A discreet little stairway on St. Nicholas Avenue leads to a quaint and unexpected cobblestone street of 19th century wooden rowhouses.

This enormous Hindu temple in Queens serves incredible dosas in its basement canteen.

This wall on a street corner in Lower Manhattan has been a blank canvas for a rotation of renowned artists since the 1980s.

The oldest living tree in Manhattan comes shrouded in sinister legend.

Volunteer-run library dedicated to exploring five decades of activism history.

The end of the 4 Line is also the end of the line for 300,000 souls in one of NYC's most illustrious cemeteries.

Hordes of precariously balanced stone figures crowd the shores of the Hudson River.

A hidden "place of interment for gentlemen."

This innocent-looking townhome is actually a subway exit.

Built as a gift to the hottest tastemaker of the time, these hidden quarters remain an Art Deco showpiece.

Spinning silently in the lobby of an Art Deco masterwork is a massive vintage model of the Earth.

A clock set into the concrete outside a Manhattan jeweler has been telling time underfoot for over a century.

The fanciest public restroom in New York City boasts fresh flowers, art, and a classical music soundtrack.

Blighted Irish field and the ruins of a 19th-century cottage on the edge of urban Manhattan.

New York's oldest and possibly grandest keeper of books.

A quiet and contemplative oasis in the middle of New York's bustle and riot.

Long the exclusive domain of birds and vagabonds, this little-known Central Park peninsula is open to the public once more.

Nikola Tesla's former home contains an homage hidden from plain sight.

A living archive of urban activism and space reclaimed.

Curious crustaceans support an obelisk from ancient Egypt that now stands in modern-day Central Park.

Wine bottle sculpture with a ship's stateroom inside.

A Manhattan courthouse hides a small but scathing memorial to Holocaust injustice.

A bit of retro transportation flair preserved in the world's largest department store.

Detailed facade of a brownstone in Boerum Hill.