3. Alabaster Bookstore, a Glimpse into Book Row

Just one short block from the crowded Strand lies another independent bookstore—smaller, quieter, and cheaper. Alabaster Bookstore features unbeatable deals, such as $2 outside books, stacks full of books labeled $5, and first-edition secondhand titles for about $10-$13.

What’s interesting about Alabaster is that, even though it only opened in 1996, it is the last independent bookstore on Fourth Avenue, formerly the legendary “Book Row.” While all the other bookstores on the block relocated decades ago due to skyrocketing rent (even the neighborhood Strand), Alabaster has moved in.

The bookshop is smaller than most, but is packed with volumes, and their fiction section especially is large and diverse. Along with secondhand classic fiction, they also stock contemporary fiction, how-to books, religious texts, comic books, poetry, art history books, and so much more.