Things to Do in North America

Lined with cobblestone walkways and iron street lamps, the Paris Hotel and Casino offers a small taste of Paris in Las Vegas. With its Parisian-style shopping and restaurants, plus a 50-story tall Eiffel Tower out the front, a stay here might just be as good as the real thing.

For shopping, Paris offers a walk down the Bally's-Paris Promenade or Le Boulevard, housing French designs, small boutiques, and the latest fashions. Then there are the shows, featuring the talents of everyone from singer Barry Manilow to the hypnotist Anthony Cools.

Centered along F Street from 5th to 10th Streets NW, and set North of Pennsylvania Avenue and south of Mount Vernon Square, between the White House and the Capitol, Penn Quarter is one of the most commercially-condensed areas of the city. This entertainment district in the east end of downtown unfurls around the Verizon Center, a sports, concert and events arena. Blending almost seamlessly with D.C.’s thriving Chinatown, Penn Quarter features a wide variety of its own nightlife, art galleries, restaurants, shops and more.

Some of the most popular attractions in Penn Quarter are the Newseum, a museum dedicated to the history of news-gathering and reporting around the world; the interactive International Spy Museum; the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum, which inhabit the same building; and Ford’s Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

On Thursday afternoons and evenings (3 to 7 p.m.) from March to December, the FRESHFARM Penn Quarter farmers’ market is held on 8th Street NW, between D and E Streets.  A foodie destination, the neighborhood is especially renowned for restaurants and bars helmed by celebrity chefs like Jose Andres and Michel Richard.  

Street parking in this neighborhood is limited, and area lots tend to be expensive. However, Penn Quarter is within walking distance of two Metrorail stations: Chinatown-Gallery Place (Red, Yellow and Green Lines) and Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter (Yellow and Green Lines).

Petco Park is an open-air stadium in downtown San Diego located just minutes from the Gaslamp Quarter. In bygone days, you might have heard people refer to this as Qualcomm Stadium, but no more. Since 2004, the San Diego Padres have called Petco Park their home and it’s here you’ll be able to catch a game during baseball season. Known for its comfortable seating, diverse restaurant selection, and even a mini play area for kids before a game, Petco Park is the stadium of choice for anyone visiting the San Diego area.

Located in the North End and built around 1680, the Paul Revere House is the oldest building in downtown Boston. It is famous for being the house Revere left from the night of his famous “midnight ride” to warn his compatriots that the British were coming to arrest them. He lived there with his family from 1770 to 1800.

Through the years it has been lived in by many other families and served various purposes, for example, a bank, grocery store and a cigar factory; however, the building was purchased by Revere’s grandson in 1902 and restored by the  Paul Revere Memorial Association from 1907 to 1908, allowing it to now serve as a house museum along with the adjacent Pierce-Hitchborn House. Walking inside, visitors are able to appreciate the 17th century appearance and original artifacts like historic documents and Paul Revere’s silverware. Knowledgeable staff and information panels are there to help answer any questions you may have.

Keep in mind the site is small and you’ll probably only need about 20 to 30 minutes to explore. That being said, it’s worth it to learn about the interesting history and facts. For instance, did you know Paul Revere had 16 children with two wives? Or that he was a renowned silversmith who also dabbled in dentistry? You can learn this and more from a visit.

If you’d like to continue exploring Boston’s rich history, Paul Revere’s House is one of the 16 stops on the Freedom Trail. Continue on the next stop, Old North Church, or start from the beginning at Boston Common.

The Paul Revere House is open daily April 15 through October 31 from 9:30am to 5:15pm and November 1 to April 14 9:30am to 4:15pm. Admission is $3.50 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and college students and $1 for children aged 5 to 17.

While the center of Merida is all Spanish Colonial in architecture and layout, Paseo de Montejo is the product of a brief period when the French controlled Mexico and built a grand boulevard lined by mansions. Several upscale hotels, nightclubs, and hot restaurants are on this stretch, retaining their original interesting façades. It’s a pleasant street for walking, with wide shady sidewalks and interesting shops and galleries here and there. It ends at a roundabout with the city’s history laid out in stone on a relief in the center. Just before that are two places showing where we’ve come: a small tourist shopping mall on one side and a Super Wal-mart on the other.

If you stay on this boulevard heading north in a car, eventually it turns into a highway that goes 40 minutes to Progreso’s beach and cruise ship dock, on the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s a long, hot walk to get here from the center, however, so most visitors see Paseo de Montejo on a horse carriage ride or take a taxi to the end and walk back via Santa Lucia and Santa Ana parks.

Take the Baja trail down to where the land ends, and amid the joining of two seas you’ll find beautiful, luxurious Pedregal de Cabo San Lucas. The first luxury community of Cabo San Lucas and still regarded as one of the city’s best, this little peninsula of rock is home to numerous five-star luxury resorts, restaurants, shops, and a thriving nightlife. Terrific views at every twist and turn of Pedregal’s cobblestone streets make for an attraction in itself, and if you want to walk the life of luxury, take a stroll through Pedregal and see the multi-million dollar homes and the beautiful Pacific beachside. A trip to Pedregal is a step into elite Cabo living, so if you’re ready to lounge like royalty, look no further than this little Cabo peninsula.

Dedicated in 2008, this roughly 2-acre site honors the 184 people who died in the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. Set on the west side of the Pentagon Reservation and landscaped with 85 maple trees, this quiet memorial is largely composed of 184 illuminated benches and reflecting pools which face the south side of the Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight 77 hit the building on 9/11.

Each illuminated bench, as well as a nearby granite wall, bears the name and age of an individual victim; the wall grows higher from east to west in relation to the victims’ ages. Visitors can see that the youngest person killed was three, the oldest was 71, and several of the 59 people killed aboard Flight 77 were family members.

An audio tour of the Pentagon Memorial is available by phone at (202) 741-1004. Parking is available at the Pentagon’s South Lot, and the memorial is adjacent to the Metrorail’s Pentagon station, which serves the Blue and Yellow Lines.