Arrive in New York, NY, check into a Midtown Manhattan hotel for a three-night stay.  Next, take a New York City guided of the City.  You will see landmarks such as Ground Zero, Wall Street, Greenwich Village, Time Square, 5th Avenue, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Neighborhood of Harlem and the United Nations Building.  You will also visit the Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Intrepid and its Sea, Air and Space Museum.  You also have a chance to tour the submarine Growler and visit the aircraft collection that includes a British Airways Concorde.  Have dinner on your own in a restaurant near Rockefeller Center.  After dinner, take a stroll through the amazing night-lit maze along the city streets.

After breakfast in the hotel, travel to Battery Park and board the morning ferry to the Liberty and Ellis Islands.  Witness one of the world’s most historical landmarks, The Statue of Liberty, followed by a visit to Ellis Island, the symbol of American immigration.  You will have time to disembark the ferry and explore both islands.

Following your cruise, visit the South Street Seaport.  The Seaport is a designated historic district, features some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan and includes the largest concentration of restored early 19th century commercial buildings in the city.  Enjoy the shops, street vendor cards and street performers.  Have lunch on your own in one of the many eateries.

The afternoon is reserved for time at your leisure to visit an art museum.  Selections include The Guggenheim, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or MOMA the Museum of Modern Art.  Dinner is served at a landmark New York restaurant, Carmine’s, a family-style Italian Ristorante, followed by a Broadway Show where your reserved Orchestra Seat tickets await.  Return to the hotel following the performance. (B,D)

First stop this morning is Rockefeller Center where you embark on a tour of NBC Studios.  Your next stop is St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest gothic-style Catholic Cathedral in the United States.  Enjoy lunch on your own in one of the city’s renowned delicatessens.

As the afternoon unfolds you find yourself on Fifth Avenue the shopping mecca of the world. Visit Saks, Bloomingdales, Macys and countless smaller boutiques and shops. “If you can’t find it there, you can’t find it anywhere…”  After dinner on your own, travel up to the 86th Floor Observatory of the Empire State Building.  This illuminated bird’s eye view will surely be one of your most memorable experiences. (B)

After breakfast and hotel check out, board your motor coach and travel across New York State bound for Niagara Falls, NY and a two night stay in Buffalo.  Once you have had a chance to relax and refresh, join your co-travelers for dinner at a local’s restaurant. (B,D)

Today is a day of adventure.  Begin at the American Falls Observation Tower that extends out over the Niagara Gorge.  You will be able to look directly out into the Falls and then into the raging torrents below.  Today’s sightseeing includes a cruise on the Maid of Mist, the most famous boat ride in New York State.  For more than 150 years the Maid of the Mist has taken countless visitors through the foam and spray at the bottom of Niagara Falls. Get ready for damp, but thrilling ride!

Next, the wild excitement continues at The Cave of Winds.  Here you follow your tour guide over a wooden walkway to the Hurricane Deck, where you are less than 20 feet from the torrents of Bridal Veil Falls.  You’ll experience tropical storm-like conditions and be doused by the spray of the rushing waters.  It’s a view that very few people ever get to experience.  Have a relaxing evening and dinner on your own. (B)

After breakfast this morning, travel to Washington DC.  Arrive at your suburban hotel, your home for the next three nights.  Once you have had a chance to relax from the travel, enjoy a great dinner at Tony & Joe’s Seafood on the Potomac in nearby Georgetown. (B)

After breakfast in the hotel, embark on a sightseeing tour of Washington DC.  The tour will include a photo opportunity of the White House, U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, Union Station and the Holocaust Museum.  You will also visit the Smithsonian Museum of Air & Space and have lunch on your own at the museum’s concession.

Your next stop is at the US Capitol Visitors Center followed by time at your leisure to visit the museums of The Smithsonian Institute.  This evening enjoy dinner at a local’s favorite restaurant followed by an illuminated monuments and memorials tour. (B,D)

Begin today at Arlington National Cemetery.  Witness the Eternal Flame, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for the Changing of the Guard and the Custis Lee Mansion.  Have lunch on your own at an Arlington restaurant.

This afternoon, visit The International Spy Museum, learn how spies, intelligence operations and deceptions have changed the course of history.  Gather together for a farewell dinner at a landmark DC restaurant. (B,D)

After breakfast, depart for home. (B)