New York City Morningside Heights

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave., between 110th and 113th St. (www.stjohndivine.org), The largest cathedral in the world, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is not your average Gothic church. Take a closer look at the beautiful stained-glass windows in the nave: one depicts a human skeleton and another shows an antique television. You can look as closely as you want at these windows by taking a Vertical Tour, which allows you to climb to the top of the cathedral's 124 ft. spiral staircase and even stand on a buttress (it's not a dirty word). (Call }866-811-4111 for more information.) The cathedral provides a venue for hundreds of concerts, most of them free or with a suggested donation. (Call the box office at }212/932-7347 for schedule information.) Outside of the cathedral, the Children's Sculpture Garden features works by artists in kindergarten through high school. Suggested donation $3. Open daily 7am-6pm. Services M-Sa 8, 8:30am, 12:15, 5pm, Su 8, 9, 11am, 4pm. Wheelchair access.
Columbia University, Morningside Dr. and Broadway, from 114th and 120th (www.columbia.edu), Originally chartered as King's College in 1754, the university changed its name during the American Revolution. President Seth Low moved the campus from 49th and Madison to its current location in 1807, feeling that the then-farmland would be a less distracting, “healthier” environment for students and professors. The majestic Low Library is named after Old Seth. Pupin Hall, just behind the library, is the site where the first atom was split, the first x-ray photo in the United States was taken, FM radio was developed, and of course, the “maser,” the awkwardly named precursor to the laser was invented. Groups of 12 or more should call Visitor's Center at Low Library open M-F 9am-5pm. Tours 11am and 3pm, information sessions for prospective students 1hr. before. Wheelchair access.
Grant National Memorial, Near the intersection of Riverside Dr. and 122nd St. (www.nps.gov/gegr), Ulysses S. Grant led the Union troops to Civil War victory, served as Commander-in-Chief of this fine nation from 1869-1877, and once received a $20 speeding ticket for riding his horse too quickly down a Washington street. Well, this is where he chills now, in his own personal granite casket, next to his wife Julia, who also has her own personal granite casket. The upper level contains a miniature museum with Grant artifacts and memorabilia, including the commemorative spoon that was distributed during the cornerstone laying ceremony in 1892. Free. Open daily 9am-5pm. Tours at 10, 11am, 2, 3pm.
Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Dr., at 120th St. (www.theriversidechurchny.com), If there's one thing they love in Morningside Heights, it's Gothic architecture. The architects who designed Riverside Church were particularly influenced by churches in Chartres, Barcelona, and Gerona. A photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave his legendary speech condemning the Vietnam War here in 1967, can be found in the Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Wing. The Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon, containing 74 bronze bells and filling five floors, was given to the church by John D. Rockefeller in memory of his mother. Visitors can hear the bells on Sundays at 10:30am and 3pm. Another gift from John, Heinrich Hoffman's famous Christ in Gethsemane of 1890, hangs in the Gethsemane Chapel. Meet in the 1 balcony. Free. Open M-Sa 9am-5pm, Su 1-5pm. Services Su 10:45am. Tours after Su services. Wheelchair access.