Despite five prior trips to New York, I had never before ventured to upper Manhattan. Intent on fixing this I headed up there the Friday after work with my parents to check out some of the key sites.
Our first stop was the extraordinary national memorial for 18th President Ulysses S. Grant, and his wife Julia. Known more simply as “Grant’s Tomb” and completed in 1897, this structure is under the management of the National Park Service.
When President Grant passed away in 1885 at the age of 63, his family agreed to have him interred in New York City. An organization under the name of the Grant Monument Association was formed. After many years of fundraising and construction, the monument was inaugurated on April 27, 1897, the 75th anniversary of Grant’s birth in 1822.
The remains of President Grant and Julia Grant (who passed in 1902) were each laid to rest inside the atrium of the building in red granite sarcophagi.
The neoclassical granite architecture is breathtaking, and a beautiful exterior to the mausoleum inside. Across from the monument is a small museum and gift shop, and scenic views of the Hudson River.
Grant’s Tomb is also located across the street from the Riverside Church.
We spotted some super sweet wheels parked outside of the church!
A short walk away is the private Ivy League Columbia University.
Carl Schurz, the first German-born American to be elected to the United States Senate-
We took a stroll through Morningside Park, before hopping on the subway to head to dinner!
