4. Housing Works Bookstore, 126 Crosby St

This wood-lined room at Housing Works Bookstore has floor-to-ceiling books, many for just a dollar. You can enjoy a beer or wine from its café while you devour your latest find in a bohemian, welcoming atmosphere. It also has excellent evening events; everything from concerts to Moth story-slams. Try to track down Kafka Was the Rage: A Greenwich Village Memoir about the Beats, as Ginsberg would have loved this place.