JoeTro

I'll be in New York, Manhattan, 10/2016 for a little over a week, toward the end of the month. I'd like to take a long overnight trip. Initially, my thought was Toronto, as I could use some loyalty points, see good museums and eat at a good restaurant. Maybe some fall leaves as well. However, I realized I can do this in ... NYC, so maybe I need a different destination. Other ideas now are Portland, Maine or Montauk. The bus sounds like a huge ordeal of about three hours, but that's probably faster than getting to the airport, waiting at airport, short flight, arriving in another city, maybe immigration, getting to city center hotel, etc.

I enjoy art museums, wine/dining and good power-walking. A beachy place sounds different for me and might be nice for a quick break. but it will be the end of October. What about a place with fall leaves, no renting a car required?

nytraveler

End of Oct will be quite late for leaves - most trees will be bare except in Manhattan - where leaves turn latest. And it will be chilly at the beachy places - which will mostly require a car rental. For dining check since some places are open only weekends in end Oct.

There are wineries on Long Island if you want to visit them - but you need to do either a tour or a car rental - and yes, it will take 3 hours to get there. There are quite a few interesting places in the Hudson Valley - but leaves will be minimal. You can see - but check dates since some places will be on weekends only - West Point (US Military Academy), Bear Mountain (yes, wild bears), FDR's home at Hyde Park, Rockefeller and a couple of other mansions. There are also several cute towns where you can go antiquing. This will also require a car unless you just do one town reachable by train - like Cold Spring. There are a number of small interesting museums.

And Portland is a flight - not a drive - for an overnight - would take almost a whole day to drive.

nytraveler

Sorry - you might want to consider Philadelphia - little more than an hour by Amtrak. Lots of great museums as well as historic sights and a great dining scene.

Pepper_von_snoot

One of the best art museums in the world is located in Philadelphia, right on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

It is called The Barnes Foundation. This place will make the hair on your arms stand up. It will change your view of the world.


Thin

JoeTro

I've been to Philly and the Barnes before and loved both, so I'm looking for something a little different. But thanks for the recommendation. Maybe Baltimore as a flight? Feel like I might need about 3 rather than 3 days there, though, with all the good art museums.

Frank

Newport, RI is always a pleasant destination, you can get there by AMTRAK in a little over 3 hours.

JoeTro

Been there too. Loved it. Sorry to be difficult.

Places I've been: Philly, DC, P'Town, Providence, Newport.

Not been and want to go: Maine, Toronto, Halifax, Baltimore, maybe to the Hamptons or Nantucket? But, again, what makes sense in late October for a 2 day/1 night trip?

nytraveler

Maine, Toronto, Halifax and Nantucket will require flying and are really far for 1 night.

Hamptons - really North Fork - is doable but I would rent a car or try to find an overnight winery tour. If you want wineries and fine dining I would plan for a weekend in late Oct or check what restaurants will be open during the week.

Baltimore can be done by Amtrak (not even sure flying is possible - but would take longer). Have not spent a lot of time there so not sure what there is.

JoeTro

Thanks. Is Montauk a silly idea in late October? That's doable on the jitney but may not be "worth it" seasonally.

nytraveler

Well not sure what there is to do in Montauk then. You can walk on the beach - it may well be sunny and pleasant or not and chilly. You can to to Grossman's Inn and dock and see where the fishing boats come in. You can do whale watching trips from there but need to check times.

Most of the museums and historic buildings are in East Hampton, South Hampton, Sag Harbor, etc - not Montauk. Getting around while there you need a car or taxi - local transit is extremely limited.

Sassafrass

Baltimore has some fine museums, the Walters and the Baltimore Museum of Art as well as the Visionary. It also has some fantastic houses, most especially Evergreen, the one I always recommend. It has a few pretty good, interesting restaurants too. The harbor area is also nice with water taxis to take you around, depending on weather. Events for the summer are over, so may not be much happening there. The weather should still be OK in October, but no guarantee towards the end. It would be nice it you could stay a couple of nights.

Amtrack is good, but there are also two bus services to/from NYC: Bolt Bus and Mega Bus. Both have pretty good service and cheap prices. The only problem with all of them is they are not right in the city center. You would need to use taxis, but they are reasonably priced.

BWI airport is excellent and you can catch a metro to right downtown. Time altogether is probably about the same as the train. You would just have to compare all rates and times. DD works in NYC and commutes several times a month. She takes the train when the schedule works for her and the bus other times, both easy to use.

Good luck in making your choice.

Another wonderful place: Asheville, NC. You could fly there, but would do better to rent a car once you are there. It is fabulous with the Biltmore Estate and lots of artists and high quality galleries.

If you fly, that opens up lots of options like Savannah, Georgia, another great Southern city.

JoeTro

Thanks. I'm going to Savannah in March of 2016. I'll take a look more closely into Baltimore - my only issue there is I might want 3 days/2 nights to see everything, which isn't really feasible this time. I should look into other Hamptons places, so thanks for those tips.

Frank

You might want to check out Mystic, Connecticut.


http://www.mystic.org/

nytraveler

Just recognize that once you get to the Hamptons getting from one town to another really requires a car or taxi. There are local buses but the schedule is very sparse - used mostly by the local restaurant workers or housekeepers.

If you look at the towns and think there is one - perhaps East Hampton - that will occupy you for the day (I don't know the schedule of sights off season) it might work to just take the Jitney to that town.

JoeTro

If I go to the Hamptons, I'm not sure I would feel compelled to really see the sites. It might just be a more relaxing kind of hang around the hotel, beach, resort, whatever kind of long overnight day trip.

As for big cities, Baltimore is out because the Tuesday-Wednesday nature of my trip means that both main art museums are closed Tuesdays. Toronto is looking compelling, but it seems like the latest American Airlines flight leaves at 4 pm, which I don't think would give me enough time on the Wednesday.

JoeTro

Maybe ... Boston? Needed about two more days on my last trip there anyway to see JFK Library and all the new Harvard museums. Could use hotel points. Have a family friend's parents whom I could visit.