Peaceful Places to Read in 6 Busy Metropolises
By: Copper Books
Tags: New York City, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Summer Reading

With summer upon us, travel season is in full swing. After more than a year of little to no travel, flight frequency is up. According to the TSA, there were more than 1.95 million air travelers the Friday before Memorial Day, which is the highest number reported since the onset of the pandemic in the U.S. in March 2020.

If you are headed out to visit a major city to seek out adventure, we did the legwork for you and found great places to read in some of the world’s largest and most famous metropolises. Good books should travel with you; just because a city is busy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have time for quality and quiet reading.

Here are peaceful places to read if you decide to take your summer reading with you to a major city:

1. New York City: The Gardens at St. Luke in the Fields

No cell phones (nor smoking nor pets) are allowed at this beautiful green haven in the middle of NYC. Located in West Village, the Gardens at St. Luke in the Fields is the perfect serene oasis to enjoy nature and read. With more than two-thirds of an acre of walks, the gardens provide a home to a plethora of flora and fauna that thrive due to the gardens’ heat-retaining brick walls.

2. Paris: Parc Monceau

As tourists flock to Paris during the summer season, most head to famous places like the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, or The Louvre. A hidden gem in the City of Lights is the Parc Monceau. The garden is peculiar in that it was designed to resemble an “English style”: an informal layout, wide walkways, and scattered statues. The public park offers free WiFi and is a great place to disconnect from the hustle of the city to read.

3. Los Angeles: The Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens

Located in the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles, The Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens is the perfect place to spend an afternoon taking in nature. Grab a book and have a picnic in the gardens, near the ponds, or at any of the benches throughout. There is a $20 entrance fee for the public garden, but its 120 landscaped acres of space with more than 14,000 varieties of flora certainly do make it worth the ticket price.

4. London: Barbican Centre

A well-kept secret, the Barbican Centre is the perfect place for a moment of respite in London. The building’s high walkways, music library, and indoor tropical conservatory make it a haven in the middle of a bustling city. Nicknamed a “tropical hidden oasis,” the Barbican Centre’s Conservatory is the second largest in London and admission is free.

5. Boston: Boston Athenaeum

Located on Beacon Street, the Boston Athenaeum is a private, members-only library that is as old as Boston itself. The public is only allowed on the first floor. Don’t worry though because the first floor offers reading spaces and access to beautiful art galleries.

6. Milan: Leonardo’s Vineyard (Vigna di Leonardo in the Casa Degli Atellani)

Historical accounts say that Leonardo da Vinci would spend his afternoons amongst the vineyard’s grapes when he was not painting the Last Supper just down the road. Although damaged during WWII, Leonardo’s Vineyard has been restored to its former glory and is now a great place to find quiet in Milan. Entrance to the hidden gem requires a small fee but is totally worth it to walk where Leonardo once did!

Where do you go to read in your favorite major cities? Are there any hidden gems that are perfect for a summer read? Share them with us @meetcopper so we can continue to share them with our Copper Community.

Photo by Rahadiansyah on Unsplash