The competition: breathe deeply as long as you can.

This humble historic facade hides a history of boozing and the gentlemanly sport of rat-fighting.

Built just after the American Revolution, the oldest row house in New York City still stands in Chinatown.

The greatest real estate coup of all time.

Manhattan's Thirteenth Avenue was made on landfill then deliberately destroyed — apart from one small, obscure block.

This hidden oasis features a stunning view of the Hudson River and the Palisades from a castle-like museum.

This 220-year-old house is a reminder of New York City's Dutch past.

This slender three-story building has also had several famous residents.

A reminder to choose water over wine since 1888.

This castle-like building in Manhattan helped destigmatize cancer in the 19th century.

You must take the A train... to the last active cemetery in Manhattan.

This giant boulder is sandwiched between apartment complexes in upper Manhattan.

During the 19th century, you could pay for violence off a prix fixe menu on this Manhattan street.

This anonymous businessman sculpted in bronze became an enduring memorial after 9/11, and had been mistaken by rescue workers for a survivor in the rubble.

The origins of midtown Manhattan's anachronistic wooden farmhouse remain a mystery.

Pulled from the rubble of one of the worst modern tragedies, a steel crossbeam became a symbol of hope for New Yorkers.

A strangely angled West Village home is the only monument to an explosion that took the lives of three American revolutionaries.

Harlem park dedicated to compulsive hoarders killed by their own junk.

The 28-foot granite map plots the locations of 40 theaters in New York City.

The first piece of public art dedicated to LGBT rights.

One of the few remaining American elm trees in New York’s Tompkins Square Park was the birthplace of a new religion.

This exemplar of modernist architecture is meant to captivate and inspire students of the Cooper Union.

A dark patch of the ceiling at Grand Central Terminal which was not restored is still stained brown by tobacco.

Discover the taste of mold.