NYC and Chicago at Christmas vs Washington DC

This holiday lights trip pairs two of America's most festive winter cities: three days in New York, then a short flight to Chicago for two more. In Manhattan, stand beneath the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree as skaters circle the rink below, browse the glass kiosks and free-admission ice rink of Bryant Park's Winter Village and walk Fifth Avenue's elaborate department store windows and light shows. Ride the subway to Brooklyn for Dyker Heights, where homeowners cover entire houses in lights, inflatable Santas and animated nutcrackers. In Chicago, sip hot spiced wine from a boot-shaped mug at the German-style Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza, stroll the Magnificent Mile beneath trees strung with more than a million lights, skate at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park and end at Lincoln Park ZooLights, a glowing, family-friendly tradition. The best window is mid-November to early January: markets generally run from mid-November to Christmas Eve, the Rockefeller tree is lit in early December and most displays stay up into the new year. Visit before December 23 to catch everything open. Pack a warm coat, hat and gloves, because Chicago nights often dip into the 20s, and book hotels early.

Washington DC may be the best family city in America, mostly because so much of it is free. In three days with kids you can stand under real spacecraft at the National Air and Space Museum, meet the Hope Diamond and towering dinosaur skeletons at the National Museum of Natural History, and see the original Star-Spangled Banner at the National Museum of American History, all without paying admission. Some sites use free timed-entry passes, so reserve them before you go. Between museums, let kids run on the grassy National Mall, ride the carousel and picnic with food-truck lunches. Save an evening for the monuments at sunset, when the Lincoln Memorial glows, the Reflecting Pool mirrors the Washington Monument and the crowds thin out. The Metro makes getting around easy, and younger children ride free with a paying adult. With more time, see giant pandas, elephants and great apes at the free National Zoo, tour the US Capitol and the stunning Library of Congress, crack codes at the International Spy Museum, and day-trip to George Washington's Mount Vernon and the brick sidewalks of Old Town Alexandria. Spring and fall are ideal, with cherry blossoms in late March to early April.