Library Tourism - Austin Kleon

Imagine a downtown area with small-scale parks, nice shops, clean and safe streets, and signage that encourages exercise. This is the kind of place where a family wants to bring kids, where retirees and college students alike want to socialize, and where street entertainers naturally gravitate to perform and get paid. These places exist in many cit

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Lately, I’ve been less interested in these web-discovery projects. Maybe we don’t need more libraries but more people who go to libraries—or zine fairs, independent bookstores, conventions, etc. In other words, maybe we need fewer websites randomly taking you to another website but more people seeking what inspires them. Spencer Chang and I wrote a... See more

The wonder of public libraries was not lost on Jack Kerouac, who wrote gorgeously about the NYPL in his journals—which, incidentally, I read in the NYPL. And, okay, yes, he was also writing about the Boston Public Library, which is lovely too.

ON BIG CITY LIBRARIES

The two big city libraries that I’ve had occasion to frequent, the one in Boston and

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But should you wish to enjoy more than what any color-coded travel guide promotes, or you’d just like to amuse yourself differently, I might suggest this alternate itinerary:

A day for carts and carritos, to begin, and a few days in pursuit of lemon-spiced beers in wooping cantinas. A week at least for museums, another for photographing art deco doo... See more