Here's a map showing all of the places I went on vacation last week. It was a lot to cram in a week, but it was fun and exciting and there was never a dull moment. If you've never been on a bus tour before, you should do it at least once.

If you want an idea of what I did, here's the itinerary we followed (I copied most of it from the itinerary the tour company gave us):

Day 1
WASHINGTON DC DRIVING TOUR/EDGEWOOD, MD: We began our tour by traveling north through central Virginia to our nation’s capital. We stopped at the Lincoln Memorial/Vietnam Memorial/World War II Memorial area. We traveled to Edgewood, MD, for overnight.

Day 2
NEW YORK CITY/DRIVING TOUR/TIMES SQUARE/CHINATOWN & LITTLE ITALY/BROADWAY SHOW: Late morning found us approaching the Island of Manhattan. We stopped for a few hours in Times Square for shopping and dining. After a driving tour, we ventured to Chinatown and Little Italy for afternoon shopping. Then, after settling into our hotel we headed out for an evening of entertainment at the Broadway musical Wonderful Town.

Day 3
NBC STUDIO TOUR/CHINATOWN & LITTLE ITALY/FREE AFTERNOON/EMPIRE STATE BUILDING: We started our day with a tour of NBC Studios in the Rockefeller Plaza Complex. Afterwards, we explored the area around Rockefeller Center, including St. Patrick's Cathedral. After an afternoon of free time, we made a visit to the top of the Empire State Building.

Day 4
NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME/COOPERSTOWN - MAIN STREET/SYRACUSE: This morning we left New York City and began our journey toward Niagara Falls. In the quaint and beautiful village of Cooperstown we visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame. We continued north and west to Syracuse for overnight.

Day 5
NIAGARA FALLS/IMAX/MAID OF THE MIST/OH CANADA EH? DINNER SHOW/FIREWORKS: Late morning found us passing through Canadian customs and into the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario. We had lunch on our own near the thundering falls, then went to the IMAX theatre to watch a movie about Niagara. Then, we rode the Maid of the Mist, plunging into the churning mist in the center of the cascading falls (raincoats were provided). Afterwards, we stopped in at our hotel before enjoying more musical and comedic entertainment—Canada-style at the award-winning “Oh Canada, Eh” dinner show! We capped off the evening by watching fireworks over the falls.

Day 6
BREAKFAST AT SKYLON TOWER/WENDELL AUGUST FORGE/PITTSBURGH: We enjoyed an unforgettable breakfast some 700 feet above the falls in the famous Skylon Tower! Traveling south and slightly west we passed through Erie, PA then south to Grove City, PA. At Wendell August Forge we saw how skilled craftsmen create hand hammered metal giftware. We traveled to the Pittsburgh, PA area for overnight. (B)

Day 7
HOME: Our homeward route took us through the gorgeous mountains of West Virginia and the New River Gorge.

I really didn't want to come back. But here I am.