Travel around USA North East

Hi

We are a family of 4 (19 and 12 year boys) from Norway planning to travel
for two weeks around the North East of USA in July. We will fly to NY and
spend a few days there, than rent a car and drive around. Departure may be
from NY or an other city. We may buy a round trip air ticket and see other
parts of the country.

Me and my wife like to look around both on the country site in cities my
eldest sons life is movie making (we have been in Hollywood LA) and the
young one is technically interested in aero planes and other mechanical
stuff, so am I.

Any one who could recommend a route for us or give a link to travel sites
where we could get ideas.

Gaute

On Thu, 1 Jan 2004 15:51:03 +0100, "Traveler"
wrote:

Hi

We are a family of 4 (19 and 12 year boys) from Norway planning to travel
for two weeks around the North East of USA in July. We will fly to NY and
spend a few days there, than rent a car and drive around.

Something to consider is that it will almost definitely be much more
expensive to rent a car in New York City than outside of the city.

Departure may be
from NY or an other city. We may buy a round trip air ticket and see other
parts of the country.

Me and my wife like to look around both on the country site

Countryside? Some beautiful countryside in the area:

The Hudson Valley starting just north of New York in Westchester
County and going up to Albany.

The Delaware Water Gap in northwestern New Jersey and adjoining areas
of northwest Pennsylvania (a really wild and sparsely-populated
region).

The Adirondacks (between Albany and Montreal, in part).

Most of Vermont (the Green Mountains).

Northern New Hampshire (the White Mountains).

Maine (the Speckled Mountains, etc.)

in cities my
eldest sons life is movie making (we have been in Hollywood LA) and the
young one is technically interested in aero planes and other mechanical
stuff, so am I.

You have to hit Washington, DC and go to the Air and Space Museum in
the Smithsonian Mall!

I have to say I'm not an expert in terms of what there is to see of
movie-making history in the New York area, which is of course a very
historically important area for movie-making and was the center of the
U.S. film industry before Hollywood.

Any one who could recommend a route for us

That ultimately will depend on your priorities and how much time you
decide to spend in each area.

I think a Mobil Travel Guide will be useful to you whenever you do
your road trip.

I think that driving within New York City and Washington, DC is both
unnecessary and unlikely to be pleasurable - same for Boston if you
choose to go there (and it's worth visiting), so one possibility is
for you to take Amtrak from New York to Washington, then rent a car in
or near DC and drive up to Pennsylvania, through the Adirondacks,
Vermont, New Hampshire - whatever you feel you have time for - and
eventually back down to the New York area, if the rates for not
returning the car to the place where you rented it are not
prohibitive. If they are, take the train back to New York from DC and
rent the car in some suburb of New York.

A lot of these things can be checked through the websites of car
rental agencies on the web, probably.

or give a link to travel sites
where we could get ideas.

I think you'll get a lot of feedback here. Then you may start to form
a clearer picture of how your trip will take shape, and you could then
check some websites.

For your train trip to DC, check www.amtrak.com, and note that any
reserved trains called Acela Express are way more expensive than
locals.

If you find the cost of even the cheaper trains to be prohibitive and
don't mind taking buses for 5 hours or whatever amount of time it
takes (check www.greyhound.com), they're cheaper.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

Thanks Michael
This looks like a lot of good recommendations, that we certainly will
consider.
Gaute

"Pan" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 1 Jan 2004 15:51:03 +0100, "Traveler"
wrote:

Hi

We are a family of 4 (19 and 12 year boys) from Norway planning to travel
for two weeks around the North East of USA in July. We will fly to NY and
spend a few days there, than rent a car and drive around.

Something to consider is that it will almost definitely be much more
expensive to rent a car in New York City than outside of the city.

Departure may be
from NY or an other city. We may buy a round trip air ticket and see
other
parts of the country.

Me and my wife like to look around both on the country site

Countryside? Some beautiful countryside in the area:

The Hudson Valley starting just north of New York in Westchester
County and going up to Albany.

The Delaware Water Gap in northwestern New Jersey and adjoining areas
of northwest Pennsylvania (a really wild and sparsely-populated
region).

The Adirondacks (between Albany and Montreal, in part).

Most of Vermont (the Green Mountains).

Northern New Hampshire (the White Mountains).

Maine (the Speckled Mountains, etc.)

in cities my
eldest sons life is movie making (we have been in Hollywood LA) and the
young one is technically interested in aero planes and other mechanical
stuff, so am I.

You have to hit Washington, DC and go to the Air and Space Museum in
the Smithsonian Mall!

I have to say I'm not an expert in terms of what there is to see of
movie-making history in the New York area, which is of course a very
historically important area for movie-making and was the center of the
U.S. film industry before Hollywood.

Any one who could recommend a route for us

That ultimately will depend on your priorities and how much time you
decide to spend in each area.

I think a Mobil Travel Guide will be useful to you whenever you do
your road trip.

I think that driving within New York City and Washington, DC is both
unnecessary and unlikely to be pleasurable - same for Boston if you
choose to go there (and it's worth visiting), so one possibility is
for you to take Amtrak from New York to Washington, then rent a car in
or near DC and drive up to Pennsylvania, through the Adirondacks,
Vermont, New Hampshire - whatever you feel you have time for - and
eventually back down to the New York area, if the rates for not
returning the car to the place where you rented it are not
prohibitive. If they are, take the train back to New York from DC and
rent the car in some suburb of New York.

A lot of these things can be checked through the websites of car
rental agencies on the web, probably.

or give a link to travel sites
where we could get ideas.

I think you'll get a lot of feedback here. Then you may start to form
a clearer picture of how your trip will take shape, and you could then
check some websites.

For your train trip to DC, check www.amtrak.com, and note that any
reserved trains called Acela Express are way more expensive than
locals.

If you find the cost of even the cheaper trains to be prohibitive and
don't mind taking buses for 5 hours or whatever amount of time it
takes (check www.greyhound.com), they're cheaper.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the
TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.

Your older son should love the American Museum of the Moving Image in
Queens. It's right off Northern Blvd, so it would make a great first stop
from the airport if you arrive at JFK at a good time of day. Their website
is http://www.ammi.org/site/site.asp.

enjoy your visit

"Traveler" wrote in message
...
Hi

We are a family of 4 (19 and 12 year boys) from Norway planning to travel
for two weeks around the North East of USA in July. We will fly to NY and
spend a few days there, than rent a car and drive around. Departure may be
from NY or an other city. We may buy a round trip air ticket and see other
parts of the country.

Me and my wife like to look around both on the country site in cities my
eldest sons life is movie making (we have been in Hollywood LA) and the
young one is technically interested in aero planes and other mechanical
stuff, so am I.

Any one who could recommend a route for us or give a link to travel sites
where we could get ideas.

Gaute

For an interest in airplanes, the Washington DC area would be hard to
beat. The Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum is always popular, and
they have just opened a new facility where many restored airplanes are
viewable -- sorry but I don't remember the new name, but it can't be
hard to find out on-line. The Smithsonian used to have a facility in
Suitland, Maryland which had restored planes -- and I don't know if
the Suitland site is still open or whether the new facility has
replaced it.

Washington DC isn't far from NY and offers an incredible amount of
museums, US history, art, food, culture. And don't forget that within
a relatively few miles, there are many more sites of interest.

DKM


On Thu, 1 Jan 2004 15:51:03 +0100, "Traveler"
wrote:

Hi

We are a family of 4 (19 and 12 year boys) from Norway planning to travel
for two weeks around the North East of USA in July. We will fly to NY and
spend a few days there, than rent a car and drive around. Departure may be
from NY or an other city. We may buy a round trip air ticket and see other
parts of the country.

Me and my wife like to look around both on the country site in cities my
eldest sons life is movie making (we have been in Hollywood LA) and the
young one is technically interested in aero planes and other mechanical
stuff, so am I.

Any one who could recommend a route for us or give a link to travel sites
where we could get ideas.

Gaute






To contact me directly, send EMAIL to (single letters all)
DEE KAY EMM AT CEE TEE ESS D0T CEE OH EMM

Even without rushing it will be a good 6-8 hrs in the Smithsonian's Air and
Space Museum. The latest facility that has just opened is located at/near
Dulles airport. Tremendous take-ins for everyone.
MLD
"Doug McClure" wrote in message
...
For an interest in airplanes, the Washington DC area would be hard to
beat. The Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum is always popular, and
they have just opened a new facility where many restored airplanes are
viewable -- sorry but I don't remember the new name, but it can't be
hard to find out on-line. The Smithsonian used to have a facility in
Suitland, Maryland which had restored planes -- and I don't know if
the Suitland site is still open or whether the new facility has
replaced it.

Washington DC isn't far from NY and offers an incredible amount of
museums, US history, art, food, culture. And don't forget that within
a relatively few miles, there are many more sites of interest.

DKM


On Thu, 1 Jan 2004 15:51:03 +0100, "Traveler"
wrote:

Hi

We are a family of 4 (19 and 12 year boys) from Norway planning to travel
for two weeks around the North East of USA in July. We will fly to NY and
spend a few days there, than rent a car and drive around. Departure may
be
from NY or an other city. We may buy a round trip air ticket and see
other
parts of the country.

Me and my wife like to look around both on the country site in cities my
eldest sons life is movie making (we have been in Hollywood LA) and the
young one is technically interested in aero planes and other mechanical
stuff, so am I.

Any one who could recommend a route for us or give a link to travel sites
where we could get ideas.

Gaute






To contact me directly, send EMAIL to (single letters all)
DEE KAY EMM AT CEE TEE ESS D0T CEE OH EMM

The Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum... has
just opened a new facility

I think that's the Smithsonian's new Udvar-Hazy
Center, which opened recently. I read somewhere
a quote from Neil Armstrong saying what an
amazing place it is. They have a large number of
historic planes and spacecraft there, including the
space shuttle Enterprise.

http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy/

James

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Remove "NOSPAM" from my address when sending me e-mail.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-

On Thu, 1 Jan 2004 15:51:03 +0100 in rec.travel.usa-canada,
"Traveler" wrote:

Me and my wife like to look around both on the country site in cities my
eldest sons life is movie making (we have been in Hollywood LA) and the
young one is technically interested in aero planes and other mechanical
stuff, so am I.

than a visit to washington dc is necessary, to visit the national
air & space museum. if you like trains, especially steam
engines, steamtown in (scranton?) pennsylvania is great.

On Thu, 1 Jan 2004 16:24:25 +0100, "Traveler"
wrote:

Thanks Michael
This looks like a lot of good recommendations, that we certainly will
consider.

I have very little to add to the excellent advice provided by "Pan".

I will say that Philadelphia would be on your route if you go from New
York to Philadelphia and might be an interesting stop for a day. It
has an excellent National Historical Park, with well-preserved sites
from the early history of the US. Also some intact 17th century
streets and neighborhoods, a rare thing in the US. There is also a
very good art museum and science museum, although not on the level of
the Smithsonian in Washington. (The Smithsonian museums are also free,
no small advantage for a family of four. Aside from the Air and Space
Museum, there are several others, including the National Gallery of
Art, which has an excellent collection.)

I would also say that if you go to Maine, you might want to visit the
coast. Acadia National Park is very nice. Of course, it probably
doesn't compare with Norway's coastal scenery, but it is pretty all
the same. I live in Italy, where we also have some beautiful
coastline, but my Italian husband liked the Maine coast very much.
There are nice walking and biking paths in the park.
--------
Barbara Vaughan

My email address is my first initial followed by my last name at libero dot it.

Morten Gaute, apparently, writes:
We are a family of 4 (19 and 12 year boys) from Norway planning to travel
for two weeks around the North East of USA in July. We will fly to NY and
spend a few days there, than rent a car and drive around.

Departure may be from NY or an other city. We may buy a round trip
air ticket and see other parts of the country.

You could, but if you have only two weeks, there is lots to see in the
northeast.

"Michael" writes:
Countryside? Some beautiful countryside in the area:

The Hudson Valley starting just north of New York in Westchester
County and going up to Albany.

The Hudson Valley is one of the few scenic places in North America that
can best be seen by train. The railway runs right alongside the river
for a considerable distance, whereas the roads parallel to the river
are set well back so that you can only see it occasionally. You might,
for instance, take a train from New York to Albany and start your car
rental from there. This is particularly suitable if you decide to do
scenic touring in the Adirondacks, Vermont, New Hampshire, and so on.
Oh: the tracks are east of the river, so sit on the left side of the
train going north from New York.

Another possibility would be to take the train as far as Rhinecliff-
Kingston, and rent a car from there. Rhinecliff is a little village on
the east side of the river; the rental car would probably have to come
from Kingston, on the west side. I don't know whether they would pick
you up at the station or if you would have to take a taxi across the
river or what. For that matter, I don't know if rental cars are available
at Kingston at all; you'd have to check that out. The reason for doing
this is that, if airplanes are an interesting subject, you might like
to visit the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome http://www.oldrhinebeck.org, which
is just a little way from Rhinecliff.

Note, by the way, that all Amtrak (long-distance passenger) trains
from New York leave from Pennsylvania ("Penn") Station. The Hudson
River line is also served by Metro-North commuter (suburban) trains,
which leave from Grand Central Terminal.

I have to say I'm not an expert in terms of what there is to see of
movie-making history in the New York area ...

Well, one obvious choice is the American Museum of the Moving Image
http://www.ammi.org. Don't let the "Astoria" in the postal address
fool you: "New York" postal addresses are only for the borough of
Manhattan. This museum is in New York City, in the borough of Queens.

I think a Mobil Travel Guide will be useful to you whenever you do
your road trip.

And good road maps. Road signage in New York is relatively poor, but
if you know the highway numbers you want, you can usually navigate all
right.
--
Mark Brader | "I always pass on good advice. It's the only thing
Toronto | to do with it. It is never any use to oneself."
| -- Lord Goring (Oscar Wilde: An Ideal Husband)

My text in this article is in the public domain.