Reading is usually a private experience, and there’s nothing like curling up in your favorite chair with a good book. But perhaps just as rewarding, and maybe even inspiring, is cracking open a book in a reader-friendly public space. The overheard conversations, the fresh air, the smell of coffee — all this can enrich your journey through the pages.
The D.C. area is full of such opportunities, indoors and out. To that end, we asked local indie bookstore owners, book influencers, literary agents and readerly types to share their favorite places to get lost in a book.
Museums and a monument
Laurie Gillman, the owner of Capitol Hill’s East City Bookshop, likes to take a book to one of D.C.’s free museums, find a quiet gallery surrounded by masterworks and sit down to read. The Garden Court in the National Gallery of Art’s East Building is one of her favorite spots.
Gillman is not alone in choosing museums as a reading retreat. Jessica Berg of the Rosecliff literary agency in Arlington loves spending time at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. “When it’s chilly out, the options are more limited, but I love spending time at the Hirshhorn,” she says. “It’s weird and funky, and the cafe is really good.”
The undulating, climate-controlled glass atrium at the National Portrait Gallery’s Kogod Courtyard also garnered top marks with the literary crowd as a perfect place to read in public.
“It’s a nice, bright spot to settle in with a good book,” says Ally Kirkpatrick, the owner of Old Town Books in Alexandria.
The National Portrait Gallery also plays host to a monthly event in its Great Hall for the D.C. chapter of Reading Rhythms, an organization that stages “reading parties,” gathering bibliophiles to read silently together beneath the grand room’s vaulted ceilings.
“You look up and it’s beautiful artwork above you on the ceiling,” says Reading Rhythms D.C. host Ellen Le. “And as the sun sets, it creates very romantic lighting.”
When the weather’s nice, book lovers can’t go wrong camping out on a bench or on the grass on the National Mall or in the National Gallery’s Sculpture Garden, and spending the afternoon reading and people-watching.
But for a more under-the-radar location, Lelia Nebeker, a book buyer at One More Page Books in Arlington, recommends the National Japanese American Memorial in downtown D.C. as a tranquil place to read. “Fair warning, there’s not a lot of back support, but it’s a beautiful place,” she says.
Bookstores and libraries
Two of D.C.’s most famous bookstores — Politics and Prose on Connecticut Avenue NW and Kramers Bookstore at Dupont Circle — have in-house cafes, where no one will get annoyed if you linger at a table while reading. Christine Dickason, half of the book influencing duo @twochaptersapart on Instagram, enjoys the Den Coffeehouse and Wine Bar at Politics and Prose, noting that you’ll find “good coffee, fellow bookish people and an entire bookstore right above your head if you finish your current read.”
Book Instagrammer Morgan Menzies of @prettylittlebookshelf is Team Kramers, where, she says, “nothing pairs better than your current read and french fries.”
Quill & Crumb, the Hogwarts-esque cafe at the Folger Shakespeare Library, is Gillman’s go-to reading spot. “What could be more perfect than reading while surrounded by Shakespeare’s works and spirit?” she says.
Kyle Burk, co-owner of Capitol Hill Books near Eastern Market, doesn’t mind if readers set up camp in the mysteries section on the second floor of his shop.
“Each of the windows in the room has a chair and a lamp in front of it so the light is good, you’re surrounded by thousands of books, and it’s a nice quiet spot. I’ve taken many a break in that space in the company of whatever novel I’m reading,” he says.
Lisa Varga, associate executive director for public policy and advocacy at the D.C.-based American Library Association, calls out the cozy, pillow-strewn window bench at Friends to Lovers romance bookstore in Old Town Alexandria as a perfect reading nook. But on warm days, you’ll find her on the rooftop deck at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown D.C.
“There’s ample bench space,” she says, “whether you want to hide among the native plants in the garden or grab a seat with a city view. It’s private, serene and safe, and you’re supporting our libraries with every visit.”
Cafes and bars
Coffee shops are a natural fit for polishing off a chapter or two of your latest read. Little District Books owner Patrick Kern calls out As You Are on Capitol Hill and the Coffee Bar in Logan Circle. “Both of these are really just great vibes and great people,” he says.
Gillman, of East City Bookshop, likes to stop at Peregrine Espresso on Capitol Hill on her way to or from her store. “It’s small, so it’s best during off times when it’s not too crowded,” she says.
Book Instagrammer and content creator Talia Cadet supports Grounded, a Black-owned plant shop, cafe and wellness studio in Southeast Washington for both its matcha and its greenery. “I love being among the plants while I read. It brings a relaxing energy,” she says.
In Maryland, Amy Joyce, a former Washington Post editor who now co-owns Wonderland Books in Bethesda, sticks close to her store for a reading break at nearby patisserie Tout de Sweet or smoothie destination Rooted3. In Virginia, Nebeker likes to settle in one of the wingback chairs at Falls Church’s Cafe Kindred.
“But if you can’t manage that spot, you can sit at their bar with a book while European soccer plays silently on the TV,” she says.
Want a glass of wine or a cocktail with your reading material? The team at Lost City Books in Northwest Washington recommends All Souls in the Shaw neighborhood and Lapop in Adams Morgan, where, according to book seller Ben Lenox, “it feels like a big family gathering in which I’ve found a cozy corner to listen to the chaos but not have to participate.”
Lupita Aquino of @Lupita.Reads on Instagram likes to read at the cozy bar at Little Coco’s in Columbia Heights, particularly during its $36 aperitivo hour. For Emilee Saigh of @Emsspicybookshelf, Mount Vernon Triangle’s La Betty is a reading destination day or night, with pastries in the a.m. or natural wine in the evening.
The great outdoors
Basking in the warm sun and fresh air is even better with a book. When Adam Waterreus, owner of Lost City Books, wants to read outside on a beautiful day, he heads to Kalorama Park and settles in next to the flower garden.
Lost City associate Melina Rowin favors different outdoor reading spots for different seasons. “I like to sit along the Valley Trail in Rock Creek Park and read during the fall when the leaves are crunchy,” she says. “I also love laying a blanket down in Fort Reno Park during late summer because it is just so wide open — I am never bothered.”
For Morgan Menzies, Meridian Hill Park (also known as Malcolm X Park) is her reading spot of choice, picnic blanket in tow. The vibe at the park is like a backyard hang for the whole neighborhood, as families and kids meet up for playdates, friends toss a Frisbee or kick a soccer ball, and the Sunday afternoon drum circle, Menzies says, serves as a “live soundtrack.”
The gazebo in Takoma Park near the town center is a favorite spot for Mylo Garrin, event manager at nearby People’s Book. “It isn’t too far from some of my favorite restaurants for when I get hungry, and it’s just around the corner from our store so I can pick up a new book if I finish mine while I’m out.”
For water views, book influencer Kelsi Pilcher of @balancedbookshelf loves to head to the Wharf in Southwest Washington, grabbing gelato from Pitango to eat while reading near the yachts docked on the Potomac River. “I’ve caught a few sunsets, too, and reading as the sun goes down is such a nice treat to myself at the end of the day,” she says.
Finally, for a truly unique reading spot, Burk of Capitol Hill Books combines two pastimes: baseball and books.
When there’s a lull in the action at Nationals Park, he’ll pick up a book. “I’m one of those people who take a book to baseball games, purists be damned,” he says. “At this point, I’ve seen the Presidents Race hundreds of times — I can take those couple of minutes to get some reading in.”
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