Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fifth Ave. at 42nd St.
&
212/930-0830
(exhibits and events) or 212/661-7220 (library
hours). www.nypl.org. Free admission to all exhibitions. Tues-Wed 11am-7:30pm.
Thurs-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 1 to 5pm. Subway: B, D, F, V to 42nd St.; S, 4, 5, 6, 7 to
Grand Central/42nd St.
United Nations
In the midst of New York City is this working
monument to world peace. The U.N. headquarters occupies 18 acres
of international territory—neither the city nor the United States has
jurisdiction here—along the East River from 42nd to 48th streets.
Designed by an international team of architects (led by American
Wallace K. Harrison and including Le Corbusier) and finished in
1952, the complex along the East River weds the 39-story glass slab
Secretariat with the free-form General Assembly on beautifully land-
scaped grounds donated by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. One hundred
eighty nations use the facilities to arbitrate worldwide disputes.
Guided tours
leave every half-hour and last 45 minutes to an hour.
At First Ave. and 46th St.
&
212/963-8687.
www.un.org/tours. Guided tours $14
adults, $9 seniors, high school, and college students, $7.50 children 5-14. Children
under 5 not permitted. Daily tours every half-hour 9:30am-4:45pm; Jan-Feb
Sat-Sun 10am-4:30pm; limited schedule may be in effect during the general debate
(late Sept to mid-Oct). Subway: S, 4, 5, 6, 7 to 42nd St./Grand Central.
4 Places of Worship
Abyssinian Baptist Church
The most famous of Harlem's
more than 400 houses of worship is this Baptist church, founded
downtown in 1808 by African-American and Ethiopian merchants.
It was moved uptown to Harlem back in the 1920s by Adam Clay-
ton Powell, Sr., who built it into the largest Protestant congrega-
tion—white or black—in America. His son, Adam Clayton Powell,
Jr. (for whom the adjoining boulevard was named), carried on his
tradition, and also became a U.S. congressman. Abyssinian is now
the domain of the fiery, activist-minded Rev. Calvin O. Butts, whom
the chamber of commerce has declared a “living treasure.” The Sun-
day morning services—at 9 and 11am—offer a wonderful opportu-
nity to experience the Harlem gospel tradition.
132 Odell Clark Place (W. 138th St., btwn Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. & Lenox Ave.).
&
212/862-7474.
www.abyssinian.org. Subway: 2, 3, B, C to 135th St.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The world's largest Gothic
cathedral, St. John the Divine has been a work-in-progress since
1892. Its sheer size is amazing enough—a nave that stretches two
football fields and a seating capacity of 5,000—but keep in mind
that there is no steel structural support. The church is being built
