Joan Didion's New York: A Guide to Her Life in Manhattan’s Upper East Side

Beloved American writer and journalist Joan Didion called Manhattan's Upper East Side home for most of her life. On this walking tour, we’ll scout out her former homes and haunts while exploring their connections to specific passages from her writing. You’ll get a sense of the neighborhood where Didion lived and worked—first, as a young writer in the 1950s and ’60s, and then again, from 1988 until her death in 2021.

The tour starts on 5th Avenue outside the Knickerbocker Club, where Didion liked to dine on Dover sole. You’ll go on to the Colony Club and then the Barbizon Hotel, where Didion lived in 1955 upon first arriving in Manhattan. After strolling up Lexington Avenue, you’ll stop at Didion’s long-time home across the street from St. James’ Episcopal Church. The city and her apartment feature strongly in her later works, including The Year of Magical Thinking.

As we walk in Didion’s footsteps, we’ll pass by Three Guys, a diner that she frequented for breakfast. I’ll also point out her favorite grocery market, Marche Madison, as well as her go-to restaurants, Via Quadronno and Sette Mezzo. The tour ends at the Carlyle Hotel where Didion usually stayed during the 1970s and ’80s when she was based in L.A.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

• Find out how the Barbizon Hotel became a home for Joan Didion and many other young women who arrived in New York City alone from 'elsewhere' with a suitcase and a dream
• Grab a coffee or buy a book at New York’s Shakespeare & Co. bookstore
• Hear some gossip about a squabble between neighbors Nelson Rockefeller and Richard Nixon
• Pass the building that remains one of the largest unobstructed spaces in the city (and also includes the oldest balloon shed in the United States), the Park Avenue Armory
• Let Didion's writing about her homes in this neighborhood fill your ears as we walk by them

Whether it's your first time in New York City, or you're a long-time resident (as I am) who wants to learn about its more recent, perhaps lesser-known history, let me introduce you to this historic neighborhood. All the while, we'll explore the life and work of one of its more prominent former residents, the American writer Joan Didion.

Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour for this walk. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants (including some enjoyed by Didion herself) along the route for a quick (or lengthy!) stop.