My husband and I both spent a few days in Montreal and loved it, so we know what to expect. We don't speak a word of French, which was fine in Montreal, but it sounds as if we should learn some key phrases for Quebec and the countryside.

Thanks for the ferry hopping advice. Sounds fun! We do think of ferries as an adventure and not just transportation. The links provided didn't work, but now that I know, I'm sure I can inquire about them once we're on LI.

Part of the appeal of northern Maine is its vast emptiness. We live in a very congested part of the SF Bay Area, and I am always intrigued by these long stretches of road with just a few tiny communities. My husband and kids don't mind indulging me every so often, and I think they kind of enjoy it, too.

We've decided we'll spend the night in Bingham or Jackman, where I've already confirmed that lodging won't be a problem, and we'll be careful about not letting the gas get low.

I can't find anything that suggests Quebec Rte. 173 isn't paved, but I'll dig a little deeper.

I really appreciate everyone's advice! A vacation is long overdue for our family and I'm really getting excited by what you all have to say. Both kids are graduating (one from high school, one from college) and we may not travel together as a family again, so I really want to savor it...even if we're stuck in the car in pouring rain in the middle of nowhere.

Wow! Thanks for doing the cost comparison for the rental car. For a cost saving of approx. $1,000, going a few hours out of our way might be well worth it. I'm always amazed by the vastly different rates when I shop around. Never seems to be any logic to it.

Unless it has been torn up in the last 1.5 years, Quebec Route 173 is paved.

To save a thousand dollars, the enormous p.i.a. of going to CT and back for the car can be worth it. I would not go to Iselin, NJ: it's about an hour and a half to get there, and at least the same returning. Not to mention, it's in the opposite direction of any of the places you want to go - AND getting from NJ to NYC in a car is something well to be avoided at most hours of the day!

Of the two options listed, Stamford CT is the better one, though it too is about an hour and a half away by public transit and then could be more driving back. There are fairly frequent Metro North trains to Stamford, some of which are express. The fares have all gone up, as have the tolls on NYC-run bridges and tunnels.

If you choose to get a car in Stamford:
- Have just one person go up and back, then pick up everyone else at the hotel.
- <i>Make sure</i> the rental agency is easy to get to from the train station. (I have no idea where they might be located, but I have not seen them at the train station.) Stamford is a small city spread across a fair amount of terrain.
- On the return, everyone drops off the car, then takes public transit back to NY / to your final destination. (One advantage here if you're flying RT to Newark: I believe there's now a away to connect from Metro North in CT to the Newark Air Train...)

If you're from "a very congested part of the SF Bay Area", you're certainly no stranger to traffic. (I've done the SF to/from Walnut Creek drive a number of times, and there's a certain similarity with our bridges, tunnels and tolls...) No one wants to sit in it, especially on vacation - but for those kind of savings, at least it's something you know that you know how to handle!

Not sure why those links don't work -- I pasted them from my browser -- but I hope these do!

http://www.southferry.com/ South Ferry Company
http://www.northferry.com/ North Ferry Company
http://www.longislandferry.com/ Cross Sound Ferry

A route you might consider when returning from Montreal is to cross at Rouses Point NY, then take the bridge to Vermont and wind your way down through the Lake Champlain Islands to Burlington. It's more scenic than crossing at Highgate Springs. Being a college town, there is always something going on in Burlington and I bet your kids would enjoy it, especially the Church Street Market Place and the waterfront area.

Great! Thanks for the tip.

An update regarding car rental. It looks like we'll be taking the train out of NYC to Stamford CT, where we can pick up a car at the train station, and then take the ferry from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson to get out to the Hamptons. This alternative was about $350 cheaper than a car rental out of JFK, even after you include the extra expense of the ferry. But even more important, it just sounded more appealing to us than cabbing it to JFK to pick up the car. We didn't like the idea of sending one lone person out to pick up the car and then potentially sit in traffic for a couple of hours.

We'll be traveling off peak hours on the train, so I'm hoping it won't be too much of a hassle with our luggage. Each person will have a carry-on sized suitcase and backpack.

Jacee, that sounds like a good plan, and the suitcases shouldn't be a problem on Metro North. (I just read someone's comment on another thread that a 24" suitcase was awkward on Metro North but their experience with 22" was fine. Being a commuter train, there aren't many options for large luggage...)

I took the ferry from Bridgeport to Port Jeff once to avoid Thanksgiving traffic, and despite the inevitable wait to board, was glad to do so. Bridgeport itself isn't much to look at, but Port Jeff is a cute town and of course the ferry ride is pretty.

If you're looking for a bite to eat on the way, may I suggest Frank Pepe's pizza. It's a CT institution, originally in New Haven but his grandchildren have expanded the business. The Fairfield location is right on your way to the ferry, immediately off exit 25 on the edge of Bridgeport. The menu is limited, but they're especially known for the clam pizza (the waiter will explain the difference between red and white); they also serve Foxon's, a local CT soda that's been around as long as Pepe's! ...We only started visiting Pepe's in the last few years. Now my BF insists on stopping on our MA-NY commutes - and is quite disappointed when our schedule doesn't line up with lunch or dinner!
http://pepespizzeria.com/