ABYSSINIAN BAPTIST CHURCH

I am not a religious man but I make sure to go to the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem the first Sunday I am in the Big Apple. The website strictly forbids tourists and visitors at the 9am service, but I’ve managed to get in by smiling and saying I’m from South Africa. The early service is attended by real New Yorkers, unlike the tourist-populated 11.30am one. Founded in 1808, it is one of the oldest churches in the city. The singing is sublime, the sermons soulstirring and the spectacle is true genius. Congregation members faint in the aisles, wear oversized hats and greet you with the broadest smiles. 132 West 138th Street. Subway: #2 or #3 line to 135th Street Station. abyssinian.org