Hi, I'm going to be in NYC for work mid Nov 2007. I can only get 1 week of leave thereafter to see the sights.

Would really like to get some help on what I shd squeeze in that amount of time. Lots of tours seem to suggest the Boston, Philly, Niagara Falls route for 5 to 6 days. Any opinion if this is worth doing?

Also, any recommendation for escorted tour bus companies will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I would pick one direction but not all 3 -- they are completely different directions from one another. Are you driving or flying? I am not sure the drive time for Boston or Philly but Niagara Falls would take all day -- probably clost to 9-10 hours each way. You can train to Philly. There are commuter flights to Boston. I would probably pick one of those two cities -- first I would research what is there and what I was most interested in. Then I would choose between the two.

Another option is to get out into the country and/or mountains. It is past the change of color so you would not havethe leaf season but you could drive up through the Hudson River Valley and into Vermont or Connecticut. Are you more interested in city things or country things. You need to give a lot more information before anyone can help guide you here.

didn't realise these 3 places are all in diff direction as the tours i researched seems to imply that i can breeze thru the sights in philly, then boston then niagara falls. they are selling 5 or 6 day tours of this nature. i am abt 23 hours from usa and doubt i'll be back often so really, anything that is a must see is what i am aiming for. however, based on the research so far, it appears the timing of my trip is really bad. for instance, maid of the mist boat ride wd have stopped by nov (what is a good alternative?)and i think i've also pretty much missed the autumn foliage type of trip in new england. i am not really hung up on one particular theme i guess. thanks for replying and anyone who can chip in, do respond! much appreciated.

This website attracts mostly do it yourself travelers who don't like tours. I'm assuming you're traveling alone and the idea of an organized tour that covers a lot of ground is appealing and I can understand that. Just be aware that these tours usually use very cheap hotels and traveling by bus is not all that wonderful.

Niagara Falls is very far to drive but you can fly to Buffalo, NY, right near Niagara, easily and relatively cheaply from NYC or Boston (look on kayak.com for flights). There are some tour cos. that offer a day tour to Niagara Falls from NYC using a plane, but you can also organize this on your own for less. There are day tours of Niagara Falls that pick up at the Buffalo airport.

Philadelphia is an easy trip by train from NYC. If you don't mind going on your own, I would do that. Someone has just written a great trip report on a NYC/Phil. trip.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=35073559

Here's a discussion of touring vs. going on your own from another travel forum. They mention the co. Archer Direct
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...phia_to_Washin

I agree with McLaurie. Make Philadelphia a day trip (stay over the night before and the night after if you're uncomfortable traveling to or from New York City at night). You can see all the prime historical sites in Philadelphia (Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross House, the Mint) in one day.

You can also take the train to Boston (or fly) and then take a tour there. I'd probably leave 2-3 days for Boston, especially if you want to go outside the city, to Concord or Lexington or Plymouth.

For Niagara Falls, I'd also fly to Buffalo (from Boston) and take a "day trip" from there.

But instead of a day or two spent on Niagara Falls, if you really want to make the most of your trip, fly down to Washington, DC, and see the many sights there. Even if you only have 2-3 days. There is so much to see.

Or do Niagara FAlls and spend the rest of my leave in NY.

First of all, in November you will not be seeing the countryside at it's best - all the leaves will be off the trees, no flowers etc - so unless you're into hiking or something I wouldn;t do countryside.

Niagara Falls can well have snow by then and some of the attractions will be closed for the season.

And - as someone mentioned it's a good 9 hour drive from New York and you need to get to the Canadian side to see much of the falls.

Boston is north of NYC and Philly is south - although not by a lot.

But - really seen no need for a bus tour at that time of year - it sounds like it would be tremendously boring - looking at a bunch of dark, dreary not much.

You can hop on a train and be in Philly is not much more than an hour. Boston is 4 hours by train. If you're interested in the cities I would just go on your own and see what you want. And, if you wnat to see something outside one of the other, it's easy to do organize on the spot.

I like the idea of Washington for an overseas visitor. You won't need a tour, it is about 3.5 hours by train from NYC, and there are many different kinds of accomodation and restaurants.

It is very different from NYC, there is a great deal to see of political-historical interest (and many tours you can book when there if you are not knowledgeable about US history), it has brilliant art museums (National Gallery and Phillips Collection), fantastic science and technology (Smithsonian museums) and is both very easy to get around and familiar with people from overseas. Also, most museums and attractions are free.

In November, the weather is generally very, very good.

thank u everybody for being so helpful. was thinking of hopping on a bus tour due to the short duration of my trip and felt i could do away w the hassle of train timing or self drive navigation. however have noted the links some of u have provided and will definitely research more before i make a decision abt the mode of transport. does seem like most of u do not encourage the idea of niagara falls at this time of the year w i also tend to agree, simply bcos if i ever make it there, i wd want to max out every possibility - take the boat ride, heli, walk to the decks, etc. so this wd prob be the destination i will drop. thanks v much everyone. if u hv any other invaluable tip, pls add on !