5 Best Sights in New York, USA

It took more than 30 years to complete this grand building (1867–99), which incorporates elaborate carvings, interesting architectural elements, and eclectic styles. The 45-minute guided tour highlights the ornate Great Western Staircase (aka the Million Dollar Staircase)—which took 13 years and 600 stone carvers to complete—and, right over it, a 3,000-square-foot skylight that had been covered from World War II until 2002. Amid the carved faces adorning the staircase pillars are several famous visages. You can visit the legislative chambers and, when open, the governor's ceremonial offices. Tours begin at the visitor center on the concourse level of Empire State Plaza.

Figures representing Wisdom and Force flank the main portal of this imposing Beaux-Arts courthouse, built in 1899. The structure's purpose coincides with artistic symbolism, and there are statues of great lawmakers, including Moses, Justinian, and Confucius, lining the roof balustrade. In total, sculptures by 16 artists adorn the ornate building, a showcase of themes relating to the law. A branch of the New York State Supreme Court, this is one of the most important appellate courts in the country: it hears more than 3,000 appeals and 6,000 motions annually and also admits approximately 3,000 new attorneys to the bar each year. Inside the courtroom is a stunning stained-glass dome set into a gilt ceiling. The main hall and the courtroom are generally open to visitors weekdays from 9 to 5.

American architect Henry Hobson Richardson, who also developed the state's capitol, designed this 1881 Romanesque revival–style structure. A 49-bell carillon, one of about 200 in the country, was added in 1927.

What once marked the northernmost point of Manhattan today houses the office of the mayor and serves as a gathering place for demonstrators and the news crews who cover their stories. This is the one of the oldest City Halls in the country, a striking (but surprisingly small) building dating from 1803. Free tours are available  weekly---just sign up in advance online and arrive early to check out the fantastic exterior details. Inside, highlights include the Rotunda where President Lincoln lay in state in 1865 under a soaring dome supported by 10 Corinthian columns; the Victorian-style City Council Chamber; and the Governor's Room, an elegantly preserved space with portraits of historic figures, as well as a writing table that George Washington used in 1789 when New York was the U.S. capital.

Officially an "international zone" in the city's heart, the UN Headquarters sits on an 18-acre tract on the East River, fronted by flags of its 193 member states, who are charged with helping maintain international security and peace. Built between 1949 and 1961, the complex completed an overhaul in 2015—the 70th anniversary of the UN's founding—that retained the 1950s look while upgrading its infrastructure. The only way to enter the UN Headquarters is with the hour-long weekday standard guided tour, available in all six UN official languages; reservations can be made online, and you'll need a security pass from the visitors office at 801 1st Avenue.  Arrive 60 minutes before your tour's start for security screening. The tour includes the General Assembly, Security Chamber Council, and exhibitions and educational details. Youngsters under five are not admitted. Other scheduled tours cater to different aspects of the UN such as art and architecture, or emphasize Black history or women and children; virtual versions are also available.

The complex's buildings (the slim, 550-foot-tall green-glass Secretariat Building; the much smaller, domed General Assembly Building; and the Dag Hammarskjöld Library) evoke the influential Swiss-born French modernist architect Le Corbusier, and the surrounding park and plaza remain visionary. The public concourse has a visitor center with a gift shop, a bookstore, and a post office where you can mail postcards with UN stamps; bring your passport to add the commemorative UN stamp.