tkraines

Hello

I'm travelling to the East Coast with my boyfriend in a few weeks. We are there for 2 weeks and currently plotting our route. We know a few things we definately want (Halloween in NYC, Election Night in Wash DC) but we have a couple of gaps and I'd love your advice.

This is our current plan:

27 - 30th Oct: Boston
30th - free night
31st - 5th Nov: NYC
5th - free night
6th - 10th : Washington DC

We are currently planning on getting the Amtrak between the 3 cities. However if needs be we can get a car as and when we need it. I'm not intending to keep a car in the cities though.

Basically my questions are:

1. Is there anywhere we should definitely head to between Boston and New York for a night on the 30th? Is Rhode Island worth a trip?

2. Is 5 nights in Washington DC too long?

3. We have 5th free - I was thinking we could do a night in Philadelphia or Baltimore. It seems a shame to not drop in and see what they are like, but I don't know if we need a night. We could go to Wash earlier and do those at the end or beginning and end - pretty flexible. Or is there somewhere better round there you would suggest.

Many thanks for any tips. I am looking at lots of old topics for suggestions too.

Thanks!

Talia

SusieQQ

If it were me I would take the train between the cities and add any extra days you have to NYC. And yes, I think 5 days is too much for D.C., again add a few days to NYC.

Another option would be to drive between Boston and NYC and stop off in Newport RI and Mystic, CT. for a couple days.

tkraines

I should have said - I've been to NY quite a bit so 5 nights is probably the maximum I'd want to stop there. My boyfriend hasn't been so I'm pretty much doing him a favour by going for that long!

I'll check out Newport and Mystic, thanks!

dshamritsky

If you have a free night after Boston try to drop by Providence it is a great, fun smaller city that is a generic New England coastal city. I am not sure if Amtrak goes to Providence but you should rent a car if it doesn't. Five nights in DC is the maximum but that will give you time to see everything and have time to walk around freely. Try to stay in Philly and just do a hop on hop off bus if you have never been there before or even if you have only been there once. Sounds like a fun trip and you should be happy that you have so much time to do it.

cw

Newport would be a nice place to stay between Boston and NYC but it would be more convenient with a car rental, though you could take the train to Providence and a bus to Newport.

I'd probably take Amtrak to Providence, stay there one night and continue on to NY.

If you do want Newport, you could also rent a car in Providence and return it the next day.

220volt

Philly.

sf7307

While 4 nights is probably enough for DC itself, you could rent a car for one day and do a day trip to Charlottesville or some of the nearby Civil War towns. Virginia toward Charlottesvilleis beautiful country.

nytraveler

IMHO if you have never been to DC 5 days is NOT too much - esp if yuo intend to go to Arlington and Mount Vernon - most of a day all to itself.

As for Newport - I'm not sure which of the "cottages" are open and at what hours. If they're open - definitely fascinating.

Deb15July

I agree with nytraveler...5 nights in DC is definitely not too much...Smithsonian museums; monuments; Arlington & the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; Embassy Row; National Cathedral; Holocaust Museum; Supreme Court; Tour Congress buildings; Georgetown and Dupont Circle; etc.

Did someone say 5 nights is too much…really?

bardo1

I would keep your current plan with one possible thought.

While a week in DC is not too much, you can still EASILY do a day trip to Baltimore from DC on a weekday via a commuter train (the Camden line). The commuter trains do not run on weekends.

Take a commuter train from DC's Union Station ($7 each way per person). It's just over one hour each way. The train leaves from Union Station and ends near Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Buy your tickets from a MARC (or AMTRAK) kiosk. Be aware that the last train back to DC leaves Baltimore at 6:15 Pm.

http://mta.maryland.gov/sites/defaul...2_gridonly.pdf

http://mta.maryland.gov/marc-fares

ElendilPickle

We spent five days in DC last October and it was just about right for our family. If you're interested in what we did, here's a link to my trip report.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...hington-dc.cfm

Lee Ann