Things to Do in North America

Walking up the steps and through the imposing Doric columns and impressive classical façade, you wouldn’t know that the New Orleans Museum of Art began over 100 years from very humble origins. First erected in 1911, the city’s oldest fine art museum then housed only a paltry nine works of art. What is now one of the greatest art collections in the American South, today the New Orleans Museum of Art houses almost 40,000 objects on permanent display and is heralded for its impressive collection of French, American, African, and Japanese art, as well as its extensive photography showings, and glass works. The grounds themselves are part of the display, and visitors can stroll the five-acre Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden where they’ll find over 60 sculptures situated on beautifully landscaped footpaths strewn with ancient live oak trees and rippling lagoons.

Like its neighbor Chinatown, Little Italy is a vibrant remnant of Manhattan’s legendary multicultural makeup. A great area for city walks, the focus is Mulberry Street and Old St Patrick’s Cathedral.

It’s a historic neighborhood of cobblestone streets, tenements, pizza bars, and Italian restaurants. The most authentic remnant of Little Italy is the section of Mulberry Street between Broome and Canal streets.

In September Mulberry Street hosts the 11-day San Gennaro street festival, with parades, street vendors, and outdoor food stalls.

The New York Public Library is actually comprised of four major research libraries and about 100 branches spread throughout Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, but the Beaux Arts-style Stephen A. Schwarzman Building generally takes the title for itself. Home to a non-circulating collection of volumes on the humanities and social sciences, as well as a circulating children's collection, this landmark library is renowned both for its signature stone lions out front and for its free access to some of the most fascinating research materials in the world.

If you’re at the Port of New Orleans, you’re most like beginning or ending your cruise, so get there a day early or stick around afterward for a chance to explore the Big Easy.

The French Quarter is, of course, the main attraction, but if you’ve been there, done that, take a shore excursion into the countryside to see some of Louisiana’s grand plantation homes, or experience the swampy waterways on an airboat tour.

How to Get to New Orleans

You’ll dock downtown at either the Julia Street or Erato Street terminal. Both terminals are on the Riverfront Trolley Line, which will take you a mile up the Mississippi River to the French Quarter.

One Day in New Orleans

Before diving right into the liveliness (or downright madness, depending on when you’re there) of the French Quarter, start your day in New Orleans’ peaceful Audubon Park, 6 miles (10 km) west of the city center and home to the Audubon Zoo. Explore the park from the river up to St Charles Avenue, where you’ll begin heading east, back toward the city.

Go back to the 19th century as you walk along St Charles Avenue, known for its mansions and towering oak trees. When you get tired, hop on the St Charles Streetcar, which will take you all the way back to Canal Street on the edge of the French Quarter.

Spend the rest of your afternoon and evening in the French Quarter, snapping photos of the iconic wrought-iron architecture, admiring St Louis Cathedral, listening to jazz, drinking Hurricanes at establishments along Bourbon Street, and indulging in coffee and beignets at Café du Monde on Jackson Square.

If stone bridges, botanical gardens, sculpture, theme parks, hundreds of centuries-old oak trees and numerous waterways are indicative of a good park, then consider New Orleans City Park one of the best city parks in the world. Over 1300 acres of sprawling land comprises this park, making it the sixth-largest urban park in the United States and a routine stop for family fun. Distinguished by a large menu of activities, whether it’s stopping in the Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, renting a boat or bike to see some preserved bayou, walking the sculpture gardens, golfing, playing tennis, fishing, or just relaxing in the park on a picnic, a day spent in New Orleans’ City Park is always a good time.

Set in a decommissioned subway station in Brooklyn, the Transit Museum was opened in 1976 as part of America’s Bicentennial celebration. The original intention was for the museum to be temporary, but its displays of New York City transport memorabilia, subway dioramas, vintage streetcars and more proved so popular that the museum was made a permanent attraction.

In addition to a large archive of vintage photos, artifacts and documents (available to the public by appointment only) and rotating contemporary art exhibits, the museum presents three permanent exhibitions. Steel, Stone & Backbone: Building New York's Subways 1900-1925 is a thorough exploration of how the New York City subway was planned and implemented; the interactive Fare Collection features vintage turnstiles and modern-day MetroCard kiosks; and On the Streets: New York's Trolleys and Buses presents a simulated traffic intersection replete with a 12-seat bus, street signs, parking meters and fire hydrants, as well as histories of the men who electrified buses and streetcars.

The largest city in the United States, New York boasts one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. A major center for food, music, culture, fashion and business, the city known as the “Big Apple” truly is a city that never sleeps. With a plethora of world-class museums, cultural institutions, quirky neighborhoods and shopping and dining opportunities to suit any budget, New York has something for everyone!

How to Get Into New York City
The New York City Cruise Terminal is located on the west side of Manhattan, between West 48th and West 52nd Streets. It should take you just 15-20 minutes to walk into Midtown from there. If you prefer not to walk or you are heading to another area of the city, taxis are readily available. The subway doesn’t extend to the port, but buses can be found at 42nd, 49th and 50th Streets.

Some ships may dock at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, south of Brooklyn Heights, or at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port, on the New Jersey side of New York Harbor.

One Day in New York City
One could easily spend a week or more in New York without running out of things to see and do – with so many options, it is nearly impossible to see the city in just one day. Many of the most popular attractions also come with long lines, so keep that in mind as you are planning your visit.

Start by heading to the heart of Manhattan, Times Square. Grab a cup of coffee and a New York bagel and enjoy some people watching before moving on to one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the Empire State Building. Located at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, the building’s 86th floor observation deck offers sweeping views of the city – but be prepared to stand in line for a ride up!

From there, walk up Fifth Avenue, home to many of New York’s most prestigious shops and one of the most expensive streets in the world. Eventually you’ll find yourself at the southern end of Central Park. The park, covering over 800 acres in the center of the city, offers a pleasant escape from the hustle and bustle of the crowded Manhattan sidewalks. You could easily spend much of the afternoon there.

Not far from Central Park, you can find two of New York’s best known museums, the Guggenheim Museum (Fifth Avenue & 89th Street) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Fifth Avenue & 82nd Street). The latter boasts over two million works of art displayed throughout more than 50 galleries. Other museums of interest include the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (the world’s largest naval museum), the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of the City of New York.

If museums aren’t your thing, instead take a ride on one of the oldest subway systems in the world down to the Financial District. There, pay a visit to the 9/11 Memorial commemorating those who were killed in the World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001. Then, take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry and enjoy an incredible view of both the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.

Finally, make your way back towards Times Square to grab a slice of New York style pizza and do a little souvenir shopping before it’s time to set sail again.

Port Information
English is the official language and the currency is the US dollar. ATMs are widely available, but to change currency, you will likely need to head to a major bank or to the Times Square Visitors Center on Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets. Telephones and bathrooms can be found at the cruise terminal.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the world’s largest stock exchange, a symbol of capitalism and commerce in the United States. This iconic NYC building is both a landmark of the world financial industry and the epicenter of American finance.

The Basics
Although the stock exchange trading floor is closed to the public due to security regulations, guided tours of New York City frequently combine an exterior photo stop at the stock exchange with tours of Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial, Lower Manhattan, the Federal Reserve, and the greater Financial District. The building’s Roman design and impressive columns bearing fluttering US flags make for picture-perfect photo ops.

• History buffs will benefit from the narrative that comes with guided tours of the stock exchanges exterior.
• Most guided walking tours of the area last about two hours.
• Tours that also visit sights such as Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty generally depart from nearby Battery Park.

How to Get to the New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is in Lower Manhattan on Wall Street, between Broad and New streets. New York City isn’t the easiest to navigate by car, so arriving by cab, on foot, or via public transit is the way to go. The closest subway stations are at Wall Street, Broad Street, and Rector Street.

When to Get There
The external facade is equally impressive in the daylight and when lit up at night. Visit by day with a guided tour to see the goings-on around the active building, or at night for a quieter experience.

Expand Your Knowledge
In lieu of witnessing the action on the trading floor, visit the nearby Museum of American Finance to get your financial history fix.

Bringing the sleek city and bright-lights aspect of New York to Vegas, the New York - New York Hotel and Casino does an admirable job transporting you to the Big Apple. With recreations of landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Brooklyn Bridge, New Yorkers will feel strangely at home.

With a Coney Island-themed amusement Park, Time Square like bar, and Central Park Casino, you’ll get a bite of New York’s biggest attractions in Vegas. Keeping in line with the diversity of NYC, New York New York features multi-ethnic restaurants, there’s something to fit everyone’s taste. From Mexican, to Italian, to Contemporary American, you won’t know if you’re in Little Italy or Little New York.

New York New York is also a great place for entertainment. With live performances by Cirque du Soleil and popular nightclubs like Coyote Ugly, you’ll have plenty to keep you awake at night.

Little is more iconic to a native New Orleanian than the towering Superdome. The Superdome has served as a cultural symbol for New Orleans since it was first built in 1967, and has since played host to a number of big New Orleans events including numerous Super Bowls, Sugar Bowls, and even as home to the many displaced during Hurricane Katrina. This marvel of engineering spans 13 massive acres and when the crowd cheers for a sporting event, gives the home team a statistically significant home-field advantage. This is the largest fixed-dome structure in the world, and proud home to the New Orleans Saints.