New York Public Library

Last Wednesday on my day off I took a trip to the New York Public Library.


The NYPL is the third largest library in the U.S. It took 11 years to finish before finally opening, to be free forever to the public, in 1911.

The entire classical building is made of marble and brick. Three feet of marble.



Busts of the architects and philanthropists abound.


The entrance is breathtaking.

Of course, they check your bags at the entrance. A New York thing I guess. But look at everything! Marble! I felt like I was visiting a palace.

A palace of books.


Even the DRINKING FOUNTAIN was marble, with a lion watching over you.

My favorite part about the library though, weren't the thousands of books and dozens of exhibits. What I couldn't get enough of was the ceiling and how ornate everything was. The smallest details weren't overlooked.




The famous reading room:


The CEILING of the reading room:

I wasn't able to spend much time there, but it was fun just walking around and exploring instead of just sitting in my apartment reading or cleaning or something. I've resolved to do one fun thing a week on my day off -- whether it's visiting a museum, a park, an art exhibit, or a famous building. There's too much to do in New York, and sometimes I forget that I'm actually here. I need to make the best of it!