The New York Landmarks Conservancy's Tourist in Your Own Town series explores some of New York’s best hidden gems as well as some of the classic iconic landmarks.

In this video from the series, we take a look at Brooklyn Heights' Our Lady of Lebanon, a landmarked cathedral built in 1844 that has had significant historical impact throughout Brooklyn and New York City over the past century and a half.

Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral, located within the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, was designed by Richard Upjohn in a Romanesque Revival style in 1844. The building originally housed the Church of the Pilgrims congregation, until that group merged with the nearby Plymouth Church in 1934. The building was sold in 1944 to the Lebanese Roman Catholic congregation known as Maronites, who had a growing community in Brooklyn.

As part of the early work to renovate the site, new exterior doors were added from the French luxury liner, the SS Normandie. Other components were also brought in from the 1948 demolition of the Charles Schwab mansion on the Upper West Side and marble flooring from the French and Lebanese pavilions at the 1939 World's Fair.

This video gives us the inside scoop on the Long Island Railroad, the oldest and busiest commuter rail system in North America. Originally chartered in 1834 with the ambitious goal of connecting Brooklyn to Boston, the LIRR eventually shifted its focus to serving the communities of Long Island. The video navigates through the complex network of branches, from the bustling city terminal zone to the far-reaching lines like the Montauk and Port Jefferson branches, highlighting their unique features and historical significance. It also touches on notable stations, including the new Grand Central Madison, and delves into the fascinating history of abandoned lines like the Rockaway Beach Branch, showcasing the ever-evolving landscape of this iconic transportation system.

New York City's bustling streets hide some truly fascinating secrets: buildings that aren't what they seem! From the massive, windowless 33 Thomas Street, designed to withstand a nuclear blast and believed to be an NSA surveillance hub, to a charming Brooklyn Heights townhouse that's actually a subway ventilation shaft, the city is full of architectural deceptions. You'll also discover a faux residential complex in the Bronx concealing an electrical substation, the iconic Flatiron Building's surprisingly thin appearance, and a beautifully preserved historic laboratory on Roosevelt Island that now houses subway infrastructure. While some of these "fake" facades blend seamlessly, others, like the unfinished-looking MTA building in Greenwich Village, sparked local controversy, revealing the surprising stories behind New York's hidden structures.