violet2

My mother lives in Providence RI and we have decided to drive out and visit for a week during the Thanksgiving holiday using her house as a base to go sightseeing.

We spent one day in Boston back in 2002 and would like to go back. In 2002 we did quite a bit of the freedom trail and a night trolley tour called Ghosts and Gravestones which was excellent.

This time around we thought about doing a duck tour and trying to see the JFK library.
Oh and shopping in the (what was it called again?) the Quincy? market.

Any other hidden treasures you would reccommend for Boston?

Secondly, we would like to explore going to NYC for one day. Are there any one day tours you would reccommend or an itinerary you would suggest? Just sort of an in and out/overview type thing. I haven't been to NYC since I was 6!

Also how are these cities over the holiday? We certainly want to avoid the crowd for the parade in NYC.

Thanks,

Michelle

HowardR

Since it is at least a five-hour drive each way between Providence and New York City, I don't see how you can do NYC in one day unless you are planning to stay overnight. Even if you do plan on staying overnight, it seems like a long schlep for a short visit.

gail

Agree with above that NYC for a day trip from Providence is a little too much travel time - you could take Amtrak from Providence and skip the driving, but it is still a very long day.

Duck tours (according to website bostonducktours.com) run 3/31 through the end of November - they say the ducks are heated, but I am not sure I would want to be riding on one of those things in November - it can really be quite cold and raw here at that time of year.

Plan any driving between Boston/Providence and New York for days other than Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day (people try to travel then to avoid traffic) and the Sunday after Thanksgiving. You would not believe the traffic along either route between these cities - whether you take Rte 95 or go inland through Hartford.

Anonymous

Gail's right -- the roads will be mobbed, and probably Amtrak, too. This would be a good time to focus on Boston, rather than trekking to NYC. You might even look into taking the Commuter Rail trains between the two cities, to save on driving hassle and parking costs; you can find fares, routes and schedules at www.mbta.com.

Duck tour (just bundle up!) and JFK Library are good choices. Be aware that Faneuil Hall Marketplace (AKA Quincy Market) is architecturally interesting but the shops are no longer unique boutiques, most of them are the same as at your local mall.

Traditionally the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year around here, so that would be a good day to go to a museum! One of my favorites is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which is accessible by the subway Green Line, or park at the nearby lot at the Museum of Fine Arts.

violet2

Thanks for your suggestions. My mom used to go into NYC on business all the time via train from Boston so I thought it was doable- but I guess not.

I guess the shopping in Cleveland must really suck because we liked Quincy market a lot and thought it had some neat stuff to offer (plus a few things we could get at home but still a lot of variety).

Thanks

bennie

You might try the shopping on Newbury Street - very unique and upscale - as close to NYC as you'll get.

As far as the trip to NYC I don't agree that its not doable. From Chinatown in Boston they run these buses to Chinatown NYC roundtrip in one day. Leave at 7am and return around the same. $20 roundtrip. We did it with a group of 8 last spring and it was a ball. The bus was way nicer than I expected (and I was plenty leary). I didn't find it to be too much to go back and forth in one day. I thought it was quite an adventure. Amtrak or a bus from Providence would be doable, not easy but doable.

kaudrey

Violet - just to try to give you a feel for driving in that area over:

I cringed after just reading your first sentence!

Driving anywhere around Boston or using the Mass Pike or I-95 over Thanksgiving will be a nightmare. I don't want to discourage you, really, but please bear in mind that these roads can no longer support the amount of people that use them on the holidays.

Although I am now in DC, I have relatives in CT, MA, and NH, and NONE of us even THINK about trying to reach each other over Thanksgiving. It's one of those "you can't get there from here" scenarios. We spend the holiday with friends and get together at Christmas.

Having said that, I LOVE Boston and wish you the best of luck with your plans. I think I would advice against NY as well - really kind of far for 1 day.

Good luck!
Karen

violet2

My mom works in Boston so we'll either tag along with her or rely on her to tell us the best route.

We'll just park the car and walk/bus everywhere in Boston and we'll do it early in the week- Mon or Tue.

Hopefully traffic won't be so terrible then.

Later that week we're going to the Newport mansions.

Michelle