3. Sniffen Court, Murray Hill

This wonderful row of carriage houses, between 3rd Avenue and Lexington Avenue, got their name from their architect, John Sniffen. Midtown never had many alleys, but Sniffen Court‘s ten carriage houses have remained since 1860. The brick buildings were used as stables until the 1920s, and still feature plaques of horsemen by Malvina Hoffman on the rear wall (seen above). In 1967, The Doors used Sniffen Court for the cover of their Strange Days album. See the album cover here for proof that the landmarked mews have barely changed in almost 40 years. It’s also one of the city’s historic districts that are smaller than a city block.