Washington DC & New York City

Ford’s Theatre may not be the best place to visit if you’re in government—not only was Lincoln assassinated here in 1865, but 22 War Department clerks were also killed when the floor collapsed in 1893. Tour the infamous theater and see how John Wilkes Booth crept up behind the president’s private box, shot him point blank, and leapt down to the stage below (breaking his leg in the process).

Night is the perfect time to see the capital, when white marble monuments and silvery pools glow in the floodlights. See the geometric memorials of the Mall—the imposing rectangular Lincoln Memorial, and the line of the Washington Monument bisecting the sky—as well as the innovative and moving monuments to the veterans of the Vietnam and Korean Wars.

George Washington so liked his estate at Mount Vernon that he placed the capital nearby so he didn’t have to move when elected president. Tour his gardens and mansion, where George and Martha lived from 1761 until his death in 1799. Don’t look for any cherry tree stumps in the garden, though—Washington never actually chopped down the tree as a lad. (We hate to ruin the story, but we cannot tell a lie!)

Walk the halls where some of the most influential Americans have walked and see the courtrooms where some of the most defining decisions in American history have been made.

Go on a guided tour of the building where the men and women who have been chosen to represent the citizens of the United States convene to discuss and decide on important legislature.

Created on the former estate of the family of Robert E. Lee’s wife Mary Anna Custis Lee (herself a descendant of Martha Washington), the Arlington National Cemetery contains the remains of more than 245,000 persons, mainly comprised of veterans and military casualties from every military incursion—from the American Revolution to the Iraq War. At the cemetery, make sure to visit the Tomb of Unknowns. Comprised of Yule marble quarried in Colorado, the tomb weighs more than 75 tons. And see the eternal flame that marks the grave of President John F. Kennedy.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 40,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members.

The Empire State Building rises over the Manhattan skyline like a throne. Admire its Art Deco curves up close as you ascend a quarter of a mile skyward to get New York's best aerial view. From the top, you'll see the Monopoly-board patchwork of skyscrapers, hotels, apartments, and parks that make up the city. Note that the tallest buildings cluster in Midtown—this section of the island has the strongest foundations, making it the only area where skyscrapers won't sink into the harbor.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum explores the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of those events and the lasting impact on American lives at home and abroad. The Museum tells the story of 9/11 through interactive technology, archives, narratives and a collection of artifacts.

Tour Lower Manhattan, where industry, immigration, and colonial history converge. As the symbol of Western capitalism, Wall Street's modern traders bristle with cell phones, PDAs, and other modern tech accessories. This area's original traders, however, were Dutch colonialists, who gave the street its name by building a wall here to protect themselves from British settlers. Nearby Trinity Church, once the tallest building in the city, holds the grave of Alexander Hamilton and other Revolutionary luminaries who helped shape the emerging United States, and thousands of immigrants, who shaped the modern country, came in through Battery Park, the immigration entry point for the city until the operation moved to Ellis Island.

Visit the National 9/11 Memorial which spans across eight of the sixteen acres at the World Trade Center. The memorial honors the lives and memories of those who were lost on 9/11. The Memorial's twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in North America. The pools sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood.

The statue, a joint venture between the U.S. and France, was commissioned to honor the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the friendly Franco-American relations established at that time. Once a gallows field for convicted pirates, Ellis Island became a federal immigration station in 1892. In the years that followed, Ellis Island saw roughly 12 million immigrants pass through its halls to enter the United States of America. In 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson declared the island part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, and in 1990 it was reopened as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Over 40% of American citizens can trace their family heritage to Ellis Island!

If it sings and dances, laughs or cries, you'll find it here. The range of Broadway's theatrical productions, from Shakespearean tragedies to sequins-and-feathers musicals, is immense, and the glitter, hype, and talent draw audiences from around the world. See some of the biggest theater America has to offer on one of its most famous streets.

Get a look at the inner workings of one of the world’s most famous arenas. Visit the locker rooms of the famous New York Knicks, learn how the basketball court is transformed into a sheet of ice and discover the 130-year history of the Garden, where legends have been made.

Located on Manhattan's West Side and running from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, The High Line is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the bustling streets. It is operated and maintained by members of the community, who fought to preserve the High Line when there was talk of it being demolished. This beautiful 1.45 mile walk gives you an unprecedented view of the city below!

Visit Chelsea Market, covering the area from 9th to 10th Avenue and from 15th to 16th Street. Here the ovens at the National Biscuit Company complex, begun in the 1890s in what is now west Chelsea, baked everything from Saltines to Oreos. Those ovens went cold a half century ago, when the company moved out, but newer ovens have been working over the past decade in part of that old complex. A visit to the market offers ghostly evocations of the site’s history