Upper West Side, New York City

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The unfinished Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is the seat of the Episcopal Archdiocese of New York and is one of the most remarkable churches in the city. [Note that Saint Patrick's Cathedral is New York's main Roman Catholic church, while this is the Episcopal Cathedral (i.e. Protestant)]. Construction work began in 1892 and continues to this day, making this structure, in a way, la Sagrada Família of New York City. When finished, St John the Divine will be the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. It was originally designed in a Romanesque-Byzantine style by the architectural firm, Heins & LaFarge, which was dismissed in 1909 in favour of the renowned architect, Ralph Adams Cram. The latter changed the architectural plan to Gothic Revival, his signature style. Although the structure is intended to be entirely Gothic when completed, its centre currently retains the Byzantine style of the original work. The cathedral was built under mediaeval construction methods using stone-on-stone.

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With its 187 metres in length and nearly 38 metres in height, the interior of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is unbelievably large. A long Gothic nave leads to the crossing, the oldest part of the church, which was built using different stones from the rest of the cathedral. Originally, a dome was meant to cover the crossing, but when Ralph Adams Cram took over the project, he replaced the dome with a Gothic tower, which is yet to be built. In the ambulatory behind the choir are seven chapels, each dedicated to a different saint.

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One of the world's leading performing arts centres, Lincoln Center is a complex of several state-of-the-art theatres. The entire complex was built in the early 1960s and is home to about 12 fine organisations, including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet, to name a few. Each of these organisations conducts performing arts at the theatres within the complex, including the largest and most prestigious three: the Metropolitan Opera House, the Philharmonic Hall (now called Avery Fisher), and the New York State Theater (now called Dave Koch). Countless famous artists, such as Pavarotti and Maria Callas, have performed here. For lovers of opera, classical music and ballet, the Lincoln Center is heaven.

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This grand Neoclassical structure is the mausoleum of the 18th president of the US, Ulysses Grant, whose presidency was marked by the Civil War. The majestic tomb was designed by John Duncan who modelled the exterior of the structure after the Ancient Greek Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus (near Bodrum, Turkey). The interior was modelled after the tomb of Napoléon at Les Invalides in Paris and contains the tombs of the former president and his wife.

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A Gothic masterpiece, Riverside Church has the highest tower of any church in the US. Its construction was funded by John Rockefeller who commissioned the architects Henry Pelton and Charles Collens for the work. They were inspired by the Cathedral of Chartres in France and completed the work in 1930. Unlike the old Chartres Cathedral, Riverside Church was built using modern construction techniques. The tower is in fact a steel structure covered in stone! Additionally, there is a subtle hint of Art Déco in the statues and decorations on the exterior of the church, revealing the era in which it was built.

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A landmark in the Upper West Side, the Dorilton boasts flamboyant Beaux-Arts style architecture. The residential block was built in 1902, supposedly in competition with the Dakota nearby, but it never quite became as prestigious. Nevertheless, its château look with sculptures, fer forgé balconies, and mansard roof, is architecturally impressive and has earned it landmark status.

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Commissioned by William Earl Dodge Stokes, a wealthy businessman known for his property developments, the Ansonia was one of the grandest buildings of its time. It was completed in 1904 as a residential hotel designed by a French architect, Paul Duboy. The exterior is ornately decorated in the Beaux-Arts style with French inspirations, while the interior contained sumptuous apartments/flats with large rooms and decorative details. When it opened, it was the first hotel in New York to offer air-conditioning. The building survived the threat of demolition in the 1960s and in 1992 it was restored as a luxury condominium building with 430 apartments for sale. Over the years, the building has had celebrity residents, been mentioned frequently in literature and was featured in numerous films, among them "Single White Female". It is located in the Upper West Side on Broadway and 73rd Street.

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Designed by Emery Roth, this enormous residential building was completed in 1929, and inherited its name from the Beresford Hotel which had previously occupied the site. It is recognisable by the the four octagonal Baroque-style towers at the top. The building is lucky to have views over Central Park on one side and Manhattan Square and the Museum of Natural History on the the other, making it one of the most sought after addresses in Manhattan, along with several other sister buildings on Central Park West. The Beresford has had numerous celebrity residents over the years, among them the late Rock Hudson. It is said that Jerry Seinfeld and Diana Ross continue to own apartments in the building.