In the early days, entertainment consisted of vaudeville and burlesque acts played to white audiences. In 1934, white entrepreneur, Frank Schiffman, took over the Apollo. Schiffman began presenting leading black entertainers to mixed audiences and the Apollo became the best known showcase in Harlem.

The Apollo featured many legendary black entertainers such as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Dinah Washington. Amateur night at the Apollo was famous, and many legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Pearl Bailey, James Brown, and Gladys Knight got their start from an amateur night appearance.

During World War II, the Apollo was a focal point for a new generation of musicians such as Charlie "Bird" Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, and Aretha Franklin. Today, the Apollo features the oldest amateur performance hour on radio and television. Refurbished in the 1980s, the Apollo still features top black entertainers performing blues, jazz and gospel music. The Apollo stands as an icon to Harlem's entertainment tradition.

It was not long before foundation problems halted construction. J.P. Morgan, the principle financier and trustee of the cathedral, offered $500,000 to move the project forward.

The renowned mason Rafael Guastavino was employed to build the huge 162-foot high dome. By 1911, the Chapel of the Tongues was completed. Each of the seven chapels of the cathedral was dedicated to one of the various immigrant groups that were coming to New York Harbor during that time.

Construction continued through the depression. In 1941, the full 601-foot long by 146-foot wide magnificent cathedral was opened to the public. Unfortunately, only a few days later, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and construction on the Church virtually stopped. Pearl Harbor Arch shows the incomplete masonry of a worker who, went to war and never came home to his work.

Construction on the cathedral was at a standstill for 32 years. In 1972, the Rev. James Parks Morton, revived enthusiasm for completion of the church. His idea was to employ members of the surrounding community to assist in the building efforts. Master stone carvers were brought from England to train the workers and a stonemasons yard was added in 1978.

The church was designed using medieval construction methods, such as stone supporting buttresses. Many interesting pieces of sculpture, artwork, and stained glass are on display throughout the Cathedral. The Rose window, for example, represents the many facets of the Christian Church. A portal, designed by local stonemason Joe Kinkannon, depicts an apocalyptic vision of New York City at the west front entrance. Bronze lamps from the demolished Pennsylvania Railroad Station were installed on the front steps in 1967.

It began with a vision and the goal of becoming the foremost exhibition of African-American Art and artifacts in the world with an emphasis on nineteenth and twentieth century artists.

The present building opened in 1982 and was donated by the New York Bank for Savings. The museum has a permanent collection of over 1,500 pieces divided into three categories: nineteenth and twentieth century African-American art; twentieth century Caribbean and African Art; and traditional African Art and artifacts. Each year, the museum exhibits works by three promising black artists from within the museum? artists-in-residence program.

The photo archive contains the most comprehensive collection of photographs of Harlem in existence. Regular, changing themes highlight the works of various black artists throughout the year. Lectures, seminars, children? programs, and film festivals are also offered.

Lifetimes of information and experiences are presented in the many changing exhibitions. Visitors have a chance to see and experience the way so many cultures and heritages were blended into the city that has been nicknamed "The Big Apple."

By exploring these exhibits, visitors travel through time from the period when New York City was a colonial Dutch outpost to the incredibly vibrant city visitors see today. The museum documents the city's history with an impressive display of costumes, paintings, furnishings, toys, and a large array of memorabilia. This is truly New York's premier history museum.

Opened in 1869, the museum now has over 200 working scientists and several million visitors each year. One of the most popular displays is a replica of a ninety-four foot female Blue Whale which was captured off the southern coast of America in 1925. Another favorite is a giant four-and-a half-billion-year-old meteorite found in Greenland.

The Hall of Minerals and Gems contains jewels valued at nearly $50 million; and the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda contains a Barosaurus fossil which is the largest freestanding dinosaur exhibit in the world. The museum also presents special exhibits like the recent ?pidemic! World of Infectious Diseases?which explains how the mixture of ecology, evolution, and culture can produce conditions in which deadly microbes thrive.

The new Henry Luce Nature Observatory is housed inside the castle, and young visitors can see exhibits that include reproductions of trees as well as many of the birds and much of the surprisingly diverse wildlife found in the park.

The nearby Delecorte Theater offers free productions of Shakespeare every summer. The theater was a gift from philanthropist and founder of Dell Paperback Publications, George T. Delacorte. Many of Central Park? attractions can be attributed to Delacorte who, in addition to his generosity, is often described as a genuinely nice person, well-liked by nearly all who met him.

First opened in 1897 at Cooper Union (30 Cooper Square), the collection was acquired by The Smithsonian in 1967. The Carnegie Corporation offered the mansion to the Smithsonian in 1968, and in 1976 the collection opened in the Carnegie home. Built in 1902, the Carnegie home is a 64-room mansion, designed by Babb, Cook & Willard. Although Carnegie asked for "the plainest and most roomy house in New York," he got a house that included some of the most novel features of the day. The house was equipped with central heating, air-conditioning, and a passenger elevator. The original gardens are still open to the public.

The Costume Institute, located on the ground floor of the museum, contains over 45,000 pieces of fashion and regional costuming dating from the 17th century to the present. The Department of Egyptian art, located on the first floor of the museum, boasts one of the largest collections of Egyptian art outside Egypt.

The theater was designed in the Art Deco style which utilizes glass, aluminum, chrome, and geometric ornamentation. The famous marquee, a full city block in length, consists of more than six miles of red and blue neon tubes. The Grand Foyer ceiling is adorned with 24-carat gold leaf.

Above the Grand Staircase, in the Grand Foyer, is a huge mural by Erzra Winter. The sixty foot by thirty foot mural depicts mankind in his pursuit of eternal youth. The Wurlitzer Organ, a 1932 original, has two independent consoles on each side of the stage. An organist is able to reproduce the sound of an entire orchestra using the features of this organ. The auditorium is truly breathtaking. Inspired by a cruise on an ocean-liner, Rothafels wanted the auditorium to resemble the sun setting on an ocean of red velvet seats.

Synonymous with Radio City Music Hall is the Rockette? Chorus Line. They were founded in 1925 when Russell Markert began selecting dancing girls for the Missouri Rockets precision dance team. The troupe toured the country and eventually found a permanent home in New York. ?oxy?Rothafel saw them and decided he wanted them for his new Roxy Theater. He renamed them ?he Roxyettes.?Eventually, the chorus line was expanded and the name was changed to ?he Rockette?.?Today, there are over 175 women in The Rockette? dance troupe. Their Easter performances and Christmas spectaculars are popular events for visitors and New Yorkers, alike.

In 1928, John D. Rockefeller envisioned Rockefeller Center as the site of three huge office buildings and an ideally-located opera house. The stock market crash of 1929 forced him to re-evaluate his plans. The opera house backed out of its deal and the whole project was sent into disarray and confusion.

Not to be thwarted, Rockefeller and his lead architect, Raymond Hood, set to work on what was to become the first integrated office complex in the world, combining shops, gardens, restaurants and entertainment.

The first of 14 buildings was completed during the depression era between 1931 and 1940, and provided jobs for over 225,000 people. Thirty Rockefeller Plaza, with its gilded statue of Prometheus at the entrance, was another of the early buildings constructed and is the largest. The famous Radio City Music Hall was added in 1932 and features the famous Rockettes Chorus line, a highlight during the Christmas and Easter season. The music hall, which features year-round entertainment from top-notch performers, seats 5,874 people, and is an Art Deco masterpiece.

Another of the magnificent treasures found at Rockefeller Center is the statue of Atlas. Lee Lawrie designed this 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) bronze statue at the entrance to the International Building on Fifth Avenue at West 50th Street. Atlas is just one of twelve Lawrie works that one can view at Rockefeller Center.

Known as much for its outdoor spaces as it is for its indoor areas, Rockefeller Center features an outdoor cafe, the sloping Channel Garden, and a skating rink. If you plan to visit New York City during the Christmas season, be sure to see the world's largest decorated Christmas tree, located right next to the skating rink.