8. Three Lives and Co., a Writer Hotspot in the West Village

Small, friendly, and homey, Three Lives and Company is everything you could wish for in a cozy independent bookstore. Located in the corner of a brick building in Greenwich Village on West 10th Street and Waverly Place, its selection is small but diverse.

Three Lives and Co. has been a neighborhood staple in the Village since 1968. After having an almost-closure in 2016 due to sale of the bookstore’s building to a new owner, community members rallied around the shop and it stayed open.

Offering everything from new releases to niche genres and classic literary staples, it has not only a great variety of literature, but is a favorite spot for renowned authors. Writers Zadie Smith, Oliver Sacks, and Patti Smith were/are frequent patrons of the store. 1999 Literature Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham even called it “one of the greatest bookstores on the face of the Earth”, and said it always makes him “feel rejuvenated”.