James A. Farley Post Office

An architectural triumph of its era, the grandeur of New York City's general post office is a testament to the bustling operation it once housed. Originally completed in 1912 before having its size doubled by then-Postmaster General James A. Farley in 1934, the imposing structure occupies eight acres—two full city blocks—and boasts the largest giant-order Corinthian colonnade in the world. Here, visitors will find the inscription so often and erroneously cited as the official credo of the USPS: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Twenty-four-hour service ended in 2009, a casualty of email and other technological innovations, though you can still have your postal needs met here—from stamp buying to packages weighed and mailed. Much of the building has been converted into an Amtrak station named for late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, complete with a food hall..