Weekend Excursion

"I Still Love New York," reads a recent city pride slogan. And New York is still just an hour and 45-minute train ride from New Haven, and still home to countless cultural attractions and one of the most beautiful urban skylines in the world. So grab $23 for the ride, a couple of friends, and go back to the Big Apple this Saturday for a little spiritual healing.

ERIN LEWIS/YH

Riverside Church on the Upper West Side was funded by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1930. This Saturday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the 21-story Gothic steel structure hosts an ancient Buddhist fire ceremony known as the gedatsu goma, conducted by priests of Agon Shu Buddhism and dedicated to the victims of terrorism worldwide. The ceremony will begin with a procession of priests, led by Agon Shu founder Reverend Seiyu Kiriyama. The priests will then drop wooden prayer sticks into a specially built fire altar while the monks' chants carry the smoke and prayers up to the heavens. The service, which is free and open to the public, also includes a taiko drum performance and a speech by Kiriyama.

Sometime during your visit to the church, be sure to take the elevator to the bell tower, home to the Bourdon, a 40,926-lb. hour bell, and the largest carillon in the world. Several flights of stairs beyond the bell chamber and 355 ft. off the ground lie the observation platform and a spectacular view of the city from Harlem to the New Jersey shore. And the skyline, while altered, is still more than worth the climb. —Katherine Hill

Riverside Church is located at 120th St. and Riverside Drive with a main entrance at 91 Claremont Ave. It is accessible by subway on the 1, 9 to 125th St. For more information, call 212-870-6784.

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