On the first day, we met with Steph's nephew Martin, who lives in New York. After lunch, we went to the Empire State Building, where this photo was taken. 
This photo was taken looking toward lower Manhattan. You can see the gray skies that were typical of our trip. The tallest building in the distance is the New World Trade Center, which is nearing completion. A better photo of the new building is coming up later.
We spent a lot of time just walking around. This included Central Park, which was not far from our hotel. The park is so immense that we only saw a small part of it.
One of those walks through Central Park took us to the American Museum of Natural History. This institution for scientific research and education has collections that include more than 32 million specimens and artifacts. Some of which even reminded us of home.
This one, for example. This lava sample from Mount Rainier is 93,500 years old. The column like structure is the result of rapid cooling against a glacier. 
This museum is a dream for fans of dinosaurs. For example, this skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which was collected in 1908 in Montana, is one of few T-Rex specimens on public display. Most museums only exhibit casts of fossils. Hmmm...for some reason, I can't get the song Bang a Gong out of my head.
What's a trip to New York City without taking in some shows? On our first day of the visit, we went to the half-price ticket stand in Times Square and came away with two tickets for that night's performance of Spiderman. Lots of high-flying fun, and Spiderman even landed a few feet away from us a couple of times. Before we left for New York, we had bought tickets for Chaplin, a musical that had just opened. As it turned, we would have been better off waiting to buy our tickets; the woman setting next to us had a much cheaper ticket. But we had no regrets as it was a wonderful show. Go see it if you ever have the chance.
One of our goals for this trip was to see live performances of both Late Night with David Letterman and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. And we succeeded on both counts!
Our tickets for the Letterman show were on Monday, October 8. Our seats were just a few feet away from the band. Believe me, they're every bit as good as they're cracked up to be. The main guest was Jack Hanna, who brought his usual menagerie of wild animals.
The next day, it was on to The Daily Show. You had to get in line early to make sure you got tickets, so that's Steph walking up to get a place in line while I took the photo. Jon's guest was Ben Affleck, who was promoting his new movie, Argo.
Getting tickets for both shows is a bit of a challenge. I won't go into all of the details. However, if you ever have an interest in seeing either show, I can provide some tips to improve your chances of getting tickets.
The next morning, it was off to the cruise terminal to begin our journey to Quebec City (and points in between). This photo was taken as we cruised by lower Manhattan. It provides a much better view of the New World Trade Center.
Shortly after, Lady Liberty bid us farewell as we headed out to sea.
Our first port of call was Halifax, Nova Scotia. Probably the biggest attraction there is Peggy's Cove. However, we were at Peggy's Cove a couple of years ago, so we didn't see the need for a repeat visit.
Instead, we went to the Halifax Citadel, a fort built in 1856. Here we see the hourly changing of the guards.
Here's a view of the inside of the fort.
After leaving Halifax, we headed for the St. Lawrence on our way to Quebec City. We were hoping the timing would be right to see the fall colors. And it was. I'm sure a little sun would have made the colors much more vibrant.
We arrived in Quebec City the afternoon of Oct. 14 and remained there until the following evening. Founded in 1608, it's one of the oldest cities in North America. The building on the top of the hill that dominates the skyline is the Fairmont La Chateau Frontenac Hotel.
On the first afternoon of our stay, we took a walking tour of Old Quebec. It's an area of narrow streets and lots of small shops. Beyond the street going up the hill is a cable railway known as a funicular, which we later rode on. By the way, here's a tip if you ever take a walking tour of Quebec City in October. Whenever you think you wearing enough layers of clothes, add one more.
On day two in Quebec City, we boarded a tour bus headed to the countryside for two stops. The first was at Montmorency Falls and the second at the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre.
The people here are very proud of the fact that Montmorency Falls is taller than Niagara Falls. And, yes, it is impressive. But to paraphrase Lloyd Bentson, I've been to Niagara Falls, and you're no Niagara Falls.
From there, it was on to the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, which attracts about a half-million pilgrims every year. 
Here's the view from the inside.
After Quebec City, there were two ports before arriving back in New York City. The first was in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. I wish we could have seen it on a sunny day because it appeared to be quite beautiful. Reminded me a little of home (and not just because of the rain!). 
Our last stop was in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Honestly, there wasn't a lot to see there. Except the sun!!
Lastly, what blog entry that involved a cruise would be complete without a towel animal created by our cabin attendant?
