New York Public Library - Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

The New York Public Library sits behind Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, in a Greek-style building over a hundred years old that is known for its lion statues. Visitors can enter for free and look around the first-floor exhibitions, the third-floor reading room, the cafe, and the gift shop. General viewing in the Rose Main Reading Room is open only from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., and entry during the rest of the day is through tours. Visitors cannot actually read books there.