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trip from NE to DC



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 3rd, 2009, 09:32 PM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
A. Wright
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 17
Default trip from NE to DC

We are from California. We are thinking to take a sight seeing trip from NE
to DC, stopping at the major cities. Can you please tell me when is the off
peak seasons this fall? We are thinking taking the train, but rent a car if
must. We have been to NYC some 20 years ago, but never been to Boston, Pitt
& DC. Are there any must-sees for mature folks? Thank you kindly.

  #2  
Old May 3rd, 2009, 10:14 PM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
TheNewsGuy(Mike)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 319
Default trip from NE to DC

A. Wright wrote:
We are from California. We are thinking to take a sight seeing trip from
NE to DC, stopping at the major cities. Can you please tell me when is
the off peak seasons this fall? We are thinking taking the train, but
rent a car if must. We have been to NYC some 20 years ago, but never
been to Boston, Pitt & DC. Are there any must-sees for mature folks?
Thank you kindly.


I have been to DC twice and will go anytime we are in the area. If
walking around is okay (how "mature" are you?) you can spend a lot of
time walking the mall area, and the Smithsonian buildings are worth days
of visits, in my mind. Depends on what your interests are - You should
tell us your time frame and your interests. If you haven't seen NE
colours in the fall, be sure to make that part of your trip, too.



--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sawyer Nicknames - http://sawyer.xtreemhost.com/
Seinfeld Lists - http://seinfeld.xtreemhost.com/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
  #3  
Old May 4th, 2009, 03:05 AM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
Joe Makowiec
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 88
Default trip from NE to DC

On 03 May 2009 in rec.travel.usa-canada, A. Wright wrote:

We are from California. We are thinking to take a sight seeing trip
from NE to DC, stopping at the major cities. Can you please tell me
when is the off peak seasons this fall?


After Labor Day, there's a big surge around Columbus Day in northern
New England and New York (leaf-peeping season). Other than that, there
are no big regional seasons, though for specific areas there may be
local or regional events which might make finding accomodations
difficult, particularly in small areas. If you intend to stick to the
train, that shouldn't be a problem.

We are thinking taking the train, but rent a car if must. We have
been to NYC some 20 years ago, but never been to Boston, Pitt & DC.


Northeast Corridor (Boston - NYC - Philadelphia - DC) train service
tends to be good. Other areas are iffy at best. Pittsburgh tends to
be out of the way, particularly by train. Depending on how long you
want to spend and if you do want to roam around a bit, you might also
consider putting Montréal and Toronto on your itinerary.

Are there any must-sees for mature folks?


It depends on your definition of 'must-see' and 'mature'.

The FDR home and library is in Hyde Park, and is reachable from New
York by Metro North. (There are several other things to see in Hyde
Park, too.)

If you like visiting colleges, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and
Washington are just chock full of them. (If you go in summer rather
than fall, you should run into Elderhostel programs, too.)

If you want to tour Presidential graves, there are a number in the
region - the Adamses (Boston), Washington (VA near DC), Arthur
(Albany), Van Buren (Kinderhook, near Albany), Grant (NYC), several in
Arlington National, ...

DC - need one say it? Monuments, museums, the National Zoo ...

Architectu you have a huge choice, from 17th century to the very
latest, including a number of Lloyd Wrights, Gehrys, Johnsons. The
home of the great Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius is just outside of
Boston (not far from Thoreau's Walden). Buffalo, oddly enough, has
some fairly interesting architecture.

Art: DC as noted; a lot of galleries and museums in and around New
York. Kykuit (Metro-North again) has Nelson Rockefeller's collection
of modern sculpture. Boston has, among others, the MFA. If you want
to get off the beaten track, the Norman Rockwell Museum is in
Stockbridge, Massachusetts, though you won't reach it by train.

--
Joe Makowiec
http://makowiec.org/
Email: http://makowiec.org/contact/?Joe
Usenet Improvement Project: http://improve-usenet.org/
  #4  
Old May 4th, 2009, 04:41 AM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
Brian[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,152
Default trip from NE to DC

On Sun, 3 May 2009 13:32:18 -0700, "A. Wright"
wrote:

We are from California. We are thinking to take a sight seeing trip from NE
to DC, stopping at the major cities. Can you please tell me when is the off
peak seasons this fall? We are thinking taking the train, but rent a car if
must. We have been to NYC some 20 years ago, but never been to Boston, Pitt
& DC. Are there any must-sees for mature folks? Thank you kindly.


Pittsburgh would be out of the way from New England.

What do you like to do? How much time do you have? How mature are you
and are there mobility or other health considerations?

I'm fairly "mature" myself and don't think of attractions as
necessarily being must sees for older people. I tend to classify them
by interests. Museums, historic sites, shopping, sports, cultural
activities, etc.

  #5  
Old May 4th, 2009, 09:11 AM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
Stephen Clark
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 21
Default trip from NE to DC

"A. Wright" wrote in message
...
We are from California. We are thinking to take a sight seeing trip from
NE to DC, stopping at the major cities. Can you please tell me when is the
off peak seasons this fall? We are thinking taking the train, but rent a
car if must. We have been to NYC some 20 years ago, but never been to
Boston, Pitt & DC. Are there any must-sees for mature folks? Thank you
kindly.

Did you mean Philadelphia (Phil) rather than Pittsburg (Pitt)?



  #6  
Old May 4th, 2009, 09:18 PM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
A. Wright
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 17
Default trip from NE to DC

Thank you. We are part of the boomer generation.
Do you think 4 days in DC is enough?
We are thinking of 3 days in Boston, 3 days in NYC, 2 days in Pitt?
I prefer driving to the minimum. Any train I should book?

"TheNewsGuy(Mike)" wrote in message
...
A. Wright wrote:
We are from California. We are thinking to take a sight seeing trip from
NE to DC, stopping at the major cities. Can you please tell me when is
the off peak seasons this fall? We are thinking taking the train, but
rent a car if must. We have been to NYC some 20 years ago, but never been
to Boston, Pitt & DC. Are there any must-sees for mature folks? Thank you
kindly.


I have been to DC twice and will go anytime we are in the area. If
walking around is okay (how "mature" are you?) you can spend a lot of time
walking the mall area, and the Smithsonian buildings are worth days of
visits, in my mind. Depends on what your interests are - You should tell
us your time frame and your interests. If you haven't seen NE colours in
the fall, be sure to make that part of your trip, too.



--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sawyer Nicknames - http://sawyer.xtreemhost.com/
Seinfeld Lists - http://seinfeld.xtreemhost.com/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



  #7  
Old May 4th, 2009, 09:25 PM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
A. Wright
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 17
Default trip from NE to DC

Thank you. We are part of the boomer generation. Now thinking the last week
of October to the first week of November.
Do you think 4 days in DC is enough - see all the regular tourist stuff?
We are thinking of 2-3 days in Boston, 3 days in NYC, 1 days in
Philadelphia?
I prefer driving to the minimum. Any train I should look into?
For NE - any sight should I must see?
We love culture & museums, etc. Thank you.

"TheNewsGuy(Mike)" wrote in message
...
A. Wright wrote:
We are from California. We are thinking to take a sight seeing trip from
NE to DC, stopping at the major cities. Can you please tell me when is
the off peak seasons this fall? We are thinking taking the train, but
rent a car if must. We have been to NYC some 20 years ago, but never been
to Boston, Pitt & DC. Are there any must-sees for mature folks? Thank you
kindly.


I have been to DC twice and will go anytime we are in the area. If
walking around is okay (how "mature" are you?) you can spend a lot of time
walking the mall area, and the Smithsonian buildings are worth days of
visits, in my mind. Depends on what your interests are - You should tell
us your time frame and your interests. If you haven't seen NE colours in
the fall, be sure to make that part of your trip, too.



--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sawyer Nicknames - http://sawyer.xtreemhost.com/
Seinfeld Lists - http://seinfeld.xtreemhost.com/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



  #8  
Old May 4th, 2009, 11:38 PM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
- Bobb -[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 550
Default trip from NE to DC

Do you think 4 days in DC is enough - see all the regular tourist stuff?
We are thinking of 2-3 days in Boston, 3 days in NYC, 1 days in
Philadelphia?
I prefer driving to the minimum. Any train I should look into?
For NE - any sight should I must see?
We love culture & museums, etc. Thank you.


Don't want to drive at all ? Amtrak has a 10 day trip: ( when you call tell
them - no Newport News,VA)

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conten...=1080842092684

I just had this conversation with someone at a party this weekend.
I'd start with a schedule of "What's happening" in your destination town for
time frame you are considering. Do a google search and you'll stuff sites
this this:
http://www.washington.org/visiting/events-calendar That will guide your
dates.

If you love museums , you COULD spend a lot more than 3-4 days in Wash DC.
I can spend a day in each Smithsonian Museum
http://www.si.edu/visit/

Hotels downtown - not only pricey ( and pay to park?) but depending upon
'what's in town' there may be no rooms available.

Let tour busses do the driving. ( you could EASILY spend hours commuting in
D.C. traffic) All of the hotels will know about tours. If you want to "do
it yourself", I like Old Town Trolleys - especially for Day One:
http://www.trolleytours.com/washingt...tour-works.asp
http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/ ( Don't be surprised at sound -
turn down your sound)

Old Town Trolley is in Boston too. ( 6 cities)
http://www.trolleytours.com/
Off/on whenever you like and trolley comes by about every 20 minutes.

NY times travel section has good info on many sities, check each town
there - note the DATE of the article - might be old - but main suggestions
probably still apply to a first time visitor. Example:
http://travel.nytimes.com//2006/11/2...l/26hours.html

Another site I use is:
http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/c...-perfect-days/
read each town - pick the highlights if limited time.
Recently updated - now slideshows, interactive maps.
Here's recent Wash DC story:
http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/2...washington-dc/

If you do not want train AND do not like driving, then arrive in off hours
and stay near "wherever you decide that you want to visit" and walk. Same
thing in Philadelphia. Just stay near historic area .

I stopped there a few months ago ( Comfort Inn downtown) and thought I'd
play tourist ( American history buff). At the Franklin Museum that week - a
Star Wars exhibit : not what I had in mind so after a quick visit to
Independence Hall area, I left town. Lousy (no) planning on my part - but I
was driving back from FLA and was just 'winging it'.

Enjoy.


"A. Wright" wrote in message
...
Thank you. We are part of the boomer generation. Now thinking the last
week of October to the first week of November.
Do you think 4 days in DC is enough - see all the regular tourist stuff?
We are thinking of 2-3 days in Boston, 3 days in NYC, 1 days in
Philadelphia?
I prefer driving to the minimum. Any train I should look into?
For NE - any sight should I must see?
We love culture & museums, etc. Thank you.

"TheNewsGuy(Mike)" wrote in message
...
A. Wright wrote:
We are from California. We are thinking to take a sight seeing trip from
NE to DC, stopping at the major cities. Can you please tell me when is
the off peak seasons this fall? We are thinking taking the train, but
rent a car if must. We have been to NYC some 20 years ago, but never
been
to Boston, Pitt & DC. Are there any must-sees for mature folks? Thank
you
kindly.


I have been to DC twice and will go anytime we are in the area. If
walking around is okay (how "mature" are you?) you can spend a lot of
time
walking the mall area, and the Smithsonian buildings are worth days of
visits, in my mind. Depends on what your interests are - You should tell
us your time frame and your interests. If you haven't seen NE colours in
the fall, be sure to make that part of your trip, too.



--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sawyer Nicknames - http://sawyer.xtreemhost.com/
Seinfeld Lists - http://seinfeld.xtreemhost.com/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++





  #9  
Old May 4th, 2009, 11:41 PM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
K
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 54
Default trip from NE to DC



A. Wright wrote:
Thank you. We are part of the boomer generation. Now thinking the
last week of October to the first week of November.
Do you think 4 days in DC is enough - see all the regular tourist
stuff? We are thinking of 2-3 days in Boston, 3 days in NYC, 1 days in
Philadelphia?
I prefer driving to the minimum. Any train I should look into?
For NE - any sight should I must see?
We love culture & museums, etc. Thank you.


Consider a stop in Hartford for the Wadsworth Athenaeum, a very funky art
museum, with Calder's Stegosaurus a few steps away, and both Mark Twain's
and Harriet Beecher Stowe's homes right together. All are walking distance
or very short cab rides from each other and the RR station. If you should
go that way, you'll take the train West from Boston to Springfield where you
might visit the Naismith Museum and Basketball Hall of Fame. The Museum
might still be closed, but the Hall of Fame is great if you're a fan.

If you head due South from Boston instead of to Hartford, look at a
Providence calendar to see if you might chance on a Waterfire night.
Waterfire is a series of many bonfires lit by the walkways along three
rivers, and features recorded music from many genres. On a nice night,
it's really beautiful. It's free, but supported by donations of any amount.
There is, of course, a website: http://www.waterfire.org/

If you're in Providence, then Newport is almost right there, although you
can't go by train. If you're in the area by mid-October or before, Newport
is definitely worth a visit. It's not just mansions, but a very
well-preserved old coastal city.

Thinking of it, you might consider renting a car in Providence and
meandering down to New Haven. There is much to see along the coast there,
and it's all close and approachable, unlike the shoreline south of New
Haven.

There are the mighty Indian Casinos right on the Connecticut/Rhode Island
border, Mystic and Mystic Seaport Museum, the Submarine Museum in Groton
(where you can go on the Nautilus, our first nuclear sub). Then there's
Lyme, and just up the river is Gillette Castle. You can take the Hadlyme
Ferry across from there to visit Essex, which is another wonderfully
preserved town, this time a river town. You can have a snack or a meal at
the Griswold Inn there, which is one of the oldest operating inns in the New
World.

From there, you're practically in New Haven, home of Yale and America's
first pizza place, Pepe's. It's also the home of America's first hamburger
joint, Louie's Lunch. They both still operate from their original digs -
Louie's with little gas-fired 'toasters' to cook his burgers, and Pepe's
with a vast, domed, coal-fired brick oven. Sally's Pizza is right next
door, but it's all the same family just trying to accomodate the crowds.

New Haven is a good place to hop back on the train, and from there you're no
longer locked into Amtrak. Metro-North has more frequent service, and they
bring you to Grand Central in NYC, which you may (or may not) prefer to
Penn.

Like others have said, Pittsburg is more in the midwest than the Northeast,
so probably not a great fit with the rest of this trip.

Keith


  #10  
Old May 4th, 2009, 11:58 PM posted to alt.travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
- Bobb -[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 550
Default trip from NE to DC

They changed the site and while "trying to find how it USED to look", I got
to see this:

http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/3...shingtonDC.pdf


"- Bobb -" wrote in message
...
Do you think 4 days in DC is enough - see all the regular tourist stuff?
We are thinking of 2-3 days in Boston, 3 days in NYC, 1 days in
Philadelphia?
I prefer driving to the minimum. Any train I should look into?
For NE - any sight should I must see?
We love culture & museums, etc. Thank you.


Don't want to drive at all ? Amtrak has a 10 day trip: ( when you call
tell them - no Newport News,VA)

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conten...=1080842092684

I just had this conversation with someone at a party this weekend.
I'd start with a schedule of "What's happening" in your destination town
for time frame you are considering. Do a google search and you'll stuff
sites this this:
http://www.washington.org/visiting/events-calendar That will guide your
dates.

If you love museums , you COULD spend a lot more than 3-4 days in Wash DC.
I can spend a day in each Smithsonian Museum
http://www.si.edu/visit/

Hotels downtown - not only pricey ( and pay to park?) but depending upon
'what's in town' there may be no rooms available.

Let tour busses do the driving. ( you could EASILY spend hours commuting
in D.C. traffic) All of the hotels will know about tours. If you want
to "do it yourself", I like Old Town Trolleys - especially for Day One:
http://www.trolleytours.com/washingt...tour-works.asp
http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/ ( Don't be surprised at
sound - turn down your sound)

Old Town Trolley is in Boston too. ( 6 cities)
http://www.trolleytours.com/
Off/on whenever you like and trolley comes by about every 20 minutes.

NY times travel section has good info on many sities, check each town
there - note the DATE of the article - might be old - but main suggestions
probably still apply to a first time visitor. Example:
http://travel.nytimes.com//2006/11/2...l/26hours.html

Another site I use is:
http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/c...-perfect-days/
read each town - pick the highlights if limited time.
Recently updated - now slideshows, interactive maps.
Here's recent Wash DC story:
http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/2...washington-dc/

If you do not want train AND do not like driving, then arrive in off hours
and stay near "wherever you decide that you want to visit" and walk. Same
thing in Philadelphia. Just stay near historic area .

I stopped there a few months ago ( Comfort Inn downtown) and thought I'd
play tourist ( American history buff). At the Franklin Museum that week -
a Star Wars exhibit : not what I had in mind so after a quick visit to
Independence Hall area, I left town. Lousy (no) planning on my part - but
I was driving back from FLA and was just 'winging it'.

Enjoy.


"A. Wright" wrote in message
...
Thank you. We are part of the boomer generation. Now thinking the last
week of October to the first week of November.
Do you think 4 days in DC is enough - see all the regular tourist stuff?
We are thinking of 2-3 days in Boston, 3 days in NYC, 1 days in
Philadelphia?
I prefer driving to the minimum. Any train I should look into?
For NE - any sight should I must see?
We love culture & museums, etc. Thank you.

"TheNewsGuy(Mike)" wrote in message
...
A. Wright wrote:
We are from California. We are thinking to take a sight seeing trip
from
NE to DC, stopping at the major cities. Can you please tell me when is
the off peak seasons this fall? We are thinking taking the train, but
rent a car if must. We have been to NYC some 20 years ago, but never
been
to Boston, Pitt & DC. Are there any must-sees for mature folks? Thank
you
kindly.

I have been to DC twice and will go anytime we are in the area. If
walking around is okay (how "mature" are you?) you can spend a lot of
time
walking the mall area, and the Smithsonian buildings are worth days of
visits, in my mind. Depends on what your interests are - You should
tell
us your time frame and your interests. If you haven't seen NE colours
in
the fall, be sure to make that part of your trip, too.



--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sawyer Nicknames - http://sawyer.xtreemhost.com/
Seinfeld Lists - http://seinfeld.xtreemhost.com/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++







 




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