Just your average Marie Antoinette–themed speakeasy in an abandoned 19th-century subway tunnel.

The French deconstructionist had a weakness for baked goods.

One of the city’s oldest watering holes was originally the home of a famous James Brown (not that one).

Established in 1937, the oldest candy shop in New York City boasts a rainbow-colored inventory that would make Willy Wonka envious.

A Wisconsin kitsch palace from the 1930s lives its second life in 21st-century Brooklyn.

Home to a dizzying array of letterpress blocks with a rich history.

Unusual books about food and drink abound in this 19th-century New York townhouse.

In the middle of suburban Staten Island, a nearly 150-year-old bakery is preserving the art of a disappearing New York treat.

The first museum in the United States dedicated entirely to posters.

Historical figures from New York City's Catholic community reside in Midtown.

Slyly buy a shake in the Parker Meridien lobby.

Love, knishes, and best wishes from this legendary Lower East Side bakery.

Behind a bodega is a small museum of relics and ephemera showcasing the history of New York.

The oldest surviving bridge in New York City, which reopened to pedestrians in 2015.

A hip bar decorated with walls of golden skulls.

Under a glass sidewalk lie the remains of some of Manhattan's oldest buildings.

A Pythagorean funhouse that tries, successfully, to prove that math is the coolest thing ever.

Hidden in Central Park's Ramble is a troublesome cave buried just beneath the surface.

Elevated freight railway turned wildly successful urban park.

This lower Manhattan bar is set up in an old bank vault that rests beneath a skyscraper that hides even more historic splendor.

New York's oldest magic store.

A treasure trove of artifacts, books, and artwork from the "golden age" of exploration.

Amid the bustle and noise of the Financial District hides a secluded garden oasis above the city streets.

A crumbling hospital from the 1850s on Roosevelt Island.