This monumental marble terrace is lined with impressive Beaux-Arts buildings to the south and friezes and statuary to the north. All of the land once belonged to ornithologist John James Audubon; the terrace was built later, in 1904.
One of the Beaux-Arts buildings houses the Hispanic Society of America (212/926-2234, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Tues.–Sat., 1–4 p.m. Sun., free admission), one of the city’s hidden treasures. Dark, somber, and mansionlike in feel, oddly big and hollow, it houses exquisite paintings by Goya, Velasquez, and El Greco, along with heavy Spanish furnishings, porcelain, and mosaics.
To reach Audubon Terrace, take the No. 1 train to 157th Street and Broadway, or the B train to 155th Street near Amsterdam Avenue and walk two blocks west.