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New York has been home to some of the world’s most famous writers, and if you’re an avid reader there are plenty of spots in the city to retrace the steps of some of your favorite authors. If you’re looking for a unique way to see the city during your visit, visiting the neighborhoods that inspired some of the best writers in history is a great way to start. 

Mark Twain 

While you might automatically think of the Mississippi River when you think of Mark Twain, he spent most of his adulthood living in the city. He lived in a handful of different neighborhoods in the city, but reportedly his favorite home was at 14 West 10th Street in Greenwich Village. The building is a private residence, so unfortunately you can’t go inside - but you can still see the building from the street. The house is said to be one of New York’s most haunted - with 22 different ghosts living in the building, including the ghost of Mark Twain.

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman spent most of his life in New York City working as a journalist and editor. It is reported that he wrote much of Leaves of Grass in Brooklyn, and was inspired by the views of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. You can visit a plaque in his honor and his former home at 99 Ryerson Street. 

Edith Wharton 

Edith Wharton, author of The Age of Innocence, was born at 14 West Twenty-third Street in New York. Edith spent much of her early childhood in Europe, before returning to the city aged 10. She and her family would spend their summers in Rhode Island and her winters in the city on the Upper East Side. You can still visit her family home - and even go inside because it is now home to a Starbucks! 

J.D. Salinger 

J.D. Salinger spent almost his whole life in New York and was proud to be a New Yorker. Many of the scenes in his famous novel, Catcher in the Rye, were inspired by different locations in the city. You can visit his favorite pub in Greenwich Village, the Waverly Inn, his childhood home at 1133 Park Avenue, or his last known address in the city, 300 East 57th Street - one of the first luxury high rises on the Upper East Side. 

James Baldwin 

James Baldwin was born in New York City and spent much of his childhood moving between Harlem and Greenwich Village. He and his large family moved frequently throughout his childhood, but he spent a lot of time in the candy shop belonging to his auntie on 133rd St between Lenox and Fifth Avenues. After spending a decade in France, Balwin returned to New York where he eventually purchased a home at 137 West 71st Street which has now been listed as a New York landmark.

Thinking of visiting New York for your next vacation? The Hotel Beacon on the Upper West Side is the perfect base for exploring the city and enjoying everything NYC has to offer.