A journey that combines everything! Small cities on the way and huge metropolitan areas, the beauty of nature and the noise of Times Square, U.S. history and cultural attractions. We saw everything we planned, even more! By the way, I advise you to buy tickets for excursions and observation decks in advance in order not to stand in queues. If you want to get to the Statue of Liberty, be sure to check the date of possible visit on the site, tickets for her buy for a long time to come. We enjoyed this trip very much, and we hope you will enjoy it too! Have a good trip!
When we arrived in New York, we decided to go on our way to get to the waterfalls as soon as possible. If you don't stop anywhere, it's a very hard ride in the car, so we decided to split it up for a few days. The drive will be more comfortable and you can see interesting places on the way.
From the airport, we decided to go straight to Niagara Falls. Without wasting our time, on the way we stopped at a small cafe with burgers, had a quick snack and took with us, because we didn't want to look for restaurants on the way, in case of famine.
On the way we stopped at the shore of Lake Naomi to relax, unwind and have a picnic on the shore. It's very beautiful here, especially at sunset. If you decide to rest by the lake longer, you can rent a boat or yacht here.
Since we decided not to run straight to Niagara, we booked a hotel around the middle of the way. Got a lot of snacks and water in the store and went on the road. It's hard for us to sit in the car for a long time, so we decided to make small stops. We looked at the waterfall, walked in the park and even had time to rest on the beach.
We woke up early to get through as much as we could. Found a café near the hotel that's been open since this morning. Perfect breakfast - bagel, coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice! Cheerful! Once you've woken up, you can go on a journey. By the way, judging by the sign at the entrance, these guys have a rather unusual schedule of work - the cafe is open from Wednesday to Sunday. But if you pass these places on Monday or Tuesday, don't worry, there are several restaurants and divers nearby, so you can have a snack on any day.
We stopped by the store before we left, took a lot of snacks for the road and more water. They also bought a cord for the phone because mine broke. Now we can go on the road with confidence. It's not that long, and there's time to stop somewhere interesting.
There's a place to stay on the way, a waterfall in Ithaca. We thought we'd stop by and compare it to Niagara's. It's an amazing view! You can sit there for hours and listen to the sound of falling water. We've never seen waterfalls this big before, and I couldn't imagine what was waiting for us on Niagara!
After calculating the time, we realized that we could still walk and went to the botanical garden. This is nature and silence. The choice was to sit on a bench in the shade of a tree or to explore the park on its winding paths. We chose the second option because we were tired of sitting in the car.
It's a bright and cozy place in Mexican, you feel like a dear guest. The staff is friendly, and the food has surpassed my expectations, and they are particularly good at fajita. It's a pity that such places are rare enough, though, in this case, there is a charm of visiting such restaurants.
We're close to the overnight stay, and we have a few more hours of free time. What could be better than a couple of hours on the beach? There weren't many people and you could sit on the sand and enjoy the water surface. The water, by the way, was pretty cool, so only the bravest ones dared to swim.
We decided to have dinner with burgers. We didn't think much about where to go and went to the first diner on the way. The cafe turned out to be good, tasty burgers, reasonable prices. Since we weren't looking for something special on purpose, we loved it!
Niagara Falls are an amazing sight! For once in your life, you should be here! The water flows from a huge height and turns into white, bubbling foam. We took a boat trip and came very close to the waterfall. It's a good thing they give out raincoats when they land. If it weren't for them, everyone would have been soaking wet. We also went around more than one observation deck, each with different views. Tip - After dinner, go back to the waterfalls and look at them in the evening, in the light of spotlights and colored lights.
Breakfast is one of the most important items at the beginning of the day. Hungry people don't want to go on the road at all. There's a cafe nearby that's been open since 7:30 in the morning. It's a great option for those who get up early when most of the establishments are still closed. By the way, the menu here is quite diverse, and the restaurant is open from Monday to Saturday.
We drove about an hour and a half and decided to stop to stretch our legs. Being in the car for a long time is a little hard, especially around so many interesting places that you want to stop almost every ten minutes. We chose Glenn Park to rest. We walked along the paths, looked at a cascade of small waterfalls and moved on.
We drove, we drove, and we finally reached our goal! There they are! Niagara Falls! Yeah, he's not alone, it's a complex of several waterfalls. It's something fantastic! I can't tell you how it feels. You look at the huge streams of water running down at a rapid rate and realize how great is the power of nature!
We listened to the noise of the waterfall - now we'll listen to good music and eat lunch. If you've been to a Hard Rock Cafe before, you know what to expect: cheese burgers, juicy steaks, cool decor and a fun atmosphere.
There are several observation decks on the territory of the park, which offer different views of the waterfall. You will also be offered a boat excursion, which takes 25-30 minutes. We sailed so close to the waterfall that the water splashes overwhelmed us from head to toe. Of course, they give out raincoats so you don't get wet. By the way, the same boats come from the Canadian side. They can be distinguished by the raincoats of a different color on the passengers.
Before dinner, we decided to take a little walk around town and look at the streets. On Falls Street you can play ping-pong, chess and checkers right outside. We stopped by the gift shop and took some things for ourselves and our friends.
The restaurant for dinner was chosen by chance from the ones around here. It turned out to be a very good place with Italian cuisine. After such impressions and emotions, we were terribly hungry! We ordered a lot of different snacks and a couple of main courses. In the end, we couldn't eat half of it, and we were kind enough to pack it all with us.
We may not have visited the unique wonders of nature on this day, but we had enough time to enjoy the picturesque views of national parks and climb to the unusual observation deck, which once was a giant bridge.
Breakfast wasn't long, they didn't pick much, and they ordered a couple of sandwiches, bagels and coffee. This cafe also sells very tasty homemade cookies, so we've got more for the road. On weekdays, guests are welcomed here from the middle of the eighth morning, but on weekends they open a little later - at nine o'clock.
We went to a nearby store, we had to pack up some food. Yesterday, before going to bed, they found a very interesting place to take a picture and went to see him. The right decision was to divide the entire journey for a few days, staying in one of the towns of Pennsylvania.
And then a few hours later, we were in the same place. It used to be a huge bridge built in 1882. At the time, it was the tallest and longest in the world. As we were told, the bridge collapsed because of the tornado and in 2009 it began to be rebuilt. We have strengthened the remaining piles and made it perhaps the best observation deck! Be sure to stop here and walk all the way to the end of the bridge, there's a small glass platform where you can get up and look down!
Before dinner, it was decided to go to a park near the hotel. Wide footpaths, signs for convenience to stay on, rest areas and picnic areas. In general, the park turned out to be a pretty nice place for a walk.
Hungry, we decided to stop at a little pizza place, eat and stretch. We ordered our favorite pepperoni pizza, which turned out to be very tasty in the end!
After the waterfalls, we went to Washington. The stopover road took all day. Of course, you can share the way, see the interesting places in Pennsylvania and spend the night at the hotel, but we really wanted to get to the capital faster.
No breakfast at the hotel. Found a special place to serve waffles and went there. It's been a long time since we've had such waffles! A variety of syrups and supplements ranging from bacon to marshmallow. It is highly recommended to go there!
We went to the store, bought groceries and drove to the next point of the route. Tonight we should be in Washington by now.
Before we left, the Pennsylvania War Museum came in. Beautiful, quiet place. In addition to the museum itself, you can see several cars and military equipment. Well-groomed territory and memorial park. Mainly the museum tells about the First and Second World Wars.
Next stop, City Island. A few hours were allotted for an examination and a walk. We had a bite to eat with the sandwiches we had bought in the store earlier and took coffee with us.
Gettysburg is a pretty small town, but personally I was very surprised by the number of museums in it. Unfortunately, when we arrived, most of them were closed, but we managed to visit the Gettysburg Military Park. Sometimes military reconstruction takes place here and the park turns into an open-air museum of living history.
As we drove through Pennsylvania, we couldn't help but stop at the memorial on the battlefield at Gettysburg. Take time to climb up the stairs to the observation deck to see everything around the battlefield.
We arrived in Washington almost at night. We were very lucky to have a late work place on the way to the hotel, where we had dinner with pleasure. They make delicious meals here, the portions are large, and the choice of drinks is just delightful. Today we decided not to go for a walk in the night city, because we were very tired from the road and went to the room to go to bed as early as possible.
In Washington, D.C., we decided to explore the most popular attractions. We have seen the Capitol and the White House, as well as in one of the most popular museums in the States - the National Museum of Aeronautics and Aeronautics.
Breakfast we went to a place with badges, called "Bagels Etc". A variety of buns and stuffings for them, delicious coffee. What else does it take for a perfect breakfast?
There wasn't much time to visit the city, so we decided to quickly visit the most important sights of Washington. They started with the Lincoln Memorial. I had to go up the stairs, maneuvering between tourists. We may have chosen a time when most of the tour groups arrive here, but there are a lot of people. But Lincoln himself was waiting for us upstairs!
Next, we went to the Jeffersonian Memorial. It's a little off the grid from other Washington memorials. Inside is a Jeffersonian statue, a small souvenir shop and a tourist center. This place is very majestic. The stairs overlook other memorials of the city, and the number of people, by the way, is considerably smaller.
Our next point on the trip was the Washington Monument. Historical fact - before the construction of the Eiffel Tower it was the tallest building on Earth. It is highly recommended to get closer to him, so you will feel all his greatness! Inside there is an elevator that will take you to the observation deck, which offers a stunning view!
Of course, we couldn't help but visit the National Aeronautics and Aeronautics Museum. In our opinion, one of the best museums in Washington. You can spend the whole day here, but unfortunately, we had limited time. I was as happy as a boy to see spacecraft, planes and the first spacecraft! The museum also has an attraction, a cockpit, where you can feel like a real pilot of the plane.
We had lunch at the diner on wheels, so we wouldn't have to waste time and have time to see the places planned for today. By the way, everything turned out to be very tasty, at the level of the cafe, and maybe better!
National Park, one of the favorite places for tourists. Of course, we couldn't miss the opportunity to take a walk here. If you're lucky, you'll get to some city festival, they're here quite often. For example, we went to the cherry blossom festival. Very beautiful!
Every traveler who has been to the U.S. capital should have a photo of himself in the background of this pool. It is located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Second World War Memorial. We stayed here for a while, walked around and watched the ducks, reached the capitol.
The White House can be seen from afar. The entire area is fenced off and carefully guarded by the police. We have read that it is possible to book a tour there, but, as we have understood, it is necessary to buy tickets in advance, almost in a few months.
We decided to have dinner in a farmer's restaurant, which is famous for its natural ingredients of dishes and, practically, homemade cuisine. Next, we went to explore Washington at night. Walking the streets, looking at architecture and shop windows. They didn't come back that late, because the next day they had to go to New York.
The trip to New York wasn't as long as we thought. Our route ran through Baltimore and Philadelphia. In Baltimore we made a small stop to take a walk and get acquainted with the city, but in Philadelphia we decided to stay overnight.
Last morning in Washington, D.C., we spent in a cozy bakery. We ate a piece of open pie (they're delicious, I recommend it) and took some toast with us. Everyone, a glass of coffee and a trip! First stop in Baltimore.
The stop was made in the park, located on the top of the hill, which offers a wonderful view of the harbor and the city. Since there's not much time, we looked at Baltimore from afar. We took a couple of pictures and moved on. Next stop, Philadelphia!
Few cities boast a beautiful city hall, especially in the center, and in Philadelphia the town hall is simply magnificent! We also walked through the square and the nearby streets of the city.
Walking around Philadelphia, we stumbled upon the Hard Rock Cafe! It's worth a visit, at least because of the atmosphere and appearance. At the entrance there is a huge guitar, which is visible from afar! Inside the cafe there's a shop with brand-name things.
Yeah, it's the same building with a hundred-dollar bill. And it played one of the most important roles in the history of the country, here the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed. In the Hall there are excursions, various exhibits of that time, historical objects and original documents.
In a separate pavilion there is a bell of Liberty. I had to stand in line for a little while to get inside. Here you can read the history of the bell and learn about the struggle for U.S. independence. We were lucky, we got on a free tour, it was very interesting!
It's believed that the first American flag was made by a woman named Betsy Ross. Philadelphia has her home, and that's where we went. This is a landmark place that is worth a visit if you are interested in the history of the United States. There is an audio guide in English, and there are also guided tours in the cabin. Near the souvenir shop, where you can buy a flag in miniature.
Time for dinner. We decided to stop by for a snack at a taco bar and we didn't regret it. I love Mexican cuisine with its spices, corn tortillas and guacomole sauce, and that's where I find everything I like so much. I wouldn't call my dinner easy, but it was very tasty - I tasted three kinds of tacos: shrimp, lamb and mushrooms, and did not deny myself the pleasure of drinking a couple of cocktails.
On our way to New York, we decided to stay overnight in Philadelphia. We were told that this is one of the most beautiful cities in Pennsylvania and we had to make sure of it personally.
We went to the nearest coffee shop this morning and got coffee and doughnuts. By the way, besides donuts, you can eat burgers, fried chicken and fries here. The cafe is small and there's not as much space as I'd like, but the doughnuts are very tasty here!
The gate to the Chinese Quarter. If you have time, you can walk around the neighborhood. There are restaurants, bakeries, shops, and a small market. We walked the block fast, ran into a couple of souvenir shops and moved on.
It's an impressive place! A small labyrinth, whose walls are made of a variety of things: glass, bottles, wheels and piles of everything else. Mosaic steps and walls, incomprehensible design of the chandelier. All this, the works of one artist, which are combined in a single exhibition. You can spend hours wandering around and looking for new details and elements.
At the Art Museum, we went to an exhibition of Impressionism. I liked it very much, and the museum itself is excellent! Here are works by artists from all over the world. Of course, we wanted to stay here longer to pay attention to each exhibit, but we had to move to the Rodin Museum to get to New York today.
This is a unique opportunity to study the biography of the sculptor, to see with their own eyes the originals and copies of the works of the great Rodin. The museum is small and has an atmosphere of calm and contemplation. We've looked at all the works presented and walked around the park a little bit.
They didn't spend time for lunch, went to a shop near the park, bought food for the trip and went on a trip. Because New York was waiting for us! I couldn't wait to get there.
We've decided to start with Brooklyn Bridge Park to get to know New York. The promenade offers a breathtaking view of Manhattan! Especially beautiful here in the evening, when the whole city shines in the light of lanterns and neon signs!
Of course, we have to go over the legendary Brooklyn Bridge. Many times we have seen it in photos, films and magazines, and now we have the opportunity to step on it and go through a part of the history of New York!
Near the central park, we found a Japanese place with a grill bar. We decided to diversify our menu a little bit on the trip. The thing about this place is that you have to cook your own food. There's a little roast on every table. I felt like a real cook. Everything was delicious! Probably because I cooked it myself.
As planned, we got a hotel room in Manhattan. The city was given a few days to tour. We decided to start with the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 memorial. We walked through High Line Park and entered the most famous train station, which is found in many films.
And in this town, I found a brand-name place with badges! The title says they have the best bagels. I'd bet, but I'd deny that they're not gonna taste good. There are also a variety of croissants, sandwiches, coffee, anything for breakfast!
We began to explore the city, first of all going to the symbol of New York and the U.S. in general - the Statue of Liberty. You can swim to it, but we did not, because we were limited in time, and the queue was large. You can also go up to the statue itself, but you have to order tickets almost three months in advance, and from afar it seems no less impressive.
Memorial 9/11 reminds us of the tragedy of 9/11. The museum has an exhibition dedicated to what happened before, after and during the attack. The place is very impressive in its scope, and the fountain of tears makes you think.
Shake Shack is a well-known burger chain. We decided to have lunch here so we wouldn't waste a lot of time ordering and waiting for dishes. Grab a quick bite to eat and go ahead, then sightseeing.
We've heard and seen a lot of articles about High Line Park and we've got a chance to walk through it! It's pretty interesting, you're walking in the park, but the park's hanging in the air. In some parts there are still old rails, skillfully decorated by landscape designers.
Of course, our route wasn't without the Empire State skyscraper. One of New York's iconic places! You can go up to the observation deck of the building and see the whole city in the palm of your hand! Lifting is paid and the higher the floor, the higher the cost, keep in mind.
While walking around the city, we got hungry and decided to have dinner with something meaty and nourishing. Just outside the Empire State Building there is a nice Korean grill restaurant. Tasty meat with crispy crust and a couple of cocktails - the best end of the day and can not come up with.
Today we decided to visit the most important places that New York City is associated with. Of course, we couldn't help but visit the American Museum of Natural History, where one of our favorite films was shot. We walked through Central Park and saw the Rockefeller Center! We decided to spend the evening in Times Square and were out late. I didn't want to go back to my room and we wandered around Manhattan at night enjoying the city until we were tired.
This time, for breakfast, we chose a bakery across from Central Park. The choice is pretty big, there are puffs and pies, and big delicious sandwiches. A good breakfast is a good day! Better yet, a glass of refreshing, strong coffee will make it. We didn't stay in the cafe for a long time, we wanted to get to the Museum of Natural History as soon as possible.
You can wander through this museum for hours! There's a lot of awesome exhibits here! Huge dinosaurs, space show about the universe, statues from Easter Island and many other things! It's a pity that the exhibits don't come to life like in the movie "Night at the Museum", but without it, believe me, it will be something to see! Interestingly, you can buy a ticket to the museum for any price! At least for $1, at least for $50, it's up to you!
Central Park is probably the only place to go to New York without it. Every tourist is obliged to visit this corner of nature, stretched in the middle of a huge metropolis. You can rent a bike and explore the park's winding paths or sit on a bench by the water. Everyone will find something to do here. We were just walking and admiring nature. There are even animals in the park, we met some squirrels.
The park has a streetfood restaurant for all tastes, but we decided to indulge ourselves and went to the nearby Ribbon restaurant. The service and quality of the food was fantastic! A great opportunity to please yourself with dishes from different kitchens. We ordered oysters, to be honest, I tried them for the first time. I liked them very much, but I guess they were for an amateur.
Everybody's heard of the Rockefeller Center, another place you can't imagine New York without. There is an observation deck on the skyscraper, and it is better to book tickets in advance on the website, so as not to be in a big queue to the cash registers. We didn't know that, and we didn't get to the top of the building, so we didn't want to waste time, which wasn't enough.
The famous cathedral is lost among so many skyscrapers. The gothic building, located in the heart of the city, looks very old and is less than two hundred years old. Going inside, you're even more impressed with his architecture. We've been stuck here looking at stained-glass windows and huge columns. We highly recommend that you come to New York City, and be sure to come here!
Where do you want to go tonight in New York? Of course, for a walk in Times Square. This is one of the most recognizable places in the city! Lots of bright posters, souvenir shops and entertainment venues. Lots of lights, from small windows to huge billboards! Crowds of people and cars, it makes all the noise and fills you with crazy energy! The only thing that annoyed us a little bit was the huge number of animators who entertained tourists and locals in every possible way. Everything was great, except they were too annoying and asked to be photographed all the time for money.
To take a breath after a noisy street and eat, we decided to leave Times Square for a while and found a very good place to eat. It's a typical Irish pub with a wide range of drinks and food. Plenty of space, good service, all brought quickly. For the record, beef stew is delicious here!
This trip will be remembered for a long time! We've seen so much! The raging and majestic Niagara Falls, as well as the official and stately buildings of the White House and the Capitol, plunged into the atmosphere of bustling New York City and walked through the central park. It was everything! Nature and cities, contemplation and fun! It's time to go home, but we'll definitely go back to every place we've been!
We had a late breakfast, so the choice of open air establishments has increased significantly. We decided to go to the area we had not seen yet. It won't take long to get there by car, and we didn't regret choosing this place at all. Everything here is very tasty and atmospheric, thanks to a strange, but very nice decor.