Since the ill-fated Tower of Babel, mankind has been powerfully attracted to the idea of buildings rising into the clouds. The Empire State Building and the Sears Tower still rank among the world’s tallest and most famous buildings, while the latest contenders for the “world’s tallest” title rise close to a quarter mile into the sky. Why so high? Was it strictly dollars and cents? Or was something more at play? This illustrated journey across a century and a half of the race to the top pays special attention to the design and construction of the Trade Center.

This walk through the east side of Midtown South includes an unusual collection of buildings, each different from the next.

Reservations required. Tour of the Woolworth Building lobby, closed to the public for more than a decade and now open again. The tour includes a detailed look at the building’s unmatched polychromatic terra-cotta exterior, and an in-depth exploration of the lobby and its wealth of ornament, including hidden corners and staircases — plus a special visit to the mezzanine level for an up-close view of its extraordinary mosaic ceiling.

A meandering walk across the upper west tracts of the Upper West Side, looking at Art Deco marvels from West 85th to 103rd streets, Broadway to Riverside Drive.