Have you been to London? Yes? Been on the London Eye? Of course, you have. Seen the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London? Yeah, we guessed as much. But have you visited the “hidden gems” of London that we list below?

If you haven’t been to England’s capital, take a trip (once it is safe to do so) to one of these places instead of joining the hordes of tourists at the usual spots. Some of these locations aren’t strictly open to the public, but most are . . . or, at least, they have guided tours.

The ones that aren’t open to the public? We’re sure you’d get to see them if you asked someone nicely. Enjoy!

Top 10 Misconceptions About London

10 The Foreign And Commonwealth Office

This beautiful building is a must-see for lovers of grand spaces. The Grand Staircase is truly breathtaking, replete with marble columns, gold leaf accents (that are for once used sparingly for maximal effect), and neoclassical frescoes.

An international competition was held in 1856 to create the design of the building. Although his submission came in third, chief architect George Gilbert Scott was appointed to do the job. He is responsible for the overall design of the Foreign Office, but another architect, Matthew Digby Wyatt, also contributed to the project.^[1]

Scott agreed to let Wyatt design and build the interior of the India Office. Already the India Office’s surveyor, Wyatt also created the spectacular Durbar Court, an architectural masterpiece that opened to the sky. In 1868, two years after construction was completed, they added a roof to the court that gave the illusion of an open sky but protected against bad weather.

You may decide to skip visiting the nearby Buckingham Palace and spend an extra hour or two marveling at this lesser-known architectural nirvana. In London, other famous institutions, including the various museums and theaters, are designed for educational or entertainment purposes, but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is a working office with actual diplomats.

If you think a guided tour of your local DMV or Passport Office sounds as dull as ditchwater, you’re right. But we wouldn’t mind getting a guided tour around the FCO.

Nearest Tube Station: Embankment

9 The Clermont Club

Who doesn’t like a flutter? What’s more exciting than putting the company payroll on red? The interior of this casino, like a real-life James Bond movie set, that’s what!

However, don’t think you can just walk in and lay a fiver on the house at the Punto Banco table—it’s members only. For over 40 years, the high society gamblers of London frequented the casino, which is contained in an 18th-century townhouse built by William Kent.

Located in the swanky Mayfair area, this place is synonymous with opulence and wealth. Although the Clermont Club closed in 2018 due to financial difficulties, it’s set to reopen in 2020.^[2]

Despite the barrier to entry, many guided tours will take you to the historic Berkeley Square. Ghost tours often make a stop at No. 50, “the most haunted house in London,” which is a few doors down from the Clermont Club (No. 44).

So, before hearing the spine-chilling tales of the haunting at No. 50, take a quick peek through the windows of No. 44—a brief glimpse of Heaven before descending into Hell!

Nearest Tube Station: Green Park

8 Middlesex Hospital Chapel

Middlesex Hospital was closed in 2005, and most of it was torn down in 2008. However, the chapel remained and with good reason—it’s amazing. The Fitzrovia Chapel is a Grade II* listed building, which means it’s a protected structure that can’t be altered or demolished without authorization from the local planning authority.

The chapel is now flanked by 21st-century office blocks and flats—a lone island of beauty in a sea of banality. After a £2 million restoration, the historic chapel looks as beautiful as it ever did.

The mosaic decorations are reminiscent of Eastern Orthodox churches. Beautiful stained glass windows and restored lighting really make this chapel a welcome haven in an increasingly frenetic city.^[3]

Nearest Tube Station: Goodge Street

7 Sir John Soane’s Museum

Sir John Soane (1753–1837) was an extraordinary guy. He was a star architect of the Regency era before becoming a professor of architecture at the Royal Academy. His museum is even more amazing. Housed in Nos. 12, 13, and 14 in the historic Lincoln’s Inn Fields—buildings which Soane purchased and rebuilt himself—the museum has become a shrine to architectural excellence.

It’s a weird experience to look at architecturally impressive exhibits in such a magnificent space, but it works. Fortunately, you can enjoy this place whenever you like . . . after the pandemic, of course. Until then, check out the amazing website for a taster.^[4]

Nearest Tube Station: Holborn

6 The Royal Courts Of Justice

This court building is inspiring if you’re a visiting tourist and scary if you’re filing an appeal against your 20-year sentence. Either way, most people don’t know you can pop inside this imposing structure for a gander.

Some have suggested that the interior is ecclesiastical in nature, but we think it’s palatial. You get a real sense of imperial might here, including the weight of the decisions being made when you step into the vaulted Great Hall.

Designed by noted Gothic Revivalist G.E. Street (1824–1881), the building took over eight years to complete and was opened in 1882 by Queen Victoria. The Bear Garden, which isn’t a garden and doesn’t house any bears, is a series of small rooms and antechambers where prehearing dealings take place.

The novel name comes from the combative nature of deliberations that take place in the rooms. Ironically, it’s reminiscent of the illegal practice of “bearbaiting.” Despite the questionable nature of the name, the rooms are beautifully designed, just like the rest of this daunting yet captivating building.^[5]

Nearest Tube Stations: Temple, Chancery Lane, Holborn

10 Unsolved Mysteries From London

5 Masonic Temple At The Andaz Hotel

To call this a “hidden gem” was once true in a literal sense. A previous owner of the Andaz London on Liverpool Street didn’t know the temple existed because it was hidden behind a thin fake wall.

The design was inspired by ancient Greece and constructed with 12 types of marble imported from Italy. Being attached to East London’s busiest transport hub allows for guests to access the city from the hotel. But with this incredible temple, nobody would blame you for not leaving!

If, as many believe, Jack the Ripper was a Freemason, this probably was his lodge. Don’t let that stop you from visiting, though, as many events are held at this gorgeous space—product launches, weddings, private dinners, and burlesque shows. HBO also used the Masonic Temple for their Game of Thrones pop-up restaurant in 2015. There’s always something cool to attend in one of London’s coolest hidden spaces.^[6]

Nearest Tube Station: Liverpool Street

4 Drapers’ Hall

This building is the home of . . . wait for it . . . “The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Drapers of the City of London,” more commonly known as the Drapers’ Company. An ancient and venerable organization founded during the Middle Ages, the Drapers’ Company has served as one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London.

What does this mean?

They’re an old company that used to act as a sort of trade association representing wool and cloth merchants from London. Today, the Drapers’ Company is a charitable organization that operates from one of London’s hidden architectural gems.^[7]

As a hirable venue, you can get married here or hold a dinner party or a charitable event. Given the awe-inspiring chandeliers, marble statues, and ornately decorated plaster ceilings, you can guarantee that your party will be the best in town. James Bond movie GoldenEye, Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, and the award-winning The King’s Speech all filmed in this lesser-known landmark. Not bad for a bunch of folks who used to peddle itchy sweaters.

Nearest Tube Station: Bank

3 Crossness Pumping Station

Crossness Pumping Station feels more like a cathedral than a pumping facility. We can see why steampunk is an alluring aesthetic trend; the Victorians knew how to wow with their architectural creations and innovations. The Crossness Pumping Station is a veritable place of worship for the might of England’s industrial revolution.^[8]

The building housed great pumps to help clean the polluted waters of the River Thames. The facility was created due to various cholera outbreaks as well as the “Great Stink” of 1858. The Crossness Pumping Station saved countless lives from cholera outbreaks alone.

The beautiful ironwork, finely repainted, is reminiscent of arts-and-crafts-era wallpaper. This place is proof that the highly utilitarian aspect of civilization needn’t be devoid of beauty.

Nearest Tube Station: No Tube, but Abbey Wood train station is nearby

2 The Princess Louise

Is there anything more English than a good pub?

Lots of things, probably, but the good old boozer is pretty darned English! This little nook of Bacchanalian worship in London is a cool place to get drunk the Victorian way—chatting with an interesting, mustachioed artisan over a few jars of room-temperature ale. (The mustachioed bloke will probably be a hipster whose craft will be T-shirt printing but close enough.)

The interior of the Princess Louise demands your attention—it even includes marble urinals for its male patrons. The whole space is a step back in time for those who need a drink. It provides an experience that will delight and excite.^[9]

Nearest Tube Station: Holborn

1 Harrow School

Remember cramming into a smelly, cold gymnasium and sitting cross-legged on the hard floor while being forced to listen to a head teacher drone on about something incredibly dull? Or, if you live stateside, huddling on a bleacher while being told that sex and drugs are not cool?

It’s a little different at Harrow School. In addition, they’ve produced a clutch of world leaders, Nobel laureates, and kings. Still going strong since it was established in 1572, Harrow is one of the most prestigious schools in the world.

This school really does give Hogwarts a run for its money. The incredible Speech Room is a real highlight. In the paneling of the Fourth Form Room, another cool thing is the multitude of crudely carved names left there by former pupils like Anthony Trollope, four prime ministers, and William Henry Fox Talbot.

Talbot was a pioneer in photography whose student science experiments at Harrow were so destructive that the school’s insurance company refused to cover any building in which he was working.^[10]

Nearest Tube Station: Northwick Park

Top 10 Most Gruesome Things Hidden Under The Streets Of London

About The Author: CJ Phillips is a storyteller, actor, and writer living in rural West Wales. He is a little obsessed with lists.

Ah, gay Paris! Along with London and New York, France’s capital city is amongst the most iconic and often visited city in the world. From the utterly stunning architecture and art around every corner, the world-leading gastronomic scene and the incredibly rich and the diverse history, Paris is a must for anyone interested in travel.

Despite this, tourists tend to flock to all the same ole’ spots to get a ‘feel’ for the city – the Eiffel Tower, Arc du Triomphe, shopping on the Champs Elysée and Notre Damme. Trips out to Versailles and Disneyland often punctuate a trip to Paris, along with the occasional croissant and glass of red wine. But there is so much more to this incredible city.

Some of the entries in this list are relatively well-known, some are more obscure, but there is a key difference to the “10 Jaw-Dropping Hidden Spaces In London” list is that you can readily, easily visit all the sites in Paris. You just may not have heard about them all. Until now.

10 Incredible Real Places Straight Out Of A Dream

10 Sainte-Chappelle

There are plenty of places which often get labelled as far too glibly as ‘must-sees’ by waggish travel writers—the incredibly impressive stained-glass windows of Sainte-Chappelle are well deserved of this label, however. They are incredible.

Despite being one of the best examples of gothic architecture anywhere in the world, this amazing space is often overlooked in favour of one of Paris’ many other architectural wonders—everyone goes to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Palace of Versailles, rarely do you hear of vast numbers of tourists clamouring to get to Sainte-Chappelle. There should be a clamour because this place is as inspiring, as beautiful as any place in France’s capital city.

Nearest Metro: Cité

9 59 Rivoli

There are very few cities that can boast a semi-derelict building as a cultural landmark.

In 1999, the building at 59 Rue de Rivoli had stood in a state of abandonment, having been abandoned 15 years prior. It was then that three artists named Kalex, Gaspard and Bruno, AKA ‘KGB’ (how droll) made the place their studio. Despite attempts from the local powers that be to evict them, by 2005 the city had relented, allowing the space to be a permanent home for artists to work.

The graffiti-daubed walls and higgledy-piggledy layout feels a bit like you are entering an art hovel, as opposed to a gallery or a studio – indeed, the place is often referred to as an “art squat” – the sense or urban degradation and decay is always in the background here, top-noted by the colourful, creative artworks found around every corner, in every nook and even the occasional cranny. Still, even with all the bo-ho, down-and-dirty chic, the building itself has great bones – the artfully designed spiral staircase is beautiful, even when the twisting wall alongside it is painted thick with unblinking eyes.

The fact such a vibrant living space for art to be formed and viewed harkens back to the turn of the 19th century or the early 20th century, a time when Paris was the epicentre for artistic innovation. You may not like some of the art featured at 59 Rivoli, but the fact that art lives and continues to thrive in an increasingly stultifying age that produces very few notable movements or trends is surely something to be celebrated.

Nearest Metro: Châtelet

8 Beefbar

An aesthetically pleasing restaurant in Paris? You must be kidding!

When you get to ‘The City of Light’ you will soon notice that there are so many great places to eat. Little cafés that’ll provide you a great breakfast, hole-in-the-wall restaurants that are famous for one particular dish since 1780 and haute cuisine places with enough stars and rosettes that they don’t need wallpaper. Beefbar, within view of the iconic lump of metal that is the Eiffel Tower, fits into most of these categories. Haute cuisine? Check. Singular and iconic? Yup. Specializes in a particular dish/ingredient? You’d better bring a rag – you’re going to be meat-sweating.

This place is a real gem amongst the sea of diamonds found in the world’s gastronomic capital—less visited than ‘Le Fouquet’s’, ‘Café de Flore’ or ‘Tour D’Argent’, but sits comfortably amongst them. Set in what was formerly ‘The Lamgham Hotel’ in the central 8th arrondissment, the interior of the restaurant has been tastefully restored to its original joyous art nouveau glory.

After having been abandoned during WWII, only to be uncovered, designated an historical monument and then left once more in the 80s, the building was taken on and re-developed by restauranteurs Ricardo Giraudi, Emil Humbert and Christophe Poyet. Running counter to their usual philosophy of “refined simplicity” found in the more minimalist settings of their other ventures, Beefbar in Paris demands celebration – it is a gastronomic temple to beauty.

Plus, they do a pretty mean steak. With frites, of course.

Nearest Metro: Alma-Marceau

7 La Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire Sorbonne

The Annenberg Dining Hall at Harvard University in the US is beautiful. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford shows off the contribution the University has made to architectural excellence. The post-brutalist concrete cathedral dedicated to music that is the Toho Gauken School of Music in Japan is as bold as they come. They all pale in comparison to the interior of the Sorbonne’s splendid library.

You may feel that French porcelain can be a little overwrought and gaudy, but after visiting this library you’ll realise that it’s all a matter of scale – if those fancy objets d’art were re-shaped into a reading room, then it would be as gorgeous as the Sainte-Jacques reading room in Paris.

Although you need to be a student or a prof to actually borrow a book (and with over 2.5 million titles lining 40 km-worth of shelf space, you’d have plenty of choice), who the hell cares? Look at the gorgeous, opulent interior. Stunning ivory mouldings lead the eye to the romantic paintings that line the walls and ceilings, scenes of learning from centuries past. The gorgeous pastel blue-green walls with scrolling floral patterns couldn’t be more distracting for readers, but again, who cares?

It is truly incredible that a merger of gentile, pastille-hued prettiness and grand opulence could come together and actually make sense. Only in Paris.

Nearest Metro: Cluny-La Sorbonne

6 Promenade Plantée

Paris has turned a disused railway track into a beautiful garden walk through the city, allowing people, should they choose, to re-enact their own gallic version of ‘Stand By Me’… without jumping off a trestle to avoid a train or defend the body of a dead child with a gun stolen from an alcoholic –

*Author’s Note* I asked the concierge at my hotel if he knew any gun-owning alcoholics from whom I could borrow a 1911 before I went on my walk. He just stared at me before walking away; service staff are a good deal ruder in France.

When the city turned a disused viaduct into one of the world’s first elevated urban walkways back in 1993, locals decried the project as a waste of money. Nowadays, it is seen as a=the scenic, peaceful nirvana that it truly is, sitting above the hustle and bustle of one of the world’s foremost metropolises.

The 3-mile-long path will take you from the Bastille to Paris’ largest park, the Bois de Vincennes. From the little pools in the gardened area to the views of the city’s rooftops, you’ll get a perspective of Paris that you’d otherwise miss at street level.

Nearest Metro: Ledru-Rollin

5 Musée Bourdelle

As amazing as the far more popular Louvre and Museé d’Orsay are, you may want to check out this intimate and fascinating little museum. As with many of Paris’ smaller museums, it is housed in a townhouse. The difference here is this museum was famed sculptor Antoine Bourdelle’s actual studio.

It’s one thing to go and look at some sculptures by Alberto Giacometti, Henry Moore or (Bourdelle’s mentor) Auguste Rodin. But at this little building, found in the shadow of Paris’ second tallest skyscraper, Tour Montparnasse (go to the top for the best view of the city), you can not only see some amazing sculptures by an amazing artist, but also the tools of his trade. Take note of the multiple plaster casts the artist took for the bust of Ludwig Van Beethoven, as well as many pieces for Bourdelle’s personal collection, including works by Rodin, neoclassicist Ingres and one of the forerunners to the impressionist movement Adolphe Monticelli.

Nearest Metro: Falguière

4 Le Collège des Bernardins

Amidst the glorious neo-gothic architecture, the touches of arts nouveux and deco, the modern, shining metals and plastics and the neo-classical bridges and statues, it is easy to think that Paris began in 1700. Of course, the city is older than that. A lot older. In no place is this more evident than in the Collège des Bernardins, a 13th century building found in the city’s Latin Quarter.

Built in 1248, the building was used as a college and monastery by the Cistercian order right up until the terror of the French Revolution. Since the stunning building was renovated in 2008, it has become the home of the “Académie catholique de France”, a group of academics who seek to expand intellectual dialogue and research.

The sparingly plain stone interior nave serves to amplify the magnitude of the space, separated by swooping medieval columns, it serves to remind us that the monastic life was a strange combination of the austere and the sublime – some monks were pious and silent men, some were bawdy drunkards. There are numerous spaces available for hire, including the vast nave, ensuring that you can party like it’s 1399.

Nearest Metro: Cardinal Lemoine

3 The Grand Mosque

Another religious centre that is truly awe-inspiring yet criminally overlooked by visitors is the Grand Mosque. The stunning Moorish motifs employed in all parts of the building serve to transport visitors back to a time where the Islamic and European worlds barely touched one another, save on the Iberian frontier – beautiful geometric Zellij mosaics within and artfully crafted crenelations on the striking rectangular minaret outside yield to the glorious, lush Andalusian Garden, replete with fountains and precisely planted shrubs.

From the intricate tilework to the equally complex carvings found on the pillars of the interior court, France’s oldest metropolitan mosque is a feast for the eyes.

It also has a fascinating history – during the Nazi occupation of France, the founder of the mosque, Si Kaddour Benghabrit, managed to secure Muslim identification papers for several Sephardic Jews in the city. Given their shared North African heritage and use of Arabic, it was easy for these Jews to pass as Muslims.

Nearest Metro: Place Monge

2 Sainte-Geneviève Library

Our second library on the list is another stunner. The huge reading room, with its vaulted ceilings and exposed cast iron columns, the long walls lined with uniform bookshelves, topped with a total of 46 arched windows that bathe the impressive space with light, are just as stunning as the couture sported by the models who parade down the catwalks at the city’s fashion week.

As ‘right’ as the space looks, it wasn’t always considered thus – when it was built back in 1847, it was startlingly innovative -perhaps the first true expression of architectural beauty that made such heavy (pardon the pun) use of iron, both in the beautifully designed cast-iron arches and the innovative use of iron mesh to support the plasterwork in the vaulted ceiling. A writer for Insider.com wrote that the space was reminiscent of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter universe. But, in all honesty, this space is far more ‘magical’, given that the feats of architecture on show here are very real.

Nearest Metro: Cardinal Lemoine

1 Musée du Parfum—Frangonard

Beyond gastronomy, high fashion and the visual arts, Paris can also lay claim to being the world’s foremost centre for perfumery, rivalling Newark, New Jersey for the title of “Foremost Creator of the World’s Smells”.

Whilst the building that houses the museum is nice enough (a Napoleon III-era townhouse in the 9th arrondissement), it is the experience within the walls that delights. Exhibits are arranged in chronological order, dating from ancient times to the 20th century, charting the progress of perfumery through the ages.

If looking at 16th century pomanders and Etruscan perfume vases isn’t your thing, the museum also boasts an “olfaction room” where you can smell the changes in perfume trends from the beginning of the 20th century. There’s also a perfumer’s workshop where you can learn about the art of making things smell nice.

We often focus on sights and tastes when we visit somewhere new. The perfume museum will ensure that all your senses are delighted on your Parisian sojourn… except touch. Maybe just stroke a baguette on your way home.

Nearest Metro: Opéra

Top 10 Museums that will Scare You Silly

About The Author: CJ Phillips is a storyteller, actor and writer living in rural West Wales. He is a little obsessed with lists.

The Big Apple has got some pretty big spaces. From the many theatres of Broadway to the stunning lobbies of the grand hotels, world-famous galleries and museums, and the green expanse of Central Park, New York City ranks among the most iconic cities the world has ever seen. But, as with the other great cities in this little series, there are a wealth of hidden spaces waiting for you to uncover.

And do it quickly because New York is not doing so well right now—don’t all move to Austin, Texas, just yet! As this list will show, there are plenty of places to see.

Related: Top 10 Jaw-Dropping Hidden Spaces In Paris or Top 10 Jaw-Dropping Hidden Spaces In London

10 The Metropolitan Club

New York, alongside the world’s other great cities, has a strong game when it comes to old-timey, elegant, exclusive members’ clubs. But this one seems a touch more opulent than the others. When you look at the founding members—financier JP Morgan, railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, steel magnate James M Waterbury, former Assistant Secretary of State John L Cadwalader, and James A Roosevelt—it is little wonder how this place became so fancy.

Founded in 1891, the place retains its Gilded Age splendor. The West Lounge, found on the club’s first floor (of six), is the stand-out space. The stunning Renaissance murals look down upon the ornately decorated marble fireplaces, rendering the impressive views over the iconic Central Park rather dull—why would you look out when this is what is inside? So if you fancy gathering your pals for a knees-up, imagining yourselves all captains of industry and masters of the new world, the spaces throughout are available for hire. I’m sure they’ll take your house as collateral against the down payment…yeah, maybe just blag your way in for a quick peek. ^[1]

Nearest Subway Station: 5th Avenue Station—Broadway Local Line.

9 Greenacre Park

Parks are a fascinating human invention. More so than any ancient druid pointing to the boughs of an oak tree (where he just hung up a bunch of entrails) to demand reverence for nature, the modern park is the ultimate reverential symbol we’ve made for nature. We, those shaved apes that send people into space and create intricate systems that govern all aspects of our life, carve out portions of cities and towns and recreate the natural world. We need this. But not all parks are created equally, and some smaller parks are relatively ignored, remaining in the shadow of their bigger, flashier, more historic brethren.

One such “hidden” gem is Greenacre Park. With its 7.6-meter (25-foot) granite-constructed waterfall at its heart, this park is comprised of three levels, allowing for a multi-tiered experience. And what a pleasant experience it is! The waterfall births a babbling brook that leads to the entrance of the park. Next to the waterfall is a seating area, the perfect place to sit back, read a book, and forget that New York is dying.^[2]

Nearest Subway Station: Lexington Avenue/53rd Street—E Line or the M Line.

8 The Ford Foundation Building

Many public spaces in Lower Manhattan’s skyscrapers have been off-limits to the general public in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. However, the Ford Foundation Building’s atrium has not closed. Since 1963, the tiered garden space has offered an awe-inspiring haven for people to escape the hustle and bustle of Gotham’s busiest area. If Greenacre Park provides an outdoor getaway for New Yorkers, the Ford Foundation Building’s atrium is the indoor equivalent.

The garden was designed by landscape architect Dan Kiley and, since a 2018 redesign, has retained the peaceful aura the original vision created. The mid-century buildings and spaces in America’s main city really are a departure from earlier designs. Gone were the days of the celebration of progress and glory, of industrial mastery and financial victories; here came a time of escape, a move toward a more socially-conscious and sustainable future—progress at a more neck-preserving pace than the break-neck past. The Ford Foundation Building makes a great argument for this form of beauty far better than the contemporaneous monstrosities elsewhere in the city.^[3]

Nearest Subway Station: Grand Central Station—Lines 6, 7, and the 42nd Street Shuttle.

7 Old City Hall Subway Station

There is something creepy about abandoned subway stations. Not this one, however. This one is cool as hell—it answers the age-old question of “why did people in the past wear such fancy clothes when out and about?” Beautiful, mirror-shine green and white glass tiles line the gorgeous Gustavino vaulted ceilings, allowing the gentle light from the many chandeliers to dance around this subterranean space. Given that this was a busy commuter hub at the beginning of the twentieth century, one wonders how many people stopped to appreciate this stunning space when it was in regular use as a station. Not many, probably.

The City Hall station is an absolute gem. That is probably why the New York Transit Museum charges $50 for a tour of the place (and you have to be a member of the museum to attend, which is an additional $60). But if you’re a “meh, I don’t mind a fleeting glimpse” sort of person, why not just hop on the 6 train? It’ll pass through the station on its loop, allowing passengers to take a quick (and deeply envious) look at the sort of environment people used to stand in and wait to get moved around the city.^[4]

Nearest Subway Station, c’mon… Okay, NEXT nearest Station: Chambers Street Station—A Line.

6 Gould Memorial Library

Some have claimed the USA is the modern equivalent of the Roman Empire. So, there should be no surprise that this 19th-century University library in the Bronx was a reinterpretation of Rome’s Parthenon—and a hell of a good one, at that! Now a part of Bronx Community College, this space is well worth a look. A long look.

Built between 1894 and 1895 by the city’s foremost architect, Stanford White, as part of the University of New York City’s (now NYU) expansion onto the recently acquired Mali Estate, the whole complex is a monument to academia. The main reading room is breathtaking. From the sixteen imported Connemara marble columns, one’s eye is drawn upwards to the 21-meter-wide (70-foot) stucco-covered dome gilded with Dutch metal. It is meant to help inspire students to lofty academic heights, driven home with a wonderful quote from Milton’s Paradise Lost adorning the large entablature: “And chiefly thou o spirit that dost prefer before all temples that upright heart and pure. Instruct me for thou knowest what in me is dark. Illumine what is low raise and support.” Indeed.^[5]

Nearest Subway Station: 183rd Street Station—4 Line.

5 AT&T Long Distance Building

Beyond the melty clocks and vaguely smiling ladies, the out-of-place anatomical features, and the formaldehyde-bathed sharks, the visual arts have often been explicitly celebratory of mankind’s achievements, not merely impressionistic, expressionistic, devotional, or outright weird. We tend not to see this heroic style as often today, save on a very localized scale in school murals or public art commissioned by small community groups. If you get to visit the AT&T Long Distance Building in Manhattan’s Tribeca district, you’ll certainly get a sense of this once powerful artistic trend.

The art deco stylings within and without the building are amazing. However, there are plenty of far more famous buildings in New York that can show off their exterior deco cred. It is the incredible murals that run through the building that elevate this space to a must-see for art lovers.^[6]

Nearest Subway Station: Canal Street Station—A Line.

4 Grove Court

Some of you may balk at the idea of a gated community—it smacks of elitism as well as producing more than a whiff of “stay the hell away from me.” But once you manage to take a sneaky peek of Grove Court (alongside the many other tourists found doing the same thing), you’ll begin to dream of living there yourself. A square of brick-red townhouses, all in a charming Federal-era design, is a far cry from the austere brownstone, stooped buildings found elsewhere in the West Village.

This hidden architectural gem was built in 1854 by a grocer named Samuel Cocks (oh, stop sniggering and grow up!) to house laborers and local traders. So, not a fancy hideaway for the wealthy at all. Well, that’s what it is now, of course. The last time a 2-bed, 2-bath townhouse went up for sale, it fetched a cool $3.5 million.^[7]

Nearest Subway Station: Christopher Street Station—3 Line.

3 The Tunnels Under Columbia University

One of the worst-kept “secrets” in New York is the network of tunnels found under Columbia University. Despite the wide-ranging knowledge of these fascinating subterranean passageways, they don’t draw in masses of urban explorers that you might expect.

We often forget that the world around us, all the boons we take for granted, are manufactured, maintained, and require spaces such as these. The tunnels are Columbia University’s circulatory system. But before their role in keeping the uni humming, the tunnels served a far more sinister institution—The Bloomingdale Insane Asylum. The tunnels also played host to scientists working on the Manhattan Project. So if you want to see the place where scientists, madmen, and some mad scientists used to scurry around, take a trip under Columbia—it’ll be more interesting than attending a lecture.^[8]

Nearest Subway Station: 116th Street Station, Columbia University—1 Line.

2 Beneath the Brooklyn Bridge…

Urban exploration has undergone a real image transformation in recent years. Much like action sports like skateboarding and BMXing, there is now a veneer of respectability and cool to this once derided, nuisance pursuit. Urban explorers are the Indiana Joneses of the cities, uncovering artifacts and spaces that our forebears once used. Perhaps this could be considered the crowning achievement of this subculture in New York; the uncovering of a disused nuclear bunker inside the Brooklyn Bridge!

Awesome…or it would have been were it not for the fact that it was actually uncovered by some construction workers doing some routine inspections on the bridge. Ah well, at least they can lay claim to the next entry.^[9]

Nearest Subway Station: Fulton Street Station—3 Line.

1 The Explorers Club

The feeling one gets on entering a particularly beautiful or interesting space is driven by the styling. A highly baroque interior evokes a sense of opulence and a gentile lifestyle. An austere brutalist building suggests humanity’s progress to a utilitarian utopia/dystopia. Often, however, the styling is overridden by other elements. A baroque interior dotted with Lalique vases, Romantic landscape oil paintings, and bronze busts of various French monarchs will transport your mind’s eye to a Paris salon.

What we find in New York’s Explorers Club is not so much a transportation to a time and place but rather a whistle-stop journey around the globe’s wilder localities, evoking a sense of adventure, scientific discovery, and mankind’s emergent role as custodians of the natural world. Stuffed animals from all over the world are found everywhere—taxidermized cheetahs, lion pelts, rhino heads on walls, and great Elephant tusks flanking a fireplace in the reading room. Pith helmets may be required. Vegans need not apply…^[10]

Nearest Subway Station: 68th Street, Hunter College—6 Line.