IWalked Audio Tours

IWalked New York City’s Grand Central Terminal (Graybar Passage)

scott — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:33:03 +0000

While on our Lower Midtown tour we hit upon a number of the highlights within Grand Central Terminal, one locale we were unable to visit due to time constraints was the Graybar Passage. This was an unfortunate omission due to time constraints, but that is the beauty of a blog. There are no time restrictions to share some added travel tips.

The Graybar Passage, if you are unfamiliar, is the hallway which connects the Main Concourse within Grand Central Terminal to the Graybar Building located on Lexington Avenue. To find it, all you need to do is look for the sign that reads, “Tracks 17 to 11 Graybar Passage”. While walking about one-half of the way down it, you will come upon an example of some wall murals that were done by WPA artists in the 1930s. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a government program started by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression and in an effort to create jobs for artists.

This mural located within the Graybar Passage is one of the last paintings remaining from the WPA effort as most were painted over during prior restorations. This work is titled “Transportation and Construction” and is by Edward Trumbull. Trumbull is most famous for another mural which he painted inside the nearby Chrysler Building. Depicted within Trumbull’s mural are various images to depict technological progress including wagons, trains and airplanes.

Website: http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/info/walkingtour.cfm

Address: 89 East 42^nd Street, New York City, NY

Cost: Free for self-guided tour. MP3 tours are available for download (www.myopheo.com) or rent at the “GCT Tour” window in the Main Concourse for $4.99.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Lower Midtown. (Purchase the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWalked New York City’s Grand Central Terminal’s Eateries

scott — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:45:45 +0000

While we spent a significant amount of time exploring Grand Central Terminal on our Lower Midtown tour, we unfortunately did not spend enough time to allow us to enjoy one of the numerous restaurant offerings located inside. The largest selection of eateries (and most reasonably priced) is located within the Lower Dining Concourse. Here you will find over twenty fast food alternatives. What you will “not” find however is McDonalds, KFC or any other national chains, as all of the restaurants are local to New York City.

One restaurant that is as popular to explore for its decorative exterior as its food, is the Oyster Bar. Located just outside of the restaurant’s main entrance is a series of diagonal arches covered in guastavino tiles (named for the name who invented them, Raphael Guastavino). Each tile is approximately 6”x12” and less than an inch thick.

The other attraction outside of the Oyster Bar is its infamous Whispering Gallery. If you and a friend each stand at one of the arch ways and speak to each other while facing the wall, you will hear the other person speak without any difficulty.

Lastly, if you’re feeling a bit more extravagant, located just south of the East 43^rd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue entrance is a bar known as the Campbell Apartments. This 3,500 square space was once the office of John W. Campbell, who served on the New York Central Board of Directors. For a period subsequent to Campbell, the room functioned as the terminal’s jail. The former cell is actually located where the bar now resides. Today, the Campbell Apartments serve a more prestigious clientele and is known as one of the most romantic locales within all of New York.

Website: http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/info/walkingtour.cfm

Address: 89 East 42^nd Street, New York City, NY

Cost: Free for self-guided tour. MP3 tours are available for download (www.myopheo.com) or rent at the “GCT Tour” window in the Main Concourse for $4.99.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Lower Midtown. (Purchase the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWalked New York City’s P.J. Clarke’s

scott — Sat, 12 May 2012 20:44:02 +0000

P.J. Clarke’s is a historic New York City saloon which has serviced after work patrons and many more since 1884. The current restaurant/bar is named for one of its former owners, an Irish immigrant named Patrick J. Clarke. Clarke was not the original owner though. He spent approximately ten years working here before he acquired the business from the prior owners and renamed the saloon.

The building is rather nondescript looking as a two-story brick box, but it is the history that draws many patrons here. It was here that Buddy Holly first proposed to Maria Elena Santiago in 1958 on the couple’s first date. Other famous regulars have included Jackie Kennedy Onassis who would bring her children here for lunch, and Frank Sinatra who had his own designated table (number 20) for his frequent visits.

P.J. Clarke’s building is a holdout from construction of the 47-story scraper which neighbors it at 919 Third Avenue. During the skyscraper’s construction in the late 1960’s the top two floors of P.J. Clarke’s had to be removed from its original four-story structure. Now inside the top floor (on the second level) is a separate semi-private dining area called the Sidecar. The Sidecar is a bit more formal than the ground floor bar which still features a historic flavor with its wood-paneled walls, tin ceiling and chalkboard menu. A relatively new addition to the ground level is its raw bar where you can now get fresh oysters. If oysters are not your thing, P.J. Clarke’s is best known for its bacon cheeseburger, suitably dubbed “The Cadillac.”

The historic saloon underwent some financial difficulties in early 2002 when it actually shut down for a period of time. Just when many feared that P.J. Clarke’s may go the way of other historic pubs such as Chumley’s, an investor group swooped in to save it just a year later. Amongst the names in the celebrity-ridden investment group were the likes of George Steinbrenner, Timothy Hutton and Bernie Madoff (prior to his 2008 arrest at least).

The locale here at 913 Third Avenue is the original P.J. Clarke’s location, although the saloon’s popularity has spawned a small franchise. Currently there are two additional locations here in New York (near Lincoln Center Plaza and the World Trade Center) and sites in Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., and Sao Paulo, Brazil. When asked about plans for further expansion in January 2010, its owners commented that no significant plans were underway although there is a potential Boston franchise on the horizon.

Lastly, those who frequent our tours know that we like to help our listeners recall instances of popular culture via sites visited on our walks. P.J. Clarke’s has both appeared and been referenced on multiple occasions as a popular watering hole in the television series Mad Men. Movie fans may recall a team of bartenders from P.J. Clarke’s in an intense competition versus the Coyote Ugly team in 2002. And hard core fans of the Dave Matthews Band may recognize an unreleased track from the 2005 album Stand Up, titled, “Stolen Away on 55^th & 3^rd.” This song is reportedly about a former love interest that Dave Matthews met in the bar.

Website: http://pjclarkes.com/55-street-location.php

Address: 913 Third Avenue, New York City, NY

Cost: $$

Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30 am – 3 am

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper Midtown. (Purchase the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWalked New York City’s Plaza Hotel

scott — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:11:08 +0000

The Plaza Hotel is as equally famous for its luxurious rooms as it is for the numerous famous persons and movies that have been associated with it. In 1964, when the Beatles came to America for a six-day visit, they stayed here. In fact, it was in one of the penthouse suites where Bob Dylan introduced the young Beatles to their first experience with marijuana. In 1992, Macaulay Culkin was once again Home Alone in the sequel where his parents manage to once again lose him. Long-time New York resident (and the owner of the Plaza Hotel at the time), Donald Trump even played a cameo in providing Macaulay’s character directions. During filming, crews had to remove the lobby carpeting to allow Macaulay to slide across the room and avoid some chasing staff. During this process, Trump was exposed to the underlying original tile of the building and never replaced the carpeting afterwards (although later renovations took care of this). Michael Douglas and his lovely wife Catherine Zeta-Jones were married here in 2000. And lastly, fans of the fictional band Stillwater from the 2000 Cameron Crowe flick Almost Famous may recognize the Plaza as where the infamous Penny Lane overdosed and young William Miller saved her life.

Regarding the Plaza itself, the original hotel was built on the site of the former New York Skating Club in 1890. This building was demolished in 1905 for the current 250-feet tall structure which was designed by the same man responsible for the nearby Dakota, Henry Hardenbergh. It was named for the Grand Army Plaza of Central Park near which it resides. The building style may be best described as resembling a French Chateau. When it opened, individuals could rent one the hotel’s eight-hundred rooms for as little as $2.50. As of 2012, the best rate for a room goes for approximately $595 per evening.

Today, you Plaza Hotel serves two functions as both a prestigious hotel or and private condominium with 152 units. Of the 282 available hotel rooms, approximately one-half of them are actually owned as virtual time-shares where someone has paid for a period of usage of approximately 120 days. If the room prices are a bit extravagant for your pocket book, Afternoon Tea in the Palm Court is a classy alternative. Afternoon Tea is offered daily from 2pm-5pm.

The Plaza Hotel recently celebrated its 100^th birthday with a grand celebration on October 1, 2007. The festivities, which were even attended by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, included a 50-piece orchestra and fireworks.

Website: http://www.theplaza.com/

Address: Intersection of Fifth Avenue / Central Park South, New York City, NY

Prices: $$$$

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper Midtown. (Purchase the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWalked New York City’s Friends Apartment

scott — Sun, 06 May 2012 14:50:35 +0000

Today’s destination at 90 Bedford Street, while home to a popular Mediterranean restaurant named The Little Owl, is best recognized to millions as the apartment where Rachel, Monica, Chandler and Joey lived for 10 seasons in the hit television series Friends. Although the exterior is viewable in nearly every episode, little else from the show was filmed in New York City. No interior shots were done here and even the famous intro which features the full cast frolicking within a fountain was filmed at the Warner Brothers studio in Hollywood (reportedly at 5am in the morning).

The comedy ran for 10 seasons (September 22, 1994-May 6, 2004) and 236 episodes. The series originally was known via a series of other names including, “Across The Hall”, “Insomnia Café”, “Six Of One”, “Once Upon A Time In The Village”, and “Friend Like Us.” The latter name was eventually shortened to its final name. When casting for the show began, Matt Le Blanc (who plays Joey Tribbiani) was desperate for the role as he was down to his last $11. He got off to a bit of a bad start though when the night before his audition he fell on his face after a long evening of drinking which left him with some tough to explain cuts and scabs.

All turned out well for our Friends though as the group of actors cast for the series became a close knit group in real life as well. Supposedly before filming the cast was known to hang out together and play Scrabble or poker to relax. One co-star who felt a bit intimidated and left out from the group’s tight bond was Tom Selleck. Selleck was reported as feeling a third (or seventh in this case) wheel when the cast would huddle together before each episode and he was left as a casual observer.

The impact of Friends on culture is still relevant and sometimes overlooked. Catch phrases such as Joey’s pick-up phrase, “How you doin’?” may still be heard at bar-time in most parts of the country. Less the show’s social impact was put to a real test via a linguistics professor at the University of Toronto. In his study the professor confirmed that the mannerism of Chandler Bing and his emphasis on the word “so” (aka-Friends is “so” the best comedy on television.) made this the most emphasized intensifier used in the English language. How many shows can say that?

Other quick hits and fun facts regarding Friends:

Each twenty-two minute episode took approximately six hours to film.
Courtney Cox originally auditioned for the part of Rachel before producers convinced her that she was more suited for Monica.
David Schimmer was reportedly offered the lead role in Men In Black before he turned it down and the role was offered to Will Smith.

Website: http://www.iamnotastalker.com/2008/01/09/the-friends-apartment/

Address: 90 Bedford Street, New York City, NY

Cost: Free.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Greenwich Village. (Purchase the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWalked New York City’s Galleria – Site of Conor Clapton Tragedy

scott — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:35:59 +0000

The fifty-seven story Galleria was built in 1973 as the city’s first mixed-use property (i.e.-partly used for commercial and residential purposes). It was originally designed by David Kenneth Specter solely for office use, however, when it became apparent that the market at the time already had a glut of unrented office space, the plans were quickly modified. Today offices occupy the first eight stories with the remainder of the building containing apartments.

The Galleria is named for its spacious seven-story atrium and has been owned by magician David Copperfield since 1997. Mr. Copperfield still maintains a residency on the building’s upper floors. The unusual looking penthouse atop the Galleria was originally designed for an heir of General Motors, Stewart Mott who had the unit built to his specifications and then just never moved in.

In 1991, the Galleria was the site of a tragedy for legendary guitarist Eric Clapton. It was here that Clapton’s four-year-old son Conor fell to his death from the 53^rd floor. After years of attempting to have a child with his former wife Pattie Boyd, Clapton had his first son with an Italian model named Lory Del Santo on August 21, 1986. After his son’s birth, Clapton struggled to come to grips with what it meant to be a father and bond with his child. It was sadly just the night before his son’s tragic death that Clapton began to connect with Conor. They had just returned from a day together on Coney Island when Clapton was quoted as saying, “I now understand what it means to have a child and be a father.”

On March 20, 1991 Conor was playing hide-and-seek with his housekeeper, with both his mother and maid also present in the apartment, when he went to hide in one the bedrooms. He approached a 4’x6’ window that the housekeeper had left open slightly to air out the room she had just finished cleaning. As Conor leaned outward near the window he heartbreakingly leaned too far and fell out atop the roof of the New York Geological and Biographical Society building.

While everyone acknowledges the incident as both a tragedy and gut-wrenching accident, the facts around how this may have happened are even sadder. To begin with, the window in question did have a lock on it; however, it had been broken and never replaced. Furthermore, while New York City law requires that all apartment windows have guards placed on them; a city ruling in 1984 exempted condominiums. Hence, qualifying under this exemption, the Galleria had not been required to install window guards on the building.

The loss of his first son was obviously an incident which scarred Clapton. In an attempted mode of therapy, Clapton has written multiple songs on the subject including “Lonely Stranger” and “My Father’s Eyes.” His song “Circus,” from the 1998 album Pilgrim was written about the last time he saw his son having taken him to Coney Island. And of course, the most recognized song is the 1992 ballad “Tears in Heaven” which won three Grammys.

Website: http://www.eric-clapton.co.uk/interviewsandarticles/loryinterview.htm

Address: 117 East 57^th Street, New York City, NY

Cost: Free.

IWalked New York City’s White Horse Tavern

scott — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:37:41 +0000

The White Horse Tavern is a famous pub and watering hole within the Village that dates back to 1880. It replaced a restaurant that was formerly located here and called the James Dean Oyster House. The White Horse has always been a popular hangout for writers and artists such as Woody Guthrie, Frank McCourt (author of Angela’s Ashes), Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, and Jack Kerouac. However, it is best known as being the site where famed Welsh poet Dylan Thomas reportedly drank himself to death.

Thomas came to New York in 1953 to participate in a performance of his most famed work, “Under Milk Wood,” about life in a small, Welsh fishing village as seen through the eyes of blind Captain Cat. On November 3, 1953, after fighting off illness induced by bouts of drinking and city air pollution, Thomas returned for another evening at the White Horse Tavern. He concluded his evening around 4am where he was overheard telling the barkeep, “I’ve had eighteen straight whiskies. I think that is a record!” After stumbling out the front doors, Thomas returned to the Chelsea Hotel where he was staying at the time. It was here that Thomas was discovered having fallen into a coma later that day.

Upon discovery of Thomas’ body, he was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital where he would eventually pass away. The owners of the White Horse, when questioned on the amount of alcohol Thomas had in actuality drank the prior evening, they attested the amount was actually only a fraction of that which was boasted by Thomas. An autopsy confirmed that Thomas had not passed away via alcohol poisoning but, in fact, due to a combination of a number of other factors including pneumonia, a case of undiagnosed diabetes and an excess of morphine taken to treat various symptoms. Surprisingly the autopsy also showed that Thomas’ body showed little ill effects from his days of excess drinking.

Today, the White Horse Tavern still pays their respects to their former favorite patron. Inside there is various memorabilia commemorating the writer, including multiple portraits through out. In addition, every year on the anniversary of his death, the White Horse serves Thomas’ last meal as a special menu edition. While the tavern serves as a living tribute to Thomas, some say the poet never really left and his presence still occupies his former booth on occasion.

The White Horse Tavern was the site of tribute for one other famous individual late one evening on March 5, 1982. When he was notified that his dear friend John Belushi had just passed away, Dan Aykroyd popped his head in just long enough to buy the whole bar a round of free drinks.

Visitors of the White Horse should note that the bar does not accept credit cards and only accepts cash.

Website: http://nymag.com/listings/bar/white_horse_tavern/

Address: 567 Hudson Street, New York City, NY

Cost: Free.

Hours: Sun-Thu 11am-2am; Fri-Sat 11am-4am

IWalked New York City’s Grand Central Terminal (Helleu Constellation Ceiling)

scott — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:05:19 +0000

If you glance up one hundred and twenty feet at the domed ceiling within the Main Concourse of Grand Central Terminal you will be admiring the golden constellation painting of French artist Paul Cesar Helleu. Helleu, who was best noted as a portrait artist, painted two thousand fifty hundred stars in a constellation pattern said to reflect the skies as they appear during the months of October to March. Upon its completion purists noted that Helleu had mistakenly painted the sky’s image reversed from reality. Upon discovery of this fact, the Vanderbilt family (likely in protection of the commission which they had paid for) kindly pointed out that the sky appeared accurate in the eyes of God above, which was the most important thing.

The painting was restored in recent years to ensure that future generations may continue to enjoy it. As part of the restoration effort, however, a small section was left as a gentle reminder of the pollution which threatens all of our public arts if we don’t take care of them. This unsanitized area may be viewed in the northwest corner of the concourse near the entry to track 30.

Website: http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/info/walkingtour.cfm

Address: 89 East 42^nd Street, New York City, NY

Cost: Free for self-guided tour. MP3 tours are available for download (www.myopheo.com) or rent at the “GCT Tour” window in the Main Concourse for $4.99.

IWalked New York City’s First Baptist Church in the City of New York

scott — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:33:55 +0000

The First Baptist Church is an intriguing architectural building that is wrought with Biblical symbolism. It was designed by architect George Keister in 1891 and constructed primarily of an Indiana limestone. Prior to designing the First Baptist Church, Keister was best known for his theater designs such as the Apollo Theater. His design was selected out of twelve submitted designs and is constructed in an Italian Romaneque style.

To describe the church, the initial focal point is the large central square tower. This tower has the letters FBC carved just above the doorway and a magnificent stained glass rose window just atop the entrance. Ironically when the church was first built the roof was also constructed of stained glass before its obvious lack of practicality forced it to be replaced. Continuing to work our way up the tower though, you see two dates emblazoned into the stone. The first date on the left (1745) was when the congregation was founded. The latter date to the right (1891) signifies when the current church was erected. Above the dates are two unequal mini-towers. The taller tower here on the left is said to represent the church’s leader, Jesus Christ. The smaller complementary tower on the right appears to be incomplete, although this is because it was intentionally left so. The tower was intentionally left unfinished until the second coming of Jesus. There are two additional shorter towers just to the left and right of the central tower. These are meant to symbolize the Old and New Testaments.

Getting into the history of the First Baptist it originated in 1745 and had its first church on Gold Street in Lower Manhattan. The preacher of this original church was a man by the name of John Gano. That building in which Gano provided his sermons in was unfortunately nearly destroyed by the British during the Revolutionary War and its remnants used as a stable for British troops. Upon conclusion of the war, however, George Washington returned to its site and asked John Gano to baptize him there. That event is memorialized via a series of paintings now located within the Gano Chapel. The paintings are actually replicas as the originals reside in William Jewell College in Missouri. In addition, to the Washington baptism paintings, you will find a gift from General Washington to Reverend Gano which was a sword that was re-gifted by Washington whom had originally received it from General Marquis de Lafayette.

Website: http://www.firstbaptist-nyc.org/

Address: 265 West 79th Street, New York City, NY

Cost: Free.

IWalked Audio Tours To See This Site: New York City’s Upper West Side. (Purchase the MP3 tour here. iPhone application tour is available here. Please note, all NYC tours are now available as in-app purchases upon download of our FREE NYC Lite application, which includes a free 1.5 hour tour of a portion of the Upper West Side.)

IWalked New York City’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral

scott — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:17:17 +0000

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Church designed in the Gothic Revival style, and is the home of the Archdiocese of New York. The land on which St. Patrick’s was built was originally purchased in 1810 for $11,000 for the purpose of a Catholic school for boys. The school was subsequently sold to the diocese just four years later where the property was planned for usage as a cemetery. In 1850, all of that changed when John Hughes, the first Archbishop of New York, decided to make New York the home of the largest cathedral in the United States. The cathedral would serve as a future home of worship to the ever growing population of Irish who had migrated to the United States in masses during the Irish Potato Famine during the late 1940s and early 1950s. When Hughes first proposed the construction of the significant structure it was dubbed as “Hughes’ Folly” because it was deemed too large and too far on the outskirts of the city.

To build St. Patrick’s, Hughes sought the man who was already famous for his design of the Smithsonian Castle in Washington D.C., James Renwick, Jr. Renwick, who attended Columbia University, had not even studied architecture in school but learned the trade from his father who was an architect. James provided his plans for the cathedral in 1853 but work would not commence for five more years. Construction was further delayed in 1861 when the Civil War broke out and the project was temporarily halted. Building started again in 1865, however, the cathedral was not formally dedicated until May 25, 1879. Further additions to the church would continue over the course of the next thirty years including the spires (1885-1888) and the Lady Chapel (1906). Despite the elimination of some of Renwick’s original concepts such as a centralized tower, flying buttresses and a stone ceiling, costs for the building still came in at some $850,000 for construction of the exterior alone.

Renwick’s resulting structure was said to emulate the Basilica of St. Clotilde in Paris, France. It is designed in the shape of a crucifix with walls of white marble and contains two spires that extend 330 feet high. The great rose window which resides over the entrance measures some twenty-six feet in diameter. The Lady Chapel, situated along Madison Avenue, is constructed in a 13^th Century French Gothic design and contains an eight foot tall copper statue of the Virgin Mary atop it. Both the main Cathedral and the Lady Chapel formerly contained more elaborate carvings along their exteriors. There used to be fifty-one niches along the exterior that each contained a statue. Currently only two of these statues remain along Fifth Avenue (one of St. Joseph and the other depicting the Immaculate Conception). All of the remaining niches had to be filled after World War II due to holes and cracks in the masonry that were forming due to the large amount of construction occurring within the area at the time. It was around this same time that the gargoyles which used to reside atop the Lady Chapel also had to be removed.

One ornate detail that remains and is not to be overlooked is the set of bronze doors which grace the front entrance. These 20,000 pound bronze doors were designed by Charles Maginnis of Boston and sculpted in Brooklyn, New York. It is said that the design took eighty-two weeks with the efforts of forty-four men to finish the work. And finish the work they did on December 23, 1849. Carved within the doors you will find the figures of St. Joseph (in the upper left hand corner), St. Patrick (in the upper right corner), and St. Elizabeth Seton on the lower right.

If you happen to walk by St. Patrick’s at either the hours of 12pm or 6pm, you may be lucky to hear the tones of the nineteen bells that reside within the church’s northern tower. The bells were cast in Savoy, France and installed in 1897. The heaviest of these bells weighs over three tons. And, although you cannot view the bells, they are said to each contain a Latin poem inscribed on it.

Free daily tours of the interior are offered on a biweekly basis. Times for these tours do vary so please check the St. Patrick’s Cathedral website for days and times if you plan to visit. Doors are open most days 6:30am-8:45pm where you are free to explore at your leisure, as some 5.5 million others are said to do on an annual basis. One element not to miss is the Great Kilgen Organ that contains some 7,855 pipes and dates back to 1930.

Of course, you are also welcome to attend one of the many mass services offered here at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The massive structure seats on the upwards of 2,200-2,400 people at any one time. St. Patrick’s, at various times, has held its share of memorable services here including requiem masses for the likes of Robert F. Kennedy, Babe Ruth and Vince Lombardi. And in addition, has conducted special memorial masses for former Yankee Joe DiMaggio and artist Andy Warhol.

Website: http://saintpatrickscathedral.org/

Address: 460 Madison Avenue, New York City, NY

Cost: Free.