Visiting the Northeast? Things to do and see in New York City and Washington DC.

Plan your vacation in advance so you can get discounts on airline tickets, hotel rooms, etc. Look locally at where you plan to visit for daily deals or Groupon to save money on activities and restaurants. If you are going somewhere like NYC or DC you may find that it is cheaper to find a hotel across the Hudson river and take a ferry in and then either walk or take the subway to your destination. You can do the same in DC by getting a room in MD or VA and taking the train in and again walking or using the subway.

In both of the above cities there are many free activities. In NYC you can go to Central Park and watch all the street shows. You can ride and let your children ride carousel and visit the castle. There is also a children's zoo in Central Park and very nearby is the famous toy store, FAO Swartz. There are always fun painters and clowns along the road. Within the park you might want to tour the castle as seen in the movie " Step Mom" or rent a paddle boat or canoe on the pond. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is virtually free but does ask for a small donation. The street vendors have pretzels and hot dogs that children and adults would love. Bring along some bottled water of fruit drinks for the kids. You might find it less expensive to eat lunch at a restaurant and grab a hot dog for dinner.

Take the subway down to Time square and enjoy all the fun sites. See where the Today Show is filmed. Get there early in the AM and you might even get on TV. Not far from Time square is the M&M store and the Empire State Building as well as The Top of the Rock.

Head down to Wall street and see the great bull . You won't be far from the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island, but again if you are staying across the river in NJ that ticket booth is less crowded . Just across the Hudson in Hoboken is quite a bit of history including the famous Cake Boss bakery, Carlos Bake Shop Be sure to get there early if you want to get in. Lines now form quite early and are fairly lone. Near South street seaport is the memorial to the WTC on 120 Liberty st. If you would like to go to a Broadway show consider either Craigslist or go to the discount seller at South street Seaport which sells tickets to evening performances on the day of the performance, and matinée tickets the day before.The Times Square ticket booth sells day of tickets only and the downtown Brooklyn Booth sells day of evening tickets and next day matinée tickets. There is a nice diner and clean bathrooms inside the NBC studio building as well as a gift shop. St. Patrick's Cathedral is a must see also not far from Times square.

Be sure to take time to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and walk along the historical neighborhood by the Hudson River, home to famous artists and authors with many quaint restaurants. Then take a short trip to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

In DC there are so many great museums and historical buildings and monuments to see. Again bring along your own snacks and drinks. It will take you several days just to begin to see the many buildings of the Smithsonian. There are some great cheaper restaurants that can be found on line. Consider using. The many National monuments are spectacular to see. Try to go to the three houses of the government , the capitol, the white house and the supreme court. You may need advance tickets through your representative or congressmen if you can get in at all right now with the new security standards. A tour bus would be helpful for the DC tour to be able to listen to all the history and this is also true in NYC where you can hop a bus at almost any stop, pay, get off, shop or tour and get back on.

In DC also see Georgetown the capital's historic waterfront district which is bustling with activity. Walk ,bike or kayak Washington DC's historic Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. It is a national park and offers beautiful scenery.

Visit the John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts which offers a free concert every evening at 6 pm in the summer.

Another fun hike is to go to Mt Vernon with it's new museum and education center of hike Great Falls Park with awesome views of the Potomac River.

Be sure and visit Old Towne in Alexandria VA. It is on the waterfront and has colonial homes, quaint restaurants and shops, a marina, museums and parks where you can have a picnic as you can at Great Falls Park.

Thanks so much for reading my Hub. Please rate it if you enjoyed it. You can become a hubpage writer too http://hubpages.com/_startyourownhub/user/new Use this link!