Our brains are trained to react to the odd one out. It is perfectly normal that anything that isn’t a greyish, blueish, squared lined, glazed sort of building would be notable even to the most distracted eye.
The gothic architecture of New York when detected seems misplaced. It is so easy to forget that this huge, mega-city was once just made of small parishes. When I stumbled upon the Grace Church, I felt I had found a secret, even though it is not a secret at all. This church, located in Greenwich Village, has been serving this parish for over 200 years.
The picture below shows how this part of New York was in the past. Right now I couldn’t even take a photo from the other side of the street as the buildings are too tall and hide the church completely.
Instead, I found myself content to photograph some of its intricate details.
The most famous example of gothic architecture is located in Midtown – the majestic St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
It all started in 1853, when Archbishop Hughes announced plans “to erect a Cathedral in the City of New York that may be worthy of our increasing numbers, intelligence and wealth as a religious community, and at all events, worthy, as a public architectural monument, of the present and prospective crowns of this metropolis of the American continent.” At the time he wasn’t taken seriously, but the truth is that his plans came to fruition. The cathedral is today seen as a symbol of religious freedom and tolerance – a cathedral in many ways representing the democratic American values, paid not only by contributions of thousands of poor immigrants but also by 103 prominent citizens who pledged $1,000 each.
This is all for this post – for more about everything I did in New York City, click here!
Love, Nic
The Winged Bone 
St. Patrick’s Cathedral has a magnificent interior. I love that combination of white, greyish walls/columns and glistening blue windows. And the details on Grace Church are wonderful. New York is a lovely city to explore. It is a good feeling when, despite all your meticulous planning, you stumble upon something you didn’t expect. That’s how we felt the night we accidentally discovered Mercato Mayfair in London.
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That is why it’s so important to allow time to simply wonder and get lost when travelling (with caution of course!). And I never heard about Mercato Mayfair, definitely need to check it out! Thanks for the tip 😉
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