Anita,
 
Here's my plug for New York:  while on route, save a day for
Manhattan.  Yes, be warned, driving is usually quite horrible.
If you can, check out South Street Seaport Museum on Front Street
not far south of the Brooklyn Bridge (parking is usually available
right there), and/or their New York Unearthed exhibit way downtown at
Battery Park (neato urban archaeology and conservation lab displays).
From Battery Park, you can get the ferry to Ellis Island, or visit
the Statue of Liberty, though it may not be worth the time/effort to
get to the top.  And of course, there are the touristy must-sees of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural
History, both up in the 80s (86th Street?) on Central Park.
 
Have a good trip!
Daria
 
 
Daria E. Merwin
Institute for Long Island Archaeology
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Stony Brook, New York  11794-4364
 
phone: (516) 632-7618
fax: (516) 632-9165