Things to Do in North America

Located on the West Side between 14th and 29th Streets and Broadway and the Hudson River, Chelsea is Manhattan’s art mecca. Renowned for having the highest concentration of art galleries in the city, visitors can easily spend the day browsing free-to-enter creative spaces, especially on 20th through 29th streets between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. Some notable galleries to check out include the Barbara Gladstone Gallery featuring contemporary pieces from big names, Zach Feuer Gallery which showcases edgier works by up-and-coming artists and Interart Gallery housing paintings from European surrealists painters. Even beyond the galleries the neighborhood is creative. For example, you’ll find the High Line, an elevated urban park on an abandoned rail line with beautiful gardens and public art, Trapeze School New York where you can watch and learn the performance art of high wire acts and the Upright Citizens Brigade, which showcases improv, sketch and stand-up comedy. For artisanal food and drinks, Chelsea Brewing Company serves gourmet pub food and microbrews right on the water,  Zou Zou’s Café is a French-inspired cafe showcasing pottery and live music on weekends and the Gallow Green rooftop lounge features aerial views, handcrafted cocktails and a bohemian atmosphere.

To get to Chelsea,  take the N,Q,R,W to Unique Square; F,L,V to Sixth Avenue ; 1,2,3 to 14th Street; A,C,E,L to Eighth Avenue-14th Street; 1 to 18th, 23rd or 28th Street; F,V, R, W, C, E to 23rd Street ; R,W to 28th Street

Encompassing 254,080 acres (102,823 hectares), the Chena River Recreation Area is located about 30 minutes east of Fairbanks, with the Chena River being the central focus of the park. As the name implies, the park is full of opportunities for outdoor recreation and is popular with hikers, backpackers, climbers, anglers, kayakers, skiers, snowmobilers, canoers, wildlife photographers and adventure enthusiasts.

The area is abundant with wildlife, home to black bears, brown bears, beavers, red fox, caribou, wolves, hoary marmots, pika, rock ptarmigan and, most predominantly, moose, which you’ll see many of around the lakes. In the Chena River, catch-and-release fishing for Arctic grayling is possible, but grayling and rainbow trout caught in the park’s stocked ponds -- located at mileposts 30, 42.8, 45.5 and 47.9 on the Chena Hot Springs Road -- may be kept.

While during warmer months visitors enjoy activities like hiking, climbing, ATVing, picnicking, canoeing and kayaking, winter activities may include dog sledding, skiing and snowmobiling. And no trip to the Chena River Recreation Area would be complete without a soak in the Chena Hot Springs, which is especially relaxing in the cold winter months. Nearby you can tour the Aurora Ice Museum, filled with ice sculptures, an ice bar and ornate chandeliers made of ice that change colors every six seconds to resemble the Northern Lights.

History, recreation and leisure come together at Chelsea Piers, a group of four historic piers on the Hudson River. Some of the most famous ocean-going liners tied up at these docks, including the Lusitania; but these days Chelsea Piers is making waves as an entertainment and sports activities precinct.

You can have a go at more than 30 different sports at Chelsea Piers. Tee off with a round of golf at the Golf Club, work out in the Sports Center health club, go ice skating at the Sky Rink, play football or basketball in the Field House, or join in a game of ten-pin bowling at 300 New York.

You’ll also find an indoor rock-climbing range, gymnastics facilities, a day spa, dance studios, and a training facility for elite athletes.

The Chicago Cultural Center is one of the city’s architectural gems. Though it doesn’t tower over the streets like the Willis Tower, it’s an equally impressive building, renowned for its opulent interiors and two dazzlingly beautiful stained glass domes.

Built in 1897 as Chicago’s first public library, the Cultural Center is now home to the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, the Chicago Children’s Choir and several galleries. It hosts nearly 1,000 free cultural programs per year, including concerts, plays, art exhibits, film screenings and lectures. It was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1976, and is considered to be the most comprehensive free municipal cultural venue in the country.

While the cultural programs draw hundreds of thousands of visitors per year, many people also come just to see the impressive interior, which is decorated in a Beaux Arts style modeled on several classical buildings in Europe, including the Doge's Palace in Venice, the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and the Acropolis in Athens. Inside you’ll find rare colored marbles and stone, antique brass fixtures and the most famous features, the two large stained glass domes. One of these domes can claim the title of the world’s largest Tiffany glass done, which is 38 feet across and contains an estimated 30,000 pieces of glass.