rockrunner

I Have never been to the East coast we are planning on driving from St Louis to Hershey Pa then we notice NYC Is only a little further. That being said we are now panning on driving to NYC. Now here are my questions we thought about parking outside and taking a train in to NYC the a friend suggested taking the high speed train to boston, well heck Bar Harbor is just a little further. So now i am not sure what to do. Do we just drive all the way from NYC to Bar harbor or take a train to Boston and rent another car to drive to BH. Then I have read about Whales, Fall colors, light houses, The traffic getting out of NYC going through NH. I just always wanted to eat a LOBSTER fresh off the Boat in Maine. We are going to be in NYC Nov 11. Is Any of this Possible?

Ackislander

NYC to Bar Harbor is about 500 non-scenic miles, and enough of it is not interstate that it will take you about 9 hours to drive if you stop to buy gas and eat and use the toilet.

That's a long way to go to eat a lobster, and by November, many (most?) of the places where you can sit on the dock and eat freshly boiled lobster right out of the boat will be closed.

If you want to go to Boston, that is about half way in terms of distance and a lot less in travel time. If this is a rental car, just drop it in NYC. If it is your own car, go ahead and drive. Just don't plan to get around either city by car. You will need to find a hotel with parking or look for a public parking garage near the hotel, which is likely to be cheaper.

J62

You wont get any fall colors in November - the trees will be bare by then.

michelhuebeli

Ditch the first car in PA, take public transport into NYC where having to worry about a car is a major nuisance, then take the Bolt Bus to Boston and get another set of wheels.

The Bolt bus from NYC to Boston costs a pittance, is comfortable, has wi-fi and toilet on board, leaves from curbside around the corner from Penn Station/New Yorker hotel. www.boltbus.com

We drove from Boston to Bangor and then down to Bar Harbor and all that - was a nice drive, came back along the coast.

rockrunner

Yes we are leaning toward ditching in PA but where is the station to get a train to NYC And some one mentioned high speed rail Boston Is that through Amtrak?

michelhuebeli

It's all on Google - transportation from Hershey PA:
http://www.hersheypa.com/plan_a_trip...directions.php
"The Harrisburg Train Station is a short 15-minute drive from Hershey and is serviced by Amtrak. Seven trains arrive from Philadelphia every business day, 5 of which originate in New York City and travel through Philadelphia. The average travel time by train from Penn Station in NYC to Harrisburg is approximately 3.5 hours. From 30th Street Station in Philadelphia to Harrisburg is approximately 2 hours. For more information, call Amtrak at 800-872-7245 or visit Amtrak.com or call 800-872-7245."

rockrunner

Awesome thank you for the info.

dfrostnh

Bar Harbor is too far in November. Maine is great but you can get lobster dinners elsewhere. One of our favorite places in NH on the seacoast is Petey's in Rye. I believe they are open all year. Not dockside but near the beach and has the great old seafood restaurant atmosphere. Do NOT go to a chain seafood place. I think lobsters taste better sitting at a picnic table looking out on the water and boats but second choice would be a local place near the water. The lobsters will be fresh, not held for who knows how long in a tank.

isabel

How long do you plan to stay in NYC, Boston and Maine?

Ozarksbill

My comments...used to live St. Louis, now in Boston area. It is a fur piece NYC to Bar Harbor...and why go there I wonder? Yes, lobster lots of places. No cars NYC or Boston...yes Bolt bus or commuter train OK. Others have details. But I don't quite get why you are going to Hersey or east coast. What is your objective...history, sightseeing, scenery, stage shows, etc? Yes, forget the lobster bit. Or bite.

rockrunner

Thanks for all the great ideas and info. As far as why I turned 50 and the same week my cousin died young and early so I told my self i am going.

all the other add ons NYC Boston Bar harbor, i realized how close they were.

I have always wanted to visit the Hershey factory i know it is very commercialized now.

I love lobster all we get here is chain rest, and my friend told me bar harbor is the place to get it. I want the rustic experience where they serve it on a table with news paper as the settings had that once with seafood in Florida I think a place called deanies.

Any way plan to be in NYC about 4 or 5 days yes it will be rushed but it is all the Time I have.

So right now I think our Plan is Hershey drop the car NYC and if I can get rustic lobster experience closer than Bar Harbor I will look into it.

Thanks again for all your help and ideas .

J62

Well if your objective is to see the Hershey factory then you'll be disappointed. They've not offered factory tours for at least a decade. What you get to see at Hershey is a simulated tour only.

nytraveler

There are tons of places in NY to get great lobster - but it won;t be cheap. In 4 days you can see quite a bit of NYC.

I'm assuming Boston - and Bar Harbor are additional days - although I don't know why you are going to the latter. November is really beginning of winter there and many/most places will be closed - and you are past leaf season - except possibly in Manhattan - where leaves may still be turning the first few days of November. Otherwise all trees will be leafless.

You also need to understand that this is high season in NYC and hotel prices will not be cheap. I would reco you get something now before only the highest prices will be left.

Amtrak is fine for getting from Philly (30th St station) to NYC (Penn station) to Boston. There are also low cost buses - but train is more likely to be on time - and you can get fairly low prices if you buy train tickets in advance. Do
NOT pay extra for Acela - it;s not worth saving 20 minutes or so.

If you tell us your interests and hotel budgets people can make recos.

BrklynTraveler

I live in NYC but used to live in Portland, Maine and spent loads of time up there. I agree, ditch the car in PA, train into NYC then bus to Boston if you want to go there (not my fav place), then there are tons of buses to Portland, ME where you can rent a car and explore the coast and eat plenty of lobster. Portland is a great town and you can take an inexpensive ferry to islands in the Casco Bay. If you go, check out Two Lights State Park (if closed, park at gates and walk in), Portland Head Light and the Old Port area of Portland. I am headed up there on Thursday and plan to get my fill of fresh seafood. However be warned coastal Maine caters to summer and early fall tourists so many spots close down for the winter quite early. Portland has tons of microbreweries if that interests you. I even know someone that runs tours of local breweries - could be more fun than Hersheys. Enjoy and seize the day.

BrklynTraveler

And Bar Harbor is quite far but if you love the outdoors it is a stunningly beautiful place. It's why I moved to Maine.

tomfuller

If the "we" is just 2 adults, you might be better off taking 3 or 4 Amtrak trains to go to either Lancaster PA or maybe Baltimore Washington airport (BWI) from St. Louis.
This would avoid a drop off fee on a rental car. Hershey is an easy drive from either Lancaster or BWI.
Your first train would be the Texas Eagle from STL to CHI. After a 4 hour layover in Chicago, you take the Capitol Limited to either Pittsburgh or Washington DC.
The Acela (fast train) goes to Boston South station. To get another train to Maine, you have to cross town to Boston North station.

rockrunner

Thanks again everyone we are meeting this weekend to go over all you ideas and information

dfrostnh

The rustic places serve the lobster on a paper plate on a tray. I've never seen newspapers in Maine. Google best lobster dinner in Maine for a list of places because there are more than just Bar Harbor. But the shacks on the dock usually close after Columbus Day if not sooner. The shacks aren't heated or insulated and it gets too cold at the picnic tables on the dock.

If you are really really lucky you will find a benefit lobster dinner. A lot of times, the tickets are pre-sold so they know how many lobsters to get. We hit one by accident when the weather was too iffy to go to Waterman's near Rockland. It was a benefit for a local volunteer fire dept. Tables set up under a tent behind the school/library. I think the price was $17.00 and we got choice of mussels or crab to go with it, chips, etc. but pie cost extra. You could also buy just a lobster and not the whole dinner which was good for those who are hungry. I think this was in June. In the fall you might find chowder suppers at a church on a sat night.

In Seabrook NH there are two large rustic restaurants across the street from each other. Not sure if they are open all winter. Markey's and Brown's.