tourism by Larry Portzline. I immediately bought the book. What I remember thinking as I read it is that were other people like me, people who looked for bookstores when they were traveling along with great restaurants and unique activities. In the “old days,” Larry also led organized tours to various stores. Well, happy days are here again! For the first time in years, Larry will be leading a bookstore tourism event to Greenwich Village. Here are the details:
On Saturday, October 9th, Larry is commandeering a chartered bus, picking up 50 bibliophiles in Harrisburg and Lancaster, and dropping them off at Washington Square Park with a map locating 23 area bookstores. Larry’s description of a few of the stores:
The stores include everything from the Strand, which advertises 16 miles of shelf space, to Bonnie Slotnik Cookbooks, just a few blocks away, which is the size of a living room but has a worldwide reputation. (No lie, she carries cookbooks from all the way back in the 1700s and has chefs and collectors from all over the world calling her.) Some other favorites: Three Lives & Company, Housing Works Bookstore Care, Books of Wonder, Partners & Crime . . . I could go on and on. Some new stores on the list: the Scholastic Store, the Taschen Store, and Idlewild Bookshop. It’s a fantastic mix of new, used, and specialty bookstores.
The bus leaves at 7PM giving the participants 8 hours of bookstore shopping time. This is the blueprint for my perfect day!
If you’re interested in joining this tour or learning about future tours, contact Larry through his website, via Facebook, or via Twitter.
Claire
Kim
