DC & Philly Odyssey: America's Icons in One Day from NYC

Great tour today with our guide Jay... his very knowledgeable with America history and the sites and places we visited... its a long day but worth it to see the sites we did... my only qualm is that there is no time factored into buy souvenirs (though this is not Jay's fault) but the company could allow for this?

Our guide, Carlos, was professional and we were just in time in all places and returned back to NY in time. Trip was great.

A great trip! It's amazing how much you can see in just one day. Our guide, Carlos, is clearly someone who loves what he does and knows how to share that energy with the group. We definitely recommend it and thank you! Weronika & Paweł

My family enjoyed the tour to Washington DC and Philadelphia. We will definitely recommend this tour to other family and friends.

Is a very long day. But if you’re em NY for a few days and want to go to somewhere else it’s a good choice, amigo staff are very nice.

It was amazing. Washington D.C and Philadelphia was on my bucket list for a very long time and it was finally worth it! Carlos did amazing job. Thank you so much for this experience...

Went on a trip to Washington and Philadelphia and what a day! Jay our tour guide was exceptional! He was friendly and knowledgable with great passion for getting as much in as possible. The day was fantastic! Would recommend!

Very good We went with Jay. He's a very attentive professional. He has a huge knowledge of the course and complements a lot with the tourism. It was an incredible experience.

It was a wonderful experience to explore Pennsylvania and Washington DC with my dad within 1 day covering all the main spots. Our Tour guide Carlos Becerra was very informative about every spot and made sure the trip was all within the time frame. Definitely recommend it😍😍.

Up early for our BIG day out to ‘Washington DC and Philadelphia’ - a 15-hour whistle-stop experience! We arrived right on time at the meeting spot where Diego, our guide, marked us off his list. Soon we were aboard a very nice bus - comfy seats, clean, with working phone chargers… but no seatbelts. There were about 28 people in total. Diego introduced himself and our driver, Harold, explaining that the tour would be bilingual - English first, Spanish second. And he switched between the two so effortlessly! We passed through the Lincoln Tunnel and quickly found ourselves in New Jersey - the “Garden State.” Diego told us our first stop would be in Delaware for breakfast in just under two hours, so we nodded off for a little nap. We woke just as we were crossing the Delaware River on the Delaware Bridge. Breakfast was at the Biden Welcome Centre, full of fast-food outlets. Sadly, only Burger King took cash, but we quite liked Burger King, so no complaints. From there, we headed to Arlington, Virginia. Our stops included the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, built in 1922 to honour President Abraham Lincoln. Next was Arlington Cemetery—primarily a burial ground for military personnel, but with some exceptions. Two U.S. Presidents, William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, are buried there, along with members of the Kennedy family, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Robert Kennedy. We walked through a beautifully peaceful park where we visited the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials and the Three Servicemen Statue, representing the different ethnic groups who fought in Vietnam. 58,220 US service members died in total. Back on the bus, we made a classic stop at the White House for an outside view. There was a permanent-looking protest site nearby, though it was quiet, just looping recorded chants. Diego explained how lucky we were - tomorrow President Zelensky was due to visit, and the entire precinct would be shut down by the Secret Service. We also learned that 45% of DC’s residents are African American. From afar we admired the Washington Monument, a 555-foot marble obelisk towering over the city. Then came drive-byes of the FBI Building, the Ford Theatre (where John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln), and the U.S. Congress. For lunch and a museum break, we chose the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, which turned out to be fascinating. It was blazing hot when we came out, so we cooled off with ice cream under a shady tree before reboarding the bus. We crossed the Susquehanna River, the longest on the U.S. East Coast (444 miles, flowing into Chesapeake Bay). Another stop at the Biden Welcome Centre followed, where we shared a ‘Whopper’. Back on US-1, we drove about an hour to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, arriving around 4pm. Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, was founded in 1682 and served as the first capital of North America - the cradle of democracy. Diego led us through Independence National Historical Park, where we saw Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was debated and signed). He told us about William Penn, the Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, who fled persecution in England. (His face still smiles out from Quaker Oats boxes today!) Next was the Liberty Bell, inscribed with its timeless call: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.” We went through security to enter, then continued past Old City Hall (which served as City Hall until 1854). Of course, we couldn’t miss the Rocky Statue - and yes, we posed triumphantly with gloves raised. Then came the famous Rocky Steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We re-enacted Rocky’s climb - trudging up all 72 steps. All in all, a great but long day!