Where New York's writers love to lose themselves A statue of Robert Burns in New York's Central Park We stayed at the Gramercy Park Hotel on Lexington Avenue. A friend of mine, the Canadian novelist Ronald Wright, once stayed there in the Eighties. "When I asked about the blood on the carpet in the foyer," he told me, "they said it was from the stabbing the night before." But that was back when this was a seriously scary town. The modern Gramercy Park Hotel is emblematic of New York's transformation since those days: interiors designed by Julian Schnabel and a Damien Hirst butterfly picture on the wall in the darkened foyer. As a location for exploring literary Manhattan, it cannot be bettered. A short cab ride from the Gramercy is one of the best areas for a writers" pub crawl, Greenwich Village, where we met another New York-based British writer, Caryl Philips. We started at the White Horse Tavern, where Dylan Thomas drank himself to death in 1953. With its tin roof and wood-panelled walls, it's a classic New York pub. We sat in a corner by a window, beneath a plaque dedicated to Thomas, and Caryl told us that the Welsh poet reputedly drank 18 whiskies straight before staggering on to the street and later dying, according to the medical reports, of "an insult to the brain." Later, we decamped to the North Square bar on Washington Square (where Henry James set his novel of the same name). North Square is one of those intriguing, hidden bars that New York specialises in, with no obvious signs. We went past a doorman who greeted Caryl by name, down the stairs to a smart basement room with no windows. The bar snacks there were great for soaking up the vodka. The Plaza Hotel, where Truman Capote held his Fifties balls Later, Jill and I moved on to Café Loup in the West Village, where we met Lauren Cerand, an independent publicist and specialist in literary social networking. Salman Rushdie doesn't just hang out at parties: he currently has 392,870 followers on Twitter. Café Loup is the place that editors and agents go to discuss deals, and Lauren told us it hosted the National Book Critics Circle "after-after party." It also serves a great Manhattan cocktail, strong enough to insult your brain several times over. Literary New York is not all about drinking strong liquor; there's beer, too. Every other bar or pub hosts literary evenings, free to all, and among the most relaxed and enjoyable are those at the Half King restaurant in Chelsea, founded by Sebastian Junger, Scott Anderson and Nanette Burstein. The night we went, Richard Zacks, a native New Yorker, was promoting his book Island of Vice, about Theodore Roosevelt's stint as police commissioner in the 1890s and his doomed attempts to clean up the town. Punters, publishers and authors were listening to the reading, eating and drinking at the same time. Why can't literary London pull off evenings like this? As one of my new friends put it: "You Brits invented pubs and have great literature. It's surprising you don't combine the two more often. The Gramercy Park Hotel The other combination that went down very nicely was literature and coffee, particularly after a night out. A few blocks from the Gramercy is the trendy, studenty area around Union Square. This houses expensive restaurants such as the Union Square Café and Gotham Bar & Grill. But there's also a plethora of juice bars and cafés where your average impecunious writer will feel much more at home. The NewsBar on University Place is a café with rolling news on three television screens above the counter and racks of periodicals, everything from Oprah Winfrey's O to Time magazine. A great hangover cure is a warming bowl of split-pea or lentil soup, which will set you back around $5/£3, and nobody minds if you sit at one of the shared wooden tables with your laptop or notebook for hours on end. So far, our jaunt around literary New York had centred on downtown but, if your budget allows, you should head uptown to the Plaza Hotel, where Truman Capote hosted his famous black-and-white balls, for afternoon tea at the Palm Court. We were served by the urbane Thomas, who has worked there for 41 years. As he topped up our champagne glasses, he quietly told us that the matronly lady in the yellow T-shirt at the neighbouring table was Aretha Franklin. Coming out of the the Plaza, you are right on the edge of Central Park, where you can wander down the Mall, the "literary walk," with its statues of Shakespeare and Robert Burns. New Yorkers are fond of declaring Central Park their touch of sanity in a bustling town. The amazing thing about it, though, is not that you escape the city but that it is ever-present. Lift your head from the greenery and you see the great grey and brown rectangles of skyscrapers all around, a dizzying reminder of everything New York has to offer. Paul Auster's Quinn is not depressed by the thought of being "lost in himself" on his endless New York walks. On the contrary: "On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere... New York was the nowhere he had built around himself." Everyone tells you that the best things about New York involve sociability, but that's only partly true - one of the best things is walking the blocks, pretending you are on the way somewhere when in fact you are simply losing yourself in your own diminishing sense of perspective. I bet it's that, as much as all those parties, that Rushdie loves about New York. New York's other literary haunts The White Horse Tavern Sit by the window beneath the plaque that commemorates Dylan Thomas. Just don't attempt to beat the poet's intake of 18 whiskies. North Square A basement bar with no obvious signage and great snacks to soak up the booze. Try the Spanish tapas sampler, $20 (£13). 103 Waverley Place (212 254 1200; northsquareny.com). Café Loup A French bistro and bar where literary professionals hang out and the cocktails are strong enough to make you suck your cheeks in. 105 W 13th St 212 255 4746; cafeloupnyc.com. The Half King Bar and restaurant founded by Sebastian Junger (author of The Perfect Storm) and friends. The weekly Monday Reading series has become a Chelsea institution. 505 W 23rd St 212 462 4300; thehalfking.com. NewsBar One of the many café hang-outs in the alternative Union Square area. Demos and farmers" markets are thrown in, and the window sign reading "counterperson needed" will cause you momentary confusion. 107 University Place (212 353 1246). The Plaza Hotel The venue in the Fifties for Truman Capote's black-and-white balls, and the setting for the children's classic Eloise at the Plaza by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight. Afternoon tea at the Palm Court is a treat, and you won't need much dinner. "The Classic" or "The New Yorker" teas cost $50 (£30) per person or $70 (£45) with a choice of champagne; the waiter, Thomas, is generous with his refills. Fifth Avenue at Central Park South (001 888 850 0909; theplaza.com). New York essentials Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie (£25) is published in hardback on Tuesday. Louise Doughty flew to New York with British Airways (britishairways.com): economy return from £444 or from £579 including three nights in a hotel. She stayed at the Gramercy Park Hotel (001 212 920 3300; gramercyparkhotel.com; double rooms from $450/£280 a night). New York city break guide Read our complete guide to New York capital. Overview New York's best hotels Attractions Restaurants Nightlife Shopping 36 hours in New York Our destination expert Douglas Rogers lived in New York for many years, first in Manhattan, now in Brooklyn. He writes regularly for the Telegraph, the New York Post and Travel & Leisure magazine.