McNally Robinson Booksellers

two floors of an independent bookstore with the Prairie Ink restaurant tucked into the upper level, so you can browse, then sit down for a coffee or a meal without leaving. the shelves are deep and well-kept, the kids section is strong, and there is a calm to the place that is hard to find on a weekday afternoon. free author readings and events run most weeks, often with writers you would actually want to hear. it rewards an unhurried wander, the kind where you come for one book and leave with three. an easy hour, or a long, lazy one.