Help with Northeast vacation strategy
Oct 16th, 2013, 04:25 PM
#1
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Help with Northeast vacation strategy
Looking to visit the NE section of the US this summer with our teen daughters & need advice on how to plan.
We're hoping to spend 3-4 days in Boston, NYC, & Washington DC while spending a few days at the beach (Jersey Shore?) in the middle of the trip.
Prefer not to use a car in the cities, but will need one at least part of the time.
No airport preference & are willing to do open-jaw flights if it makes the trip more efficient.
Accepting any advice on what a good strategy would be.
TIA
We're hoping to spend 3-4 days in Boston, NYC, & Washington DC while spending a few days at the beach (Jersey Shore?) in the middle of the trip.
Prefer not to use a car in the cities, but will need one at least part of the time.
No airport preference & are willing to do open-jaw flights if it makes the trip more efficient.
Accepting any advice on what a good strategy would be.
TIA
Oct 16th, 2013, 04:28 PM
#2
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Original thought was to fly into DC.
Rent car & get a place at the Jersey Shore for a few days
Drop the car before NYC & train to Boston
Fly home from there.
Make more sense to fly in & out of a central airport (Philly or Newark)?
Rent car & get a place at the Jersey Shore for a few days
Drop the car before NYC & train to Boston
Fly home from there.
Make more sense to fly in & out of a central airport (Philly or Newark)?
Oct 16th, 2013, 05:08 PM
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No - open jaw flights make the most sense.
If you tell us exactly how many days you have and your interests people can make specific suggestions. Dropping the car when yuo get to NYC makes perfect sense - but it's also useless in DC - so don;t get it until you leave there.
If you tell us exactly how many days you have and your interests people can make specific suggestions. Dropping the car when yuo get to NYC makes perfect sense - but it's also useless in DC - so don;t get it until you leave there.
Oct 17th, 2013, 02:21 AM
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Fly into DC. Spend 3-4 days. If you want to see outside DC areas such as Mt Vernon, take a van/bus tour for a day there since DC traffic is always terrible and the downsides of a group day trip are less than driving.
Take train to NYC. Same plan.
Beach can be Cape Cod (or Jersey Shore, but check carefully what is what since Storm Sandy). For this you can either do a 1-way car rental from NYC or take train to Boston and rent a car there for RT rental and drive to Cape Cod depending on cost.
Return car in Boston and spend 3-4 days there. A perfect 2-week trip with enough in each destination to please everyone. In none of the 3 cities is a car an advantage, but you will want one on Cape Cod.
Take train to NYC. Same plan.
Beach can be Cape Cod (or Jersey Shore, but check carefully what is what since Storm Sandy). For this you can either do a 1-way car rental from NYC or take train to Boston and rent a car there for RT rental and drive to Cape Cod depending on cost.
Return car in Boston and spend 3-4 days there. A perfect 2-week trip with enough in each destination to please everyone. In none of the 3 cities is a car an advantage, but you will want one on Cape Cod.
Oct 17th, 2013, 03:06 AM
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Good plan from Gail. If it works better for price/pacing, consider doing it in reverse, into Boston a few days on the Cape to unwind from the flight, then drop car, do cities. You can do either the train or bus between cities.
Oct 17th, 2013, 11:41 AM
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No real preference on beaches, just nice sand and a decent selection of lodging options.
Although I like the idea of just 1 car rental, I'd like the option to see attractions off the rail line like Plimoth Plantation, Gettysburg, etc.
Also, how tough will it be to haul luggage on Amtrak & from the station to hotels?
Although I like the idea of just 1 car rental, I'd like the option to see attractions off the rail line like Plimoth Plantation, Gettysburg, etc.
Also, how tough will it be to haul luggage on Amtrak & from the station to hotels?
Oct 17th, 2013, 12:42 PM
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Not really any good beaches real close to DC. Amtrak Stations in all 3 cities are near hotels and everything else you want to see - but I always take a cab when on vacation. After spending $$$ on vacation, I am not going to be hauling luggage on public transit or thru some unfamiliar streets.
Plimouth Plantation (impressed you got the spelling correct) is right on route driving from Cape Cod to Boston. Gettysburg is more out of the way on this trip.
Plimouth Plantation (impressed you got the spelling correct) is right on route driving from Cape Cod to Boston. Gettysburg is more out of the way on this trip.
Oct 19th, 2013, 01:35 PM
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The best closest beaches are going to be in Delaware and Atlantic shore of Maryland, of course. Rehoboth or Ocean City. The closest beaches to DC are not what you are probably wanting, but you can see http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/be...es,104228.html
http://dc.about.com/od/hotels/a/BestBeaches.htm
http://dc.about.com/od/hotels/a/BestBeaches.htm
Mar 6th, 2014, 04:35 PM
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There are a lot of nice beaches in NJ and they are open. If there is a particular part of NJ you are interested in post it and you will get feedback tons of options - Cape May, Wildwood, Ocean City, Point Pleasant, Ocean Grove all have their pros and cons depending on what you want. Teenagers would probably like Wildwood or Ocean City (NJ) there is also an Ocean City in Maryland but I have never been so can't comment on that. NJ beaches are much closer to NYC than Delaware or Maryland so NJ may make more sense geographically...
Mar 7th, 2014, 07:27 AM
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just another possibility that might be fun...
Rent your car after NYC, drive out to the Hamptons for a couple of days (hopefully midweek, to avoid the worst crowds). then take the ferry from Orient Point to New London, drop the car off in Boston. You could stop by Mystic, or Newport or Plymouth while you still had the car.
Rent your car after NYC, drive out to the Hamptons for a couple of days (hopefully midweek, to avoid the worst crowds). then take the ferry from Orient Point to New London, drop the car off in Boston. You could stop by Mystic, or Newport or Plymouth while you still had the car.
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