Favorite place on the East coast
 

Living in the UK I have tended to travel to Europe for my holidays, but have managed to get to Boston Cape Cod and recently Orlando.
I think America is great and prefer it to Europe so my question is, where are your favourite places down the East coast and why? Good times for me to go are Easter, Spring break, August, October(last week) and Xmas (not all in same year!).

We had a lovely but all too short visit to Charleston SC early one October. I'd like to go back during their garden week which I think is in March. The weather in Oct was wonderful. Nearby Beaufort was a nice little town where we watched families in the park and a guy fishing for shrimp. We had a fantastic lunch at the old plantation resort in Summerfields where you can sweeten your tea with sugar syrup and sit in wonderful wicker chairs. (I'm not sure I have the name right but it was a short drive from Charleston.)
For August I would choose some place, any place in Maine and search out a place that has both great lobster and fresh blueberry pie. Take a picnic lunch to the top of Mt Battie (auto road) and enjoy the view overlooking Camden harbor. Bring binnoculars to watch windjammers sailing along the coast.

Joanne:

I'd recommend Washington, D.C. There is so much to see (White House, Capitol, Washington Monument, FBI Tour, Archives, Naval Monument, Fords Theatre, Old Post Office, National Zoo, Voice of America tour, Treasury tour, Supreme Court, Smithsonian Museums (American History, Air & Space, Natural History, Arts), newly dedicated WWII monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veteran Memorial, Smithsonian Museums (free admission), Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Holocaust Museum, Arlington Cemetary, Old Town Alexandria, VA and Mt. Vernon, VA (Geo Washington's home - 1st Pres of U.S.). The subway is very clean and efficient. I'd say it would be uncomfortable in August and summer in general but I've lived there year around in the past and have enjoyed that time of year too. If you do come in summer, you can always head to the beach about 3 hours away from D.C.

I am also from the UK and have managed to see Boston, NYC, Washington DC and Florida so far on that side of the US.

I'd be hard pushed to pick my favourite - Orlando was by far my least favourite, although I thought Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the Florida Keys were great.

I think NYC would be high on most people's places to go and you don't mention you have been there yet. I tend to prefer the east coast cities to the west coast for some reason but apart from Florida I've not been far outside any of the east coast cities I have visited.

At christmas New York is THE place to go. There are an incredible number of unique things to see and do - the entire city puts on a new face and its truly magical - from a carriage ride down fifth avenue past St. Pats, Saks and Rockefeller Center with tree and enormous angel lights to Central Park with skating rink, to the Metwith the Neapolitan tree/chamber music concerts and the innumerable public music, dance and cultural events. Plus, the best shopping in the world.

I second both NYC and Charlston. For NYC, the fall in my opinion is the best time: comfortable weather, trees in all colors, truly amazing! Going to the Opera in the Met, museums, restaurants, shopping, galleries and just strolling in Central Park, Madison Ave, Fifth Ave and the various other neighborhoods- such an amazing place!
If you want a less big city feel on the east coast - Charlston, SC is a gem! - picture perfect old town, plus you can stay in one of the hotels on the ocean within 20 min drive to the city center and very near gorgeous plantations. Also within an hr drive is Savannah, Georgia - worth several hrs' visit.
Another idea - (one of the most memorable trips we made and such an amazing place I had to mention it, although not really ON the east coast, sorry) is during the fall - to go from the NE inland - to Pensylvania - to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water (or Kaufmann's House) as well as Kentuck Knob. Both are architectural masterpieces so beautifully nestled in nature and both are well worth the trip, plus driving thru Pensylvania in the fall is magical. You can combine the trip with Pittsburgh, PA- I love this town, especially the university area and the botanical gardens.
(Washington DC is nice for the museums and the monuments, the city itself was less impressive for me, but you can combine it with Virginia - see Mount Vernon and Richmond as well.)
Difficult choices. Good luck!

As always some really nice people with great replies. I would love to see NYC, and at the moment I'm trying to see if it's possible to stay over next Easter at Washington DC with United on the way back from Florida without it costing much extra, so it anyone knows I'd be grateful. Virginia would be great aswell especially the trees, would the end of October be too late to see them changing colour?

Joanne:

I'd say leaf change would still be at lower elevations but if you go to the Virginia mountains at that time the change may be over. I live in Pittsburgh (230-240 miles NW of D.C.) and the peak here is mid-October to 20-22 and in the Laurel Highlands which is about 1,000 higher in elevation, the peak is around October 9-10. Alot of the time it depends on how much rain the NE gets and how cool the nights are.

NYC (spring/fall/XMas)= wonderful
New Orleans - April, Oct, Nov December

If you liked "Orlando" you would love the above.

I flew with United to Vegas and it cost no more for a stopover in Boston on the way back. Because DC is a gateway you will probably be able to do it quite easily from Florida. Though airfares are a bit of a mystery - other times when I have tried something similar, they've wanted double the cost!

I agree with the posters that say New York is magical around Christmas time which is when I first went. However, seeing New York was infinitely better the second time I went in May - if you like getting out and seeing things the weather is much more bearable and I assume the same would be true of fall too. It was bitterly cold in December (I don't mind the cold either) and it just made it better to keep planning a few indoors things every so often.

Dave,
What didn't you like about Orlando? and how do other places that you've been compare?
Where abouts are you in the UK if you don't mind me asking.

Washington DC has a lot to offer, but do not come during summer months. The heat and humidity can be brutal, especially to Europeans .
You can combine Washington with Virginia. Autumn is beautiful, you can drive along Skyline Drive to make a circle and visit Williamsburg, Virginia. October is still fine for colors, but to be on the safe side, maybe not the very end of month.
Enjoy your trip, whereever you go.....

I think Charleston, DC, NYC are all great. I think you can even hit them all on Amtrak without too much trouble.

Charleston: Old South, great seafood, lively town, arts culture, pretty, friendly - look for information on Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto arts festivals. Sure, it can be hot, so can DC, but no where near as hot as Western Europe was last August. And most places have air conditioning.

NYC - there is just so much to do. Thanksgiving to Christmas, for sure, is fun - just very Christmassy. I also visited in Summer - the parks were fun and the town is lively.

DC - lived there 2 years. Very historical, lots of museums, international food, music, theater available. Good public transport. The heat really isn't that brutal, just depends on what you are used to.

The coast of Georgia - St. Simons, Sea Island, Darien, Savannah area. OK, I grew up there. Just like it. St. Simons and Sea Island have changed quite a bit since I left, but the area is still nice.

Helen

Let there be no confusion about this; ALL places in Charleston will be airconditioned.

We buy our HVAC units based on their ability to cool and not the ability to heat. I run my air eight months of the year and my heat two months.

While you're in Florida, be sure to check out St. Petersburg. It has a wonderful old downtown and the great Salvador Dali Museum and their Museum of Art in downtown. There are many Europeans who have shops in St. Petersburg, especially in the St. Pete Beach area, so perhaps you 'd like it there too.

Joanne, in answer to your question about where I live, I am based in London.

As far as the cities on the east side of the US go, I'd be hard pushed to pick my favourite. I know I said my least favourite was Orlando. That's not to say I didn't enjoy my time there but after 4 days I was ready to leave and I haven't really felt that anywhere else (except LA but we'll keep this east coast).

I suppose my (very brief) take on the other places would be as follows:

NYC probably needs no explanation but feels like somewhere I could go and visit again and again. It's most like London in terms of size, population and personality. Plus there's a million and one things to do, something to keep everyone occupied whether it's day or night.

Boston - quite a European-feeling city, very compact and easy to get around. It's well known for much of America's "old" history but at the same time felt very modern. A great walking city with lots of great, little neighbourhoods/areas to explore.

Washington DC - like Boston in size and ease to get around but shows much of America's newer side, with a great collection of monuments/memorials and the Smithsonian Institute. A superbly designed city and one that far exceeded my expectations. I thought the nightlife was really good too.

Miami - great beaches, excellent weather. Relaxing on the beach or exploring in the day and hitting the restaurants/bars/clubs of South Beach in the evening - perfect!

The Keys - the most laid back place I have visited in the US. Key West was my highlight and is great for relaxing, water sports, bar-hopping, whatever you like really with a real laid-back, chilled-out attitude.

Fort Lauderdale - I was only here for two days but it had great beaches and a beautiful setting with its inland waterways you can travel on and small downtown area. Not a city with a list of "sights to see" like the other cities.

I think Orlando did least for me because aside from the theme parks it seemed to have little to offer and never really seemed real (I suppose the idea is while your in Disney's clutches you're being taken away temporarily from the real world but that's just not me. Plus seeing adults with "I Love Mickey" t-shirts seems a bit wrong to me). I spent time at the water parks and a day at Islands of Adventure. After a few days, that gets enough. I'm sure it's a magical place for kids but I tend to prefer places that aren't so aimed at children - give me Vegas any day!

I suppose if you want to go and see lots of things then Boston, New York and Washington are ideal. If you want to relax, hit the beach and take it easier then Florida is perfect. I am amazed at the number of people that must go to Florida (especially from the UK) and never get out of Orlando - seems a shame to me.

New Jersey usually gets a bad rap but it can be beautiful in the fall; some great spots would be Lambertville area(lots of shopping and great restaurants)you can walk over the bridge to New Hope PA where there is more shopping and some wonderful B&B's . Washington's Crossing is historic and also very pretty in the fall as well as the Princeton area . Further south a cranberry bog tour is a unique experience and a really awesome sight in the autumn. Summer months (and even fall)Cape May, NJ is full of picturesque,restored Victorian mansions that are now B&B's. Many of these have great restaurants and here are also lots of art and antique shops. The boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ is my favorite; very family oriented with lots of great treats, amusements and best of all views of the prettiest white sand beaches.

Kris629,

great info about NJ . . .

just wondering how/why you managed to unearth a thread that's over 2 years old. You might consider a career in archeology :-)