Discover America USA Travel Guide

The Mid-Atlantic

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Duncanvsville, Pennsylvania. www.visitPA.com (Claver Carroll/Photo Library)

The country´s biggest city and the East Coast´s largest wilderness area are just a few hundred miles apart in the Mid-Atlantic region. This diverse three-state expanse offers bustling urban areas and remote backcountry, one as alluring as the other and both appealing in every season.

From the welcoming arms of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor to the aromas of restaurants in countless ethnic neighborhoods, from the bright lights of Times Square to the chic shops on Fifth Avenue, New York City welcomes more international visitors than any other U.S. metropolis.

Even longtime residents have not conquered every corner of the Big Apple, but you can hit the highlights aboard a bus tour of the city or, on your own, via the subway. A handful of not-to-be-missed moments: ride a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park; view Manhattan from the 102nd floor Observatory atop the
Empire State Building; tour Rockefeller Center, including NBC Studios and Radio City Music Hall; observe the United Nations at work. For a moment of introspection, travel downtown to Ground Zero, site of the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001.

Broadway’s theaters beckon with hit plays and musicals. Or you can choose a ballet, opera, symphony or jazz concert at Lincoln Center, the nation’s largest performing arts complex. Take your pick of the city’s numerous world-class museums, from the exquisite, encyclopedic collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to the extraordinary trove of twentieth-century masterworks in the Museum of Modern Art, to the dinosaur exhibits in the American Museum of Natural History, which never fail to delight youngsters.

When you get hungry, you will have no trouble finding restaurants ranging from the casual to the formal, and offering every conceivable type of cuisine. New York is famous for its world-class fine dining, as well as its wonderful food emporia, corner delis and street-food vendors.

Board a ferry at Battery Park for the trip across New York Harbor to the Statue of Liberty, where you can take an elevator inside the statue to the tenth-story observation deck. Ellis Island is another memorable ferry destination. Here, the American Family Immigration History Center tells the story of the twelve million new Americans who passed through the island’s immigration station from 1892 to 1954.

New York is known for its distinct neighborhoods — SoHo, Greenwich Village, Tribeca, Harlem and Chelsea, among them. Each has its own unique character — and colorful local characters. By foot, taxi or subway, it’s time well spent to explore Manhattan’s many ways of life and ethnic enclaves.

It’s also worth experiencing New York City beyond Manhattan. Brooklyn beckons across the stone bridge of the same name. Art, architecture, a diverse dining scene, parks, gardens and adjacent Coney Island call to those looking for a different slice of the Big Apple. Several bridges connect Manhattan with the Bronx, too. The Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Park and New York Botanical Garden are both worthy journeys to another of New York City’s five boroughs.

Beyond the Big Apple, on suburban Long Island, hunt for antiques and tour one of the Gold Coast mansions in Nassau County. In neighboring Suffolk County, see if you can spot celebrities in the Hamptons, a summer retreat for the rich and famous. Later, enjoy dinner with wine from one of the island’s award-winning vineyards. North of New York City is the Adirondacks region, a perfect blend of mountains and water. From birding to canoeing, fishing to skiing, the Adirondacks contain 85 percent of all wilderness acreage in the eastern United States. Your options for outdoor fun here include 2,000 miles of hiking trails, more than 3,000 ponds and lakes and, in winter, many destinations for skiing, snowboarding and skating. Retreat at night to your cozy room at one of the area’s many four-star resorts, where you’ll be pampered after an active day in the water or on the slopes.

In western New York, you’ll hear the roar of the water before you catch your first glimpse of Niagara Falls. You can view North America’s most powerful waterfalls from adjacent walkways; from below, aboard a sightseeing boat; or from above, in a helicopter. Another option is the Hurricane Deck. Of the five wooden observation decks built inside Niagara Gorge, this one gets you the closest to the falls — and leaves you the wettest. The neighboring city of Buffalo offers rides on a working 1916 merry-go-round inside the Herschell Carousel Factory Museum. Have some spicy Buffalo wings in the place where they originated.

Meander through the scenic byways and wineries of the Finger Lakes region en route to Rochester, home to the George Eastman House and the Strong National Museum of Play, a favorite of families and children. In Corning, the Southern gateway to the Finger Lakes, visit the Corning Museum of Glass to view over thirty- five centuries of the glassmaker’s art.

Heading south from New York, explore the USA’s roots in Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, retrace the country’s founding along cobblestone streets to Independence Hall, the red-brick meeting house where colonial leaders signed the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The original Liberty Bell is displayed in a nearby pavilion. No one knows for certain why the bell cracked the first time it was rung, but it remains an enduring symbol of freedom that has drawn millions of visitors to the city. History isn’t Philadelphia’s only claim to fame: for lunch, try its namesake Philly cheesesteak sandwich.

The Pocono Mountains offer year-round outdoor recreation just a short drive north of Philadelphia. You might catch sight of a bald eagle from your canoe or the golf course. In the winter, you can master the art of snowshoeing or attempt a nighttime ski run. West of the city, you will fi nd a slower pace of life in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country. Sample the wares in a farmers’ market. Take a ride back in time on a working steam locomotive at the Steamtown National Historic Site. Pennsylvania offers dozens of working steam locomotive trains for you to experience travel the old- fashioned way.

The Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers meet in Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania. The world’s largest museum dedicated to a single artist is here: immerse yourself in pop art at the Andy Warhol Museum. Then experience the indoor rainforests at the National Aviary, where you will be surrounded by hundreds of birds belonging to endangered species.

Beyond the slots and gaming tables, Atlantic City entices visitors with world-class spas, shopping, dining and live entertainment. There are more than thirty golf courses within thirty miles and that ocean outside your window is perfect for boating and fishing. Along the sea, amble down the world’s longest boardwalk.

Bruce Springsteen is the rock star most closely associated with the northern New Jersey coastal community of Asbury Park, but Mick Jagger, Jerry Garcia and The Who played here, too; many musicians still on their way up appear regularly in local clubs. For a taste of history nearby, look around Sandy Hook, America’s oldest working lighthouse. Or tour the Queen Anne-style mansion in West Orange where Thomas Edison perfected the light bulb, the phonograph and the motion picture projector.

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Visit The Mid-Atlantic region

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