Boston New York and in between for 12 days

Threading · 27-07-2013 05:48PM #1

Hi there,
I'm looking for advice for a 12 day holiday flying into New York and out of Boston. We will probably spend around 4 days in New York and around 3 days in Boston but we aren't sure what the best options are for the other 5 days. We will have a car and were thinking of places like Cape Cod and the Hamptons. Has anyone some good advice on possible 5/6 day itinerary for our trip between ny and Boston?
Any help appreciated!

JohnMearsheimer · 28-07-2013 12:42AM

Just south of NYC and not too far away is Philadelphia. It's a nice city for a visit and spend a day or 2 in. NYC and Boston are really close to each other so there isn't really a lot to see between them. I'd suggest you use Boston as a base and do all the New England states from there. You can get Connecticut on the way to Boston from NYC. From Boston you can very easily get to Providence, Rhode Island, Portland, Maine, Burlington, Vermont and Portsmouth, New Hampshire (don't go to Concord, it's a dive). Gloucester in Massachusetts is gorgeous as well.

halpin17 · 28-07-2013 12:56AM

Definitely hit up Philly

Threading · 28-07-2013 09:10AM

Thanks for that,
We are obviously at an early stage in our plans! So 4/5 to cover New York and Philly. Then 7/8 days for Boston/New England. Sounds good to me. Any other suggestions in relation to New England would be of help?

boombang · 28-07-2013 11:21AM

My wife and I (early 30s, no kids - if that's relevant) did Boston to New York recently in a rental car. We didn't have much time so we just stayed two nights in Falmouth on Cape Cod, which we really enjoyed. We didn't see much else on the journey since we were driving fairly much straight from Falmouth to New York.

We found Falmouth and the Cape to be lovely. I was worried that it was going to be a plastic playground of the american rich elite, but actually found it to be a wonderfully unspoilt picture-postcard experience, without being twee. There were fantastic beaches, beautiful houses and lovely wooded walks. We drove out to Provincetown at the end of the Cape to do a whale watching tour. The drive itself was lovely. The whale watching was great, and Provincetown, which is the local gay holiday spot, looked very pretty and a lot of fun.

We stayed herein Falmouth and found it fantastic: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g41565-d615719-Reviews-Beach_Breeze_Inn-Falmouth_Cape_Cod_Massachusetts.html

I get the impression that the Cape is unspoilt because it takes a little time to get there from the bigger east coast cities. The generally feeling when we got back on the road towards New York was that it's more like the grubby real world in Connecticut, but that was just the view from the freeway. We stopped in at New Haven for dinner and it doesn't seem worthwhile visiting really. However, I probably shouldn't comment any more on what's between Cape Cod and NY since we didn't really see it.

The last bit of the drive into Manhattan felt a bit like Mad Max and I didn't enjoy the driving, but that was partly because it was late and we were racing to get the car returned two blocks from Times Sq, which we did 3 minutes before it closed. Some American friends recommended hiring a car at a location on the trainline out of NY, which would allow you to avoid driving out of the city.

whitey1 · 29-07-2013 12:11AM

TBH, I would give Philly a miss-between NYC and Boston you will have plenty to see.

Secondly, you may not even need to rent a car. I take the train from Boston to NYC all the time and its great.

What would help would be knowing what time of year you are travelling.

Hamptons, probably best to be avoided high season, but could be great in September or midweek during the Summer. Same applies to the Cape

Not a whole lot to do in CT, but if you were there in the fall a trip up to Litchfield County would be a memorable experience for the foliage. if you were into hiking or the outdoors, that would also be a great and not too strenous spot.

if you wanted to get off the beaten track a little and do something different-theres Block Island (RI) and Cuttyhunk Island (MA). Everyones heard of the Cape and Nantucket/Martha's Vineyard, but they have become completely commercialized

http://www.blockislandinfo.com/island-information

http://www.cuttyhunk.net/

Newport RI, while a little touristy is a great spot off season.

Darren1o1 · 29-07-2013 06:48PM

Threading wrote: »

Thanks for that,
We are obviously at an early stage in our plans! So 4/5 to cover New York and Philly. Then 7/8 days for Boston/New England. Sounds good to me. Any other suggestions in relation to New England would be of help?

?Newport RI and the mansions is an awesome area.

haro124 · 29-07-2013 07:58PM

$58 return bus between NY and Boston with Greyhound . Takes about 5 and a half hours but way cheaper than train

Darren1o1 · 29-07-2013 08:26PM

haro124 wrote: »

$58 return bus between NY and Boston with Greyhound . Takes about 5 and a half hours but way cheaper than train

Bolt bus you can book for as low as $8 if you book ahead.

Paul_Hacket · 30-07-2013 03:03PM

I live in New York and would recommend a good 5 days in the city and honestly just a couple of days in Boston. I've nothing against Boston and love going up there from time to time but honestly there isn't that much to see in the city unless you have a huge interest in colonial history or the revolutionary period.

I also wouldn't recommend Philly, I've only been there twice and am not in any hurry to return. If you're going in the summer/autumn I'd strongly recommend Martha's Vineyard, an island off Cape Cod for a side trip. You can leave your car parked on the mainland and get around it via bus - it's beautiful and much less developed that its reputation might suggest. Beautiful historic houses and inns with great beaches - just a beautiful place and you get a real sense of America's past from being there.

While in New York I'd definitely try to get in a baseball game either in the new Yankee or Mets stadiums. There are tons of free concerts in Central Park and Prospect Park over the summer which are well worth checking out, there are also free outdoor movie screenings at various venues throughout the city which have become a summer institution. There are also tons of day trips you could make from New York. At this time of year Coney Island is great fun - it's an authentic working class American holiday resort with lots of kitsch attractions as the freak show, Nathans hot dogs, the historical roller coaster, etc.

Also from New York you can take a ferry across the harbor to Sandy Hook beach in northern New Jersey. It's a beautiful beach and you will have the Manhattan skyline across the bay as a backdrop. Another great beach is Rockaway, however it got hit fairly hard by hurricane Sandy - it's a very interesting place to go if you want to see an Irish American enclave though. Connoly's bar on 95th street (in the basement of a private home) is an institution.

clairefontaine · 31-07-2013 01:01AM

It depends when you are going.

I wouldnt drive in NYC if you are not used it. First time I drove in Manhattan I had to pull over and cry from all the abuse I got from other drivers. Very stressful.

If you are going in the summer then take a trip to Long Beach. Really nice. Is private and easy to get to by train.

I wouldnt spend that much time in Boston. Lots of monuments and afew colleges and you're done.

I dont agree with tourists going into Coney Island. Its a rough neighborhood and you will stick out very obviously.

If you are going in the fall, a drive through New England is a spectacular must see.

Threading · 31-07-2013 08:32AM

Thanks everyone for the tips. We are going next May. The idea will be to spend sometime in New York first before picking up the hire car. That way there wont be too much driving in Manhattan.

Boston New York and in between for 12 days

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