Lonely Planet New York & the Mid-Atlantic , livre ebook

New York & the Mid-Atlantic

Contents

Plan Your Trip

New York & the Mid-Atlantic Map
Welcome to New York & the Mid-Atlantic
New York & the Mid-Atlantic’s Top 22
Need to Know
If You Like...
Month By Month
Itineraries
Outdoor Activities
Eat & Drink Like a Local
Travel with Children
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

New York City
Neighborhoods at a Glance
Statue of Liberty
National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Central Park
Sights
Activities
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
New York State
Long Island
South Shore
The Hamptons
Montauk
North Fork & Shelter Island
Catskills
Phoenicia & Mt Tremper
Tannersville
Woodstock
Finger Lakes
Ithaca
Seneca Falls
The Adirondacks
Albany
Lake George
Lake Placid
Lake Ontario & Thousand Islands
St Lawrence River Shore
Western New York
Buffalo
Niagara Falls
New Jersey
Northern New Jersey
Hoboken
Newark
Princeton
Lambertville
Pine Barrens
Jersey Shore
Sandy Hook
Asbury Park
Ocean Grove
Barnegat Peninsula
Long Beach Island
Atlantic City
Wildwood
Cape May
Philadelphia
Independence Hall
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Sights
Activities
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Lancaster
Pennsylvania Wilds
Western Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Laurel Highlands
Central Pennsylvania
State College
Southeastern Pennsylvania
Brandywine Valley
Upstate & the Poconos
Washington, Dc
Neighborhoods at a Glance
National Air & Space Museum
National Museum of African American History & Culture
Sights
Activities
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Delaware
Delaware Coast
Wilmington
Brandywine Valley
New Castle
Dover
Maryland
Baltimore
Annapolis
Eastern Shore
St Michaels & Tilghman Island
Cambridge
Salisbury
Berlin
Assateague Island
Ocean City
Western Maryland
Frederick
Cumberland
Southern Maryland
Leonardtown & St Mary’s County
Solomons Island & Calvert County
Virginia
Northern Virginia
Arlington
Alexandria
Fredericksburg
The Piedmont
Richmond
Charlottesville
Historic Triangle
Williamsburg
Jamestown
Yorktown
Hampton Roads
Norfolk
Virginia Beach
Shenandoah Valley
Staunton
Lexington
Blue Ridge Highlands & Southwest Virginia
Roanoke
Abingdon
West Virginia
Eastern Panhandle
Harpers Ferry
Shepherdstown
Berkeley Springs
Monongahela National Forest
Canaan Valley
Snowshoe & Pocahontas County
Thomas & Davis
New River & the Greenbrier Valley
New River Gorge National River
Fayetteville
Lewisburg
Charleston

Understand

New York & the Mid-Atlantic Today
History
People & Culture
Arts & Architecture
Landscapes & Wildlife

Survival Guide

Directory A–Z
Accessible Travel
Accommodations
Customs Regulations
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Food
Health
Internet Access
Legal Matters
LGBTIQ+ Travelers
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Smoking
Telephone
Toilets
Tourist Information
Visas
Transportation
Getting There & Away
Entering the Country
Air
Land
Sea
Getting Around
Air
Bicycle
Boat
Bus
Car & Motorcycle
Taxi & Ride-Sharing
Train
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to New York & the Mid-Atlantic

A compelling mix of adventure awaits: monuments and museums, beaches and battlefields, woods and white water. Oyster shooters and bluegrass jams bring the party.

The USA’s Story
With museums now acknowledging the accomplishments and struggles of a diverse mix of historic players – from Native Americans to slaves to Founding Fathers – it’s a compelling time to study the past in the Mid-Atlantic. Events elemental to the US political system and cultural norms took root here. Whether studying the Jamestown ruins, touring Independence Hall or following the Underground Railroad, this is where the story of the modern USA unfolded. If you time it right, you can experience history in real time by watching legislators in action from the galleries of centuries-old state houses.

Outdoor Fun
Don’t let the boring moniker ‘Mid-Atlantic’ throw you: from Assateague Island to the Appalachian Mountains, the region is chock-full of adventures with gorgeous backdrops. Here you can paddle coastal salt marshes, cycle past historic locks, hike scenic rail trails and scramble to rock-covered peaks. And we saved the best for last: you may not have time for scenery in West Virginia as you plunge over Class V rapids on what might be the wildest white water in America. Hold tight for Pillow Roooooock – ahhhh! Bam! Yeah!

Cultural Bonanza
New York City and Washington, DC, are regional anchors for the arts: from the Big Apple’s grand Metropolitan Museum of Art to the 19 museums comprising the Smithsonian Institution in the nation’s capital. For live performances, take your pick of prestigious venues: Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Folger Theatre and more. But culture doesn’t end at big-city borders. Art gets visionary in Baltimore, MD, while Richmond, VA, and Philadelphia, PA, showcase eclectic murals. To the west, traditional arts and crafts reflect long-honed skills, while old-time mountain music wins new fans with catchy modern interpretations.

Good Eats
From biscuits and gravy for breakfast to ramen at lunch and goulash at dinner, you can travel the world in a day in NYC or DC. Both cities dazzle with choice: chow down in a 60-year-old diner or in a hip industrial space with the chef du jour. Salty hams, jumbo peanuts and farm-to-table fare are Virginia specialties, while cracking steamed crabs and slurping oysters in Maryland is heaven for seafood lovers. Delaware’s seafood shines too. Cheesesteaks rule in Philly, while fluffy biscuits and pepperoni rolls are winners in West Virginia.

Blue Ridge Highlands , Virginia | PHOTOSPARKS/GETTY IMAGES ©

Why I Love New York & the Mid-Atlantic
By Amy C Balfour, Writer
My great-grandfather led hikes to the summit of Sharp Top Mountain in Virginia as a boy, imparting his knowledge of the Blue Ridge Mountains to curious visitors. I understand why he did it – it was a love of place he couldn’t help but share. Today, I love the easy accessibility of outdoor adventures from the region’s vibrant big and midsized cities, where culinary and cultural attractions shine. History – now refreshingly open to reinterpretation – is also on your doorstep here. And the microbreweries and wineries? Gorgeous views complement great libations.
For more, see our writers
New York & the Mid-Atlantic’s Top 22

National Mall
Nearly 2 miles long and lined with iconic monuments and hallowed marble buildings, the National Mall is the epicenter of Washington, DC’s political and cultural life. America’s finest museums line the green, welcoming visitors year-round; in summer, massive music and food festivals are staged here. For exploring American history, there’s no better place to ruminate, whether you’re tracing your hand along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial or ascending the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where Dr Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.

Jefferson Memorial | F11PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences
New York City
Home to striving artists, hedge-fund moguls and immigrants from every corner of the globe, New York City is constantly reinventing itself. It remains one of the world centers of fashion, theater, food, music, publishing, advertising, and finance. A staggering number of museums, parks and ethnic neighborhoods are scattered through the five boroughs. Do as every New Yorker does, and hit the streets: every block reflects the character and history of this dizzying kaleidoscope, and in a short walk you can cross continents.

Brooklyn Bridge | ALLARD ONE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Shenandoah National Park
The view of rolling mountains and the lush Shenandoah Valley will take your breath away at the Hawksbill Mountain summit . We mean that literally; at 4050ft, it’s the highest peak in the park. You have to hike to get there, but the 360-degree panorama is worth the burn. The park is only 75 miles from Washington, DC. Overlooks, trails and campgrounds hug the lofty Skyline Drive, a 105-mile byway that traverses the whole shebang from north to south. As for wildlife, there’s plenty; we guarantee you’ll see a white-tailed deer.

JON BILOUS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Delaware Beaches
The First State may be small in size, but its gorgeous beaches punch above their weight. Not only are they easy to access from Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD – both are 120 miles away – but they each offer a different experience. History buffs and cyclists may prefer Lewes, where the quaint downtown and a woodsy state park border the golden strands. Rehoboth welcomes fun-seeking families and beachgoers in search of a civilized meal. Dewey gets wild while Bethany is a quiet spot for sitting on the beach and relaxing.

DAVID KAY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Adirondacks
Majestic and wild, the Adirondacks , a mountain range with 42 peaks over 4000ft high, rival any of the nation’s wilderness areas for sheer awe-inspiring beauty. The 9375 sq miles of protected parklands and forest preserve, which climb from central New York State to the Canadian border, include towns, mountains, glacial lakes, rivers, and more than 2000 miles of hiking trails.

PATTY BARKER/500PX ©

Top Experiences
Blue Ridge Parkway
There’s not one stoplight to spoil the ride on this 469-mile roadway traversing the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. Along its nearly 217 miles in Virginia, you can watch sublime sunsets, scan for wildlife and lose all sense