East Coast trip advice
 

We (family of four with grown up boys) are taking a trip starting in Washington DC (3 nights) and travelling by train to New York (5 nights) on to Boston (7 nights to include a couple of nights in Cape Cod). A few questions....I have booked hotels in Washington (the Hyatt in Penn Quarter) and New York (Andaz on 5th) but keep stressing about the locations, any thoughts? I would be really appreciative of some recommendations for must visit restaurants and attractions,( I know some things are obvious but other little gems would be good)..... Is it worth taking time to visit Cape Cod, if so we could get the ferry to Provincetown or is hiring a car better to get to other areas of Cape Cod? Thank you in advance,

I'm not sure which Hyatt you've booked in DC, but in any event Penn Quarter and 5th Avenue/40th Street are both great locations. Penn Quarter has loads of restaurants and is walking distance to museums and the mall, also you won't be more than a few blocks from a metro station. 5th Avenue/40th Street is mid-town, you're near Bryant Park and the NY Public Library, you can go in any direction and hit something you want to see, and there's a subway nearby.

OK, what kind of food do you LIKE?

I would probably want a car on the Cape if you really want to explore, but taking the ferry to Provincetown could work. You could rent bikes or look into one of the dune buggy tours to take you around a bit.

If you decide to rent a car and drive, do it mid week if possible. Traffic getting there Friday-Monday can be tough.

In NYC the Tenement Museum might be something you would like if you are interested in history.
We have enjoyed food tours in both NYC and Boston. In Boston, I've liked both Michelle Topor tours to Boston's North End (Italian) and Chinatown but it looks like Chinatown is no longer offered. You can still explore the area and have a dim sum lunch.

You didn't say what time of year you were coming and whether you want to go to Cape Cod for some beach time or not. You also didn't mention interests. Two adult sons must have something they would like to do.

Its the Grand Hyatt in Penn Quarter, thanks for your reply its difficult to know where to base yourself!

Hi Dukey1, pretty much anything....I'd like a good Italian, Chinese, American and Lebanese but would prefer restaurants that serve more traditional meals rather than Michelin type establishments, we are planning to go to Katz's for lunch...thanks for your help.

Thanks for that, I think we will have to catch the ferry as our dates to visit CC fall over the weekend. I also want to visit Salem, is that something you recommend?

Not quite got the hang of this, thought I was replying to individual posts. So both my boys are studying History at college, with an emphasis on American history so in Washington we are going to try to see the US Capitol, Pentagon, Mall and memorials and Arlington Cemetery, we would have loved to visit the Whitehouse but they have stopped tours by UK visitors at the moment. In NY we are planning to visit Ground Zero, Statue of Liberty and Ellis island and generally wander.... but would love some other suggestions. I haven't got round to Boston at the moment so all help on hotels etc... appreciated. We are all sports mad so hoping to catch baseball and pre-season football games if the dates work out, we are there at the end August/early September, we're not really sunbathers but like the ocean. Thanks

Yes, Salem makes for an excellent day trip from Boston, though it gets crazy crowded on October weekends, especially the closer to Halloween you get. Would especially recommend visiting the Peabody Essex Museum (they also offer tours of historic houses they own), House of the Seven Gables, Salem National Historical Site, and the two Historic New England properties (Phillips House, Gedney House). I also like the Salem Witch Museum, though not everyone here does (avoid the other haunted/spooky themed “museums” as they’re not good). A jaunt in season out to Salem Willows makes for honky tonk arcade style fun if you’re into that, plus it’s probably the only place on earth one can still order a chop suey sandwich.

It’s easy to reach from Boston via commuter rail — the train station is within easy walking distance of most of the sights.

Should mention that there are loads of worthwhile close-in day trips out of Boston: Salem, much of Cape Cod, Concord, Plymouth, Lexington, New Bedford, Marblehead, Lowell, Ipswich, Rockport, and Newburyport among them.

There has been a ferry from Boston to Salem in the warmer weather too.

I've used StubHub to get tickets to Red Sox games for my kids. Sometimes they become more plentiful the closer you get to game time and people with tickets want to get rid of ones they can't use.