The Cathedral Basilica

Step over toward the tall Spanish facade with the bell tower — this is the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine, and it is the mother church of the oldest Catholic parish in the entire United States. That parish was founded on the very day the city was, in fifteen sixty-five, when the Spanish came ashore and a priest said the first Mass. There has been Catholic worship on this spot, unbroken, ever since — the longest of any place in the country.

The building you're looking at isn't quite that old — the Spanish built this cathedral in the seventeen nineties, of coquina stone plastered smooth, and the tall bell tower was added later in Flagler's time. Step inside if it's open and services allow; it's cool and quiet and beautiful, with murals along the walls telling the story of the city's founding. Whatever your faith or none, it's worth a few minutes of hush.

When you're ready, head west, up King Street, away from the bay — and we step out of the Spanish centuries into the Gilded Age of Henry Flagler. His great hotel is a couple of blocks up, on your right.