OCaTG

My husband and I will be flying from Washington State to Pittsburgh, PA. We will meet a friend there and take some short trips around Pittsburgh and to Niagra Falls. We then plan to drive to New York City to visit a friend. I need help knowing what I absolutely MUST see around Pittsburgh; between there and Niagra Falls; and what to see between Pittsburgh and New York City. And, of course, any help regarding "must sees" (Ellis Island is the main purpose of my visit) in NYC, economical places to stay, good places to eat, and anything else I need to know. Thank you, thank you!!!

tomfuller

Are you taking your Pittsburgh friend to Niagara Falls or can you go directly from Niagara Falls to New York City?
If you wanted to spend a night between Pittsburgh and Niagara Falls, stay in Erie and then see Presque Isle.
If you have your passports, go to the Canadian side of the falls. While in the Pittsburgh area, you might want to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright home "Fallingwater".
What month are you coming east?
There is more to see in upstate New York than most of PA east of Pittsburgh.
To avoid a drop off fee on your rental car you can get to New York Penn station on a train from Niagara Falls/Buffalo or Pittsburgh.

nytraveler

If you want to get on the ferries to SoL and Ellis Island you need to reserve far in advance. Go to statuecruises.com

For a hotel in NYC - what are your dates and specific nightly budget.

vincenzo32951

What month?
What's your budget?
What's your time frame?

BigRuss

No such thing as a must see. If you have actual interests, state them and you can get suggestions. Otherwise, there are tons of resources on what to see in NYC.

As for "economical places to stay," state a budget. If you're trying to get anything that's not a rat-trap in NYC for less than $180-200 per (including all taxes), you're basically hunting unicorns.

"good places to eat" can mean anything depending upon cuisine and the iron content of your stomach lining. What types of food do you like? Don't put responders to your post in the position of wasting their time by, for example, listing their favorite Indian restaurants on 6th street only to learn you're allergic to curry and cumin.

OCaTG

Thank you all for your responses. I am firming up my plans a bit more ... currently, I am planning to go June 20 - July 9 and have added Boston/Cambridge to my itinerary, which includes:
Pittsburg (Falling Water; sights of Pittsburg);drive to NYC and leave car at daughter's in Manhattan; take rail to NYC; do the Hop on/Hop off in NYC, Staten Island Ferry, Ground Zero/Museum, The Rock to see the city at night lights, Broadway play; rail back to pick up car and head to Boston to go to baseball game at Fenway Park, Freedom Walk, Hop on/Hop off if available Newbury Street, Boston Pops (if available), Historical/Heritage walk, Cambridge/Harvard; drive from Boston to Niagra Falls, stopping in Springfield to see Basketball Hall of Fame and maybe stop in Albany, Syracuse or Buffalo if any of you have any recommendations; Spend 2 days on Canadian side of Niagra Falls; return to Pittsburg. Your thoughts? Anything I am missing or am I trying to do too much? Thank you!!

SeaF

Stop off in Erie on your way back to Pittsburgh from Niagara Falls. Drive along the Bayfront Parkway in Erie on your way to Presque Isle State Park. Visit the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at the top of the peninsula, before or after you drive around Presque Isle. Stops at Sara's on the peninsula just before the state park entrance for a Smith's hot dog or cone. If you have time, wander around Waldameer amusement park across the street. No admission charge to walk around, if you don't care to ride on any rides.

tomfuller

They play some baseball at the point in Pittsburgh (note the h).
The baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown NY.
I like Rochester better than Albany or Syracuse.

OCaTG

Thank you, all!

soniajones

The hotels in NY are very nice and economical. The hotels like Edison hotel, park central new York and many more. These hotels are best as they are providing every facility and also these hotels are having HVAC systems. Because we can’t predict the climate of NY it is necessary to have a Hvac system in hotels. The Must see places in NY are Central Park, American museum, high line, Bronx zoo and statue of liberty.

nytraveler

Sorry, but there is not a hotel in NYC that doesn't have AC - or anywhere in the US that I'm aware of (except perhaps some cabins in national parks or similar). That is a very strange comment.

What I don;t understand from the OP's post is that she says she will leave her car with her daughter in Manhattan (not possible unless she is providing a space in a monthly garage) and taking rail to NYC (which she will already be in) and then back to daughter (Manhattan again).

Where is the daughter really? And for staying in NYC how many nights will you have and what is your hotel budget per night if we are to make hotel recos?

nytraveler

As for Boston to Niagara Falls - if you want to stop to see those places how many nights will you be on the road. (You can;t do all that in one day - since getting to the Canadian side of the Falls will take at least 9 hours without any stops - and can easily be longer if you run into traffic or construction.

tomfuller

I know that trains are not as fast as driving but any night you spend sleeping on a train is one that you won't be spending big bucks in a hotel and paying for parking.
This is how I would see what I wanted to with minimal driving.
Fly to Pittsburgh. Rent a car and see what you want to see within about 60 miles. Return the car. Take the Amtrak Pennsylvanian through Harrisburg all the way to New York Penn station. See what you need to see in NYC with no car needed.
The subway system is underneath Penn station.
Take an evening/night Northeast Regional train to Boston sleeping on the way.
See what you need to see in Boston and spend a night there.
Leaving Boston, take the Lake Shore Limited out of Boston South station as far as Rochester NY arriving about 10 PM. Spend a night in Rochester and take the next days Maple Leaf from Rochester to Niagara Falls Ontario. See the falls and spend a night in Canada before returning to Buffalo.
The Lake Shore Limited will take you from Buffalo overnight to Chicago where you can fly home. The Lake Shore Limited leaves Buffalo at about midnight and is in Chicago by 10AM.
Remember your passports so you can go into Canada at Niagara Falls.