5. Party With a ‘Secret Society’ at St. Anthony’s Hall

Better known as St. A’s, this building – located on Riverside Drive between 116th and 115h streets – is home to the alpha chapter of the Delta Psi fraternity, which brands itself both as a secret society and as a literary society. Most Columbia students view the fraternity as a selective organization that selects particularly wealthy students and prides itself on secrecy. St. A’s hosts frequent invitation-only parties.

If you’re lucky enough to nab one, St. A’s Riverside Drive location’s most commonly photographed attraction is a chandelier displayed on the cover of Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut album. (The members of Vampire Weekend met while attending Columbia in the mid-2000s).

The organization, which now includes a sorority, has existed since 1897. Its current Riverside Drive location was built in 1899. The building was designed in a Beaux-Arts style by Henri Hornbostel.

Several controversies and rumors have swirled around the organization. It is suspected that the basement of St. A’s houses a swimming pool, though some have also speculated that it is inhabited by a maid who does the group’s laundry. It was also the model for Gossip Girl’s elite Hamilton House. Another rumor about the fraternity and sorority’s antics suggests that there is a hazing requirement that forces potential recruits to purchase a plane ticket to China and then burn it.

Although you’ll probably need a few connections to actually go inside St. A’s, the building is conveniently located next to the very beautiful Riverside Park.