rupsingh

hey guys i am relying on all your help to prevent my upcoming holiday becoming a tour of outlet malls!!!!

A bit of background myself 25 and a mate 24 are flying into new york city on the 9th of jan, into newark and picking up a 4wd rental vechile. after spendind a night at the airport hilton we are drving to boston where we are staying in the hyatt regency downtown till the 12th of jan. after that was thinking of driving back to nyc spending 2 days there and then driving to washington for 2 days
and then back via philadelphia for our flight on the 18th evening to london.

We have been to nyc 2 years ago but it turned into a massive tour of the outlet shopping centres. While i dont mind doing the outlets i would appreciate if you could make some suggestions for other places that are worth while seeing particulary in washington and boston. My mate said he wouldnt mind seeing a musem in each place so a suggestion for that would be ideal as well. also last time we went to the states as vegiterians we found reasonable priced food hard to find for eating out, can you make any suggestions? HELP ME SAVE THE HOLIDAY - i realise im asking for a lot here guys but im relying on all your goodwill.....

rupsingh

also is philadelphia worth a visit?

Sandiemac

My husband and I did a very similar holiday in October (NYC-Phil-Wash-Richmond). Although we are much older than you I have a few suggestions:

1) Ditch the car - you don't need it and in fact it will be a liability more than an asset, especially in NYC.

2) Travel between places by train - we did and it worked a treat.

3) Take the Grayline or Trolley tours - they give an good overall view in Washington and NYC. Philadelphia is small enough to walk (yes, it is definitely worth seeing).

4) Definitely go to museums,and in particular see the monuments in Washington. We found the Vietnam and Korean memorials very moving.

I'm sure other people will have more comments but that's my two-pennoth (as we say in England).

Anonymous

I agree that train or bus would be more convenient for traveling between those cities, though probably nor more economcal, for two. You've set up a lot of road time for the number of days of your visit, and it would be much more relaxing to leave the driving to somebody else. An additional advantage of being car-less is that you won't be able to get to the outlet malls.

schmerl

Philadelphia's Historical District is definitely worth a visit. Visit the Constitution Center, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell., Franklin Court, etc. The Art Museum and the Franklin Ibnstitute are both wonderful is you want to visit a museum.

seetheworld

Ditch the car. It will cost you a small fortune to park the car in both NYC and Boston. Have you considered Amtrak to Boston?

rupsingh

im afaraid the car rental has been pai for and is non refundable so not taking the car is not an option, any ideas fow what to do in boston or washington

seetheworld

That's too bad - with parking averaging around $30/day, you could have used that money to bulk up your dinner budget. Oh well.

I highly recommend the National Potrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum when you visit D.C. I also liked the Hirshhorn Sculpture Museum. The Air & Space Museum is good too.

When in Boston, take the Duck Tour - loads of fun.

rupsingh

Boston parking is coming to $25 a day and the hilton in ewr is only $9 a day, i know its still a fair bit but not as much as it could be!

HenryR

Here's a Boston list to consider. Check the websites to see what interests you the most.

Museums:
Isabella Stewart Gardener
Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Science
The new Institute for Contemporary Art

Areas to visit, shop and eat:
North End (Boston's Little Italy)
Quincy Market
Newbury Street and
South End

Enjoy your trip. It sounds like it's too late to cancel the rental, but you may want to try. While we've had great weather, one bad storm would impact your plans.

Sandiemac

Forgot to mention - don't miss Filene's Basement in Boston. Got some wonderful bargains if you are prepared to delve.

capxxx

In Boston:

+The Aquarium is great -- I don't even like aquariums, but I like this one.

+If you can't get out of shopping, try Filene's Basement (discount) or he Faneuil Hall area (upscale). FH also has great lunch options.

+The Boston Bruins (hockey) are playing in town on the 11th -- you could have dinner in the North End (or at Fanueil Hall) and then walk to the game.

+You could walk the Freedom Trail and review the history of the Revolutionary War (but bundle up against the cold).

Philly is worth seeing, but I don't think you have enough time -- I would vote for staying in DC.

DC has:

+ Lots of international restaurants in the embassy area.

+ Lots of Monuments and Government buildings to tour.

+ The FBI Museum; the Spy Museum.

+ The Smisthonian, a multi-museum complex. The Air and Space museum is most popular.

seetheworld

I gave you an average - certainly it will cost more to park in NYC (unless you are staying at the airport again) and D.C. Anyway, moving on...

What's your budget for meals? We would always take our son's vegetarian girlfriend to Stephanie's for dinner in Boston. They have great dinner salads. Let me know your budget and I'll ask them for more vegetarian choices when I speak with them.

rupsingh

our budget for an evening meal for 2 would be $30 to $40

wyatt92

Faneuil Hall is a good place to check out, lots of fun bars and restaurants. But I disagree with it being an upscale shopping area. It's got the usual chain stores, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Coach. Don't go there to shop. If you're interested in upscale shopping there's tons of high end boutiques on Newbury St as well as the Copley Place Mall which has a Barney's, Neiman's, Gucci, LV, etc.

nytraveler

In New York you will want to see the Met (the greatest cultural institution in the western hemisphere). Go to the web site in advance to pick out a couple of departments of interest (or you'll be there days) and try to sign up for one of the gallery talks.

Also reco taking the ferry that stops at Liberty Island (photo op of the Staute) and then on the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. This is incredibly moving - and really helps to understand diversity of New York - and the US - and the hardships faced by those who emigrated.

Also reco Top of the Rock - better than the Empire State building and no/small line. Try it at sunset so you get day and night views.

In Jan Central Park will not look like much (brown and crunchy) but you could still explore if you get a warm day.

There are literally dozens of other intersting museums/activites. Reco at least one broadway show (go to brodwaybox.com now to see who's offering discounts and get tickets). You might also want to get into see the David Letterman show (go to his web site to see who the guests will be and follow instructions to get day of tickets).

For vegetarian foods - I can;t help since I'm not - but you could check out menupages.com which lets you search by cuisine, neighborhood and gives diner reviews and actual menus. Also - you should be able to do well at many Italian, Indian, Chinese, Thai etc places, whihc usually have a selection of non-meat dishes.

Sepaarately - are you sure you can;t get out of the car? To do only cities (and the country doesn;t offer much except possible really bad weather in January) you're really better off with Amtrak. (Car rental may seem cheaper but when you add on the $30 to $40 per night garage fees I doubt it.)

If you give more info on your specific interests people can make more suggetions.

rupsingh

Thanks for all the suggestions guys you have outperformed my expectations. To be honest not much for broadway shows, we are just stuents who have just graduated as doctors so want to have a laugh and a good time. one thing i needed to clarify, does the capitol buliding in dc still offer tours? as this is something we would be interested in doing

rupsingh

also the boston aquarium that has been mentioned, i have been unable to find any more info on it, can someone please provide details, and as its getting late in london here wanted to wish all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

rupsingh

SORRY NOW FOUND THE AQUARIUM

seetheworld

Touring the Capital - yes you can, but don't expect to get in with a smile and the batting of lashes (like I tried) - it won't work. You must obtain tickets...how to do this remains a mystery to me. I'm sure others can clue us in.

Happy New Year to you too!