New York Public Library - Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

[This review is about the Polonsky Treasures exhibition]
So if you have time to see this, see it. We were surprised at what stood out most to each of us (even though all of the pieces are pretty fantastic in their own right), for example: the Anna Atkins cyanotypes, the Pooh stuffed animals, the photo of John and Alice Coltrane. It's a "small" exhibit, and we spent about 1.5 hours going through it, reading the stories and descriptions. Among the absolute best free - but ticketed - things one possibly could do in NYC.

The Polonsky Exhibition of the Treasures of the NYPL is a must see. Original Gutenberg bible, Shakespeare First Folio, first editions and manuscripts of numerous masterpieces, centuries old historical and religious texts, photographs, Winnie the Pooh… get timed tickets online in advance.

Wow! Such a beautiful library! I wish I got a few more photos to show off how beautiful this library is. I was so impressed with the inside and the outside detailing is just as impressive.the bathroom was immaculate so crystal clean. No funky smells just clean:)

The most beautiful, wonderful, functional and incredible historical artifact in NYC. It’s a place to learn, explore and study… I can’t say enough good things. Never pass up an opportunity to visit.

This building is a classic architecture and with the Treasures exhibition, is the best place to visit in NYC.

Beautiful library to go visit in NYC. Given how much of a tourist attraction it’s become, I wish they had a more of a greeting or a map for people visiting for the first time. Otherwise, a cool, relaxing place in the heart of the city to go to to escape the bustling sounds and hot summer weather.

Fantastic visitor experience. I came as a tourist so my review focuses only on this perspective. I specifically wanted to see the Polonsky exhibition (basically the library's "best of" and displaying the broad range of holdings). Very high quality exhibit, as you would expect. Exceedingly rare documents and books, but also things you might not expect (sculpture, costume, posters, toys). It is "only" one (large) room, but I easily spent 2 hours. I listened to about half the audio tour. It covers about 30 items in the exhibit. Nicely done, not too short but not too long.

Shout out to staff at the exhibition: extremely nice and helpful.

Came here for the architecture, which is stunning, but ended up enjoying the library so much more than we imagined. The little outdoor seating area in front of the building is reminiscent of Paris. We ate a snack out there. When we went in we were pleasantly surprised to find the free exhibit. Treasures. We spent about 1.5 hours on the exhibit. My teenagers loved it also. Plenty of great artifacts to keep us all interested. The signage is great. No need for audio tour (if no headphones on you) or the brochure (save the Earth). This should be on all tourists itinerary!

Great selection of books, but there was a blonde young adult sleeping with a letter, which I found weird. He probably missed his flight or something.

Beautiful Library and a great place to work. However, the bathrooms are really old and kinda dirty and need work. They're also really strict. They asked me and others to take water bottles off the table. They do bag checks every time you enter/leave a section of the library.

Awesome place, but if you see a blonde guy with a brownish jacket on, holding a letter while sleeping, please wake him up! He’s about to miss his flight to Japan!:)

Very hard to navigate, but looks nice. Can’t find any books, it’s more of a museum than a library

Majestic and beautiful place with a huge salons for reading and investigate, it worth the visit when you come to New York