9 Days New East Coast Cultural Arts Tour

Itinerary

• Day 1 Home - New York City (Free Airport Pick Up) (20 miles)

  Upon your arrival in New York City, our tour guide will meet you directly at the airport (baggage claim area) and transfer you aboard our scheduled group shuttles to the hotel.

   

  Note: For those passengers who arrive at JFK and LGA meeting point before 8:30AM, you will have the opportunity to enjoy our half day special city tour, including visiting the 9·11 memorial (Please book the ticket online in advance if you want to visit inside), walking in the old Brooklyn bridge and enjoying the Manhattan panorama, free shopping in the famous brand discount store and large appliances supermarket, then we will transfer you to the hotel for rest.

   

  Pick-up service from JFK, LGA and EWR airports. For the best service, please choose EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport).

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  HotelSheraton/Radisson or similar
• Day 2 New York City Tour (Full Day)

  We will spend the day touring New York City, the center of global commerce, finance, media, culture, art, fashion and entertainment. Here, we will visit the Empire State Building*, the Art Deco styled building that spans 102 floors, and offers breathtaking 360 views of New York. Next, we’ll take a boat ride around Manhattan Harbor* where you can see the Statue of Liberty and the incredible skyline. From there, we will board another vessel, the USS Intrepid*, home to the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, which exhibits military aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters, and even a submarine on its flight deck. Next, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art*, we’ll get a glimpse of their impressive collection of artwork that spans from classical antiquity to more modern masterpieces. We will have an opportunity to tour luxurious Fifth Avenue, known for its brand name shops and being the “main street” of the fashion world. Then we will visit the United Nations headquarters, the center for international diplomacy. And if there is time, our tour may view other notable sites such as Wall Street and Ground Zero in the Financial District.

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  HotelSheraton/Radisson or similar
• Day 3 Princeton University - Philadelphia - Baltimore - Washington DC (238 miles)

  This morning we’ll begin our tour in lovely Princeton, New Jersey to visit the celebrated campus of Princeton University, one of the nation’s oldest universities and member of the Ivy League. Next, we’ll move on to the historic city of Philadelphia, where we’ll take a stroll by Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution drafted), the iconic Liberty Bell, Old Parliament House, and National Independence Park. After a stop at the United States Mint, where we’ll learn how U.S. currency is made, we’ll drive on to Baltimore to see its scenic Inner Harbor, with its many quaint shops, restaurants, and glorious tall ships that grace the water. Our last stop of the day will be at Fort McHenry, famous battle site of the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the United States’ national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. After dinner, we’ll transfer to our hotel in Washington D.C. for the night.

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  HotelHilton/Sheraton or similar
• Day 4 Washington D.C. City Tour

  Today we’ll visit many of the most iconic landmarks and buildings in the nation’s capital. Firstly we’ll visit Capitol Hill, then we’ll have three hours to explore one or more of the museums on the National Mall: the Museum of Natural History, Air and Space Museum, or the National Gallery. Afterwards, we’ll move on to see the stately white marble memorials to Presidents Jefferson and Lincoln, the towering Washington Monument, the somber and stately Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, as well as the center of executive branch power and home of the President of the United States, the White House. At last, we’ll take a scenic and relaxing cruise on Potomac River* and its Tidal Basin to experience the city from the water, where we’ll get views of the Pentagon, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the infamous Watergate Hotel, and more.

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  HotelHilton/Sheraton or similar
• Day 5 Washington D.C. - Hershey's Chocolate World - Corning Glass - Niagara Falls (451 miles)

  Hershey's Chocolate World, with its marketplace, shops and restaurants, sweetly beckons our tour this morning. Once here you can take the chocolate tour viewing the chocolate making process and a spectacular 3-D Show,*and/or participate in special chocolate tastings. Later, continuing on our way north, we’ll make a special stop at the Corning Glass Center*, a showcase and museum for the art and science of glassmaking. Here you will witness first-hand how craftsman and artisans work superheated glass into beautiful decorative pieces; at the conclusion of our visit, you will have the opportunity to purchase these unique items for yourself or a loved one in the Center’s wonderful gift shop. Afterwards, the tour will head to Niagara Falls to enjoy its beautiful night views. In what’s now a 140-year-old tradition, every evening the Falls are illuminated in changing colors of the rainbow. The sunset is usually late in summer, we will take the time to visit the scenic spots after arriving at Niagara Falls, so as to enjoy the sunshine and leave some time for the wonderful night tour, then we could head to Boston directly the next day.

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  HotelAdams Mark/Holiday Inn or similar
• Day 6 Niagara Falls - Boston (466 miles)

  Today we’ll truly experience Niagara Falls in its full fury and majesty - as the most powerful waterfall in North America, an average of 4 million cubic feet of water falls over the crest every minute. First, at the IMAX Niagara Falls*  -"The Falls Movie: Legends and Daredevils,” we’ll see and hear the unforgettable stories of the courageous few who have dared the waters of the powerful Falls. Next, we’ll take a thrilling boat ride aboard the world-famous Maid of the Mist* which offers us close and exciting views of the Falls (seasonal). We’ll also visit the Cave of the Winds, where a series of wooden walkways will lead us to a hurricane deck a mere 20 feet from the towering Bridal Veil Falls! After this exciting day, our tour will then continue to Boston where, if time permits, we will stop for a delicious lobster dinner*.

   

  For winter special schedule(Nov - Mar), if time is availiable we will go to the Old Fort Niagara(optional), located at the mouth of the Niagara River. Be sure to catch the short guided tour that explains a lot in a short time. The fact that the old French Castle from 1726 is still standing today is amazing. The history and importance of this fort is a compelling reason to preserve it and the artifacts in the museum were spectacular. If you're a history buff or just like tours of this kind you have to see this.

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  HotelSheraton/Crowne Plaza or similar
• Day 7 Boston - Rhode Island - Boston (143 miles)

  We will take a city tour of Boston in the morning, beginning with the campuses of Harvard University and MIT, two of the most prestigious places of higher learning in the world. The tour will continue to Boston Common, a 50 acre park in the heart of the city and the oldest park in the United States; Trinity Church with its beautiful interior that features over 21,500 square feet of murals and stained glass windows; and the glass-covered John Hancock Tower, the tallest structure in Boston. If season and weather permits, we will take a harbor cruise to observe Boston's working port and examples of extravagant waterfront living.

   

  We will visit downtown Boston and Quincy Market, which is one of America's oldest gathering places. Next we will visit yachting hotspot Newport, Rhode Island, where we will visit the Breakers Mansion, the opulent former summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II that was built at a cost of approximately $150 million in today's dollars. As we make our way back to Boston, we’ll stop to visit the Mayflower II, a replica of the original vessel that carried the Pilgrims on their harrowing journey from England to America to escape persecution in the 17th Century, and Plymouth Rock, traditionally celebrated as the site where they landed. Our tour returns to Boston in the evening.

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  HotelSheraton/Crowne Plaza or similar
• Day 8 Boston - New York (225 miles)

  In the morning, we will tour the USS Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat, which will be narrated by an active-duty member of the U.S. Navy. We will also visit the nearby WWII destroyer, the USS Cassin Young, which was active in the Pacific arena during the war. After lunch, we will visit the beautiful campus of Yale University in New Haven, CT. As a member of the Ivy League, it has produced famous alumni such as Presidents William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

   

  We will then make our way to New York, where, if time permits, we will tour the eclectic Soho, Chinatown, and Little Italy neighborhoods. Later, we will return to our hotel for an evening’s rest. Or you may enjoy the Broadway show after 7:00PM, and return to the hotel at your own expense ($120/4-6 persons). The show ticket reservation and the transportation back to hotel can be also arranged by the tour guide.

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  HotelCrowne Plaza/Courtyard or similar
• Day 9 New York - Woodbury Common - West Point Academy (129 miles)

  In the morning, we will head to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets. Featuring 220 outlet stores with famous labels such as Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Jimmy Choo and Yves Saint Laurent at discounted prices, visitors will have the opportunity to purchase brand names at often significant discounts of up to 25%-65%. From there, the tour continues to the United States Military Academy at West Point, which sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River and the entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites, buildings, and monuments. It has produced numerous successful graduates among its more than 50,000 alumni, including Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Generals Lee, Patton, and MacArthur, to name a few. In the evening, the tour will return to New York area airports for your departure home.

   

  Note: Guests departing from New York should arrange flights after 7:00pm (The tour will be at the airport at around 5:00pm) .

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