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The 59-story Citigroup Center, built in 1978, was New York’s first Postmodern skyscraper. The rakish, triangular top never served its original purpose as a solar panel, but it did make the building instantly recognizable. An open base on four tall columns and a reflective aluminum-and-glass exterior give the building an airy quality despite its huge size.

The seat of city government since 1812, City Hall is considered one of the most beautiful early 19th-century public buildings in the U.S. The design, by architects Mangin and McComb, Jr., won a competition held in 1802. A statue of Justice, dating from 1887, crowns the top of the structure. The rear of the building, facing north, was not clad in marble until 1954, since the architects never expected the city to develop further north.

Built in 1802–12, this Georgian building with French Renaissance influences is one of New York’s finest. The interior features a rotunda circled by Corinthian columns, opening to twin spiral marble staircases.

This tiny Bronx outpost on Long Island Sound was founded in 1685. The boatyards are a forest of masts, and the main street is lined with seafood restaurants and nautical bars. The North Wind Institute Museum is full of nautical lore.

Many clubs have party nights. Sunday nights, for example, are big at Splash, Friday nights at Crobar, Saturday at The Roxy, Sunday at Avalon. The Cock is lively all week. Venues and days change, so consult the press for current happenings.

One of America’s oldest universities, noted for its law, medicine, and journalism schools, Columbia was founded in 1754 as King’s College. It moved in 1897 to its present campus, designed by Charles McKim with lawns and plazas on a serene terrace set apart from the street. Notable buildings include McKim’s 1898 Low Library, and St. Paul’s Chapel with three windows by La Farge.

One of the largest building projects in New York’s history is transforming this neglected urban plaza into an important public site. The redevelopment has attracted national and international businesses, such as giant media company Time Warner, which now has its headquarters in an 80-storey skyscraper. The new building contains shops, entertainment, restaurants, and the Mandarin Oriental hotel. It is also the new home of Jazz at the Lincoln Center, the world’s first performing arts facility dedicated to jazz. Other buildings in Columbus Circle include Hearst House, Trump International Hotel, and the Maine Monument.

Chinatown’s only park was created in the late 1890s as a result of the campaigning of newspaper reporter Jacob Riis and other social reformers. It filled a stretch of the city that at the time was New York’s worst slum, where Riis reported a stabbing or shooting at least once a week. Though it features more concrete than greenery, the park is popular today, filled with Chinese kids at play, mah jong players, and people practicing tai chi and martial arts. On the weekends, Chinese fortune-tellers sometimes set up shop in the park.