Great Train Itineraries - Crescent

New York: the largest city in the USA, and the most captivating one. Its core is the island of Manhattan, thriving with many microcosms and different lifestyles: Harlem, Central Park, the city’s outstanding museums, its iconic skyscrapers, the ethnic neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan – Chinatown, the Jewish district, and what’s left of Little Italy –; restored SoHo, Tribeca and the Village, good as new; and Wall Street, where business means business.

Philadelphia is America at its very heart. True to its name, which means “city of the brotherly love”, it’s one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the USA. The tour's must-see is an outside view of Independence Hall – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and Liberty Bell, commemorating Philadelphia’s key role in the Nation’s history.

Washington DC is the capital city of the United States – and its very political heart. Washington is a monumental city, with impressive white-marble buildings, memorials and some of the very best museums. It also boasts extremely pleasant residential districts, dotted with antique houses, parks and gardens, making for a lively, multicultural city.

Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina, despite not being the capital, which is Raleigh, with half the population. Currently, it holds an interesting record: it is the second city in the United States in terms of the number of banks, to the point that the local economy is essentially based on financial activities. Not to be missed for car enthusiasts is the NASCAR Hall of Fame, for sports fans a game of the famous local football, basketball, or baseball teams, and for those who prefer culture, the international Craft + Design collection at the Mint Museum Uptown.

Almost completely destroyed by general William Sherman during the Civil War – an iconic moment as depicted in “Gone with the Wind” –, today's Atlanta is a beautiful, young, lively city, one of the most important in America. It is home to the headquarters of CNN, Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines, as well as the house where Martin Luther King was born, and his tomb. Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics in 1996.

Birmingham, in Alabama, is the city where music and the fight for civil rights come together. In the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, you can find the Carver Theatre where some great performers of the genre have performed; it is recommended to spend an evening in one of the city's juke joints. A visit to the Civil Rights District is a must, where you can find the 16th Street Baptist Church, bombed by the KKK in 1963, Kelly Ingram Park, where demonstrations were held in the 1960s, and the moving Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which illustrates the history of the struggle for civil and human rights.

Inhabited by the creole aristocracy descended from Spanish and French settlers, New Orleans embraces a bend in the Mississippi River. At the center of it all is the French Quarter, decadent but still alive, with narrow bustling streets and hidden courtyards. Stop for a few days to soak up the atmosphere, taste the beignets & café au lait at Café du Monde, discover Bourbon Street at night, excessive, raucous, infamous, with music pouring out of every window; board the St Charles streetcar to reach the seductive Garden District and stroll among elegant homes and majestic trees. Exploring the surrounding area, with an airboat tour in a nearby swamp or a visit to a historic plantation, completes the vision of a nostalgic and fascinating South.