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Once the heart of hippiedom, this block still has a counter-culture feel and is headquarters for the East Village youth scene. Sidewalks are crowded until late into the night with patrons of funky, punky bars and shops selling music, books, T-shirts, vintage clothing, beads, posters, and black leather everything. The place to get pierced or tattooed.

The second-oldest church in New York stands on land where Peter Stuyvesant, governor of Dutch New York in the 1600s, had his private chapel. Stuyvesant is also buried here. In the 1960s it served as one of the city’s most politically committed congregations and continues to be on the avant-garde edge.

These fine houses, originally known as the King Model Houses, went up in 1891 when Harlem was a neighborhood for the gentry. Three architects, including McKim, Mead, and White, managed to blend Renaissance, Georgian, and Victorian styles and create a harmonious whole. Successful African-Americans moved here in the 1920s and 30s, giving rise to the nickname Strivers’ Row.

America’s largest Catholic cathedral is a place more than 5,000 people worship every Sunday. When Archbishop John Hughes decided to build a cathedral here in 1850, many criticized the choice of a site so far from the city’s center at the time. Today his foresight has given the church one of the best locations in Manhattan.

Manhattan’s oldest church was built in 1766 as an “uptown” chapel for Trinity Church and took on added importance while Trinity was being rebuilt after the great fire of 1776. The chapel was modeled after London’s St. Martin-in-the-Fields and has been kept as close as possible to its original form.

A 6-ft (2-m) kinetic porpoise welcomes you to this interactive playground exploring water, insects, and visual and performing arts.

A free ride with fabulous views of Manhattan. St. George Terminal buses go to Staten Island’s sights (see Staten Island Ferry Ride).

The African Savannah at Twilight is a highlight. Other top sights include the Tropical Forest and Serpentarium.

Opened in 1967 as an artists’ studio, the organization expanded to become an important center for work by black artists. A local bank donated space for the present building, which opened in 1982 and has undergone a major expansion that will add more gallery space, an enlarged sculpture garden, an auditorium, and a café.

An interior inspired by the Paris Opéra is one of the glories of this 1907 Beaux Arts beauty, boasting a magnificent central hall with marble stairways and ceiling mosaics. The façade features statues representing justice, the seasons, commerce, and notable New Yorkers, as well as figures depicting the stages of life.