Well - why try to "sell" the east coast?

Four seasons - esp winter - can be a real shock - to people not used to it. And getting home for holidays will be a huge chore.

Is there some reason you're fixated on the east?

I can tell you it's very hard to sell him the East coast, given that you guys are from Hawaii.

There were quite a bunch of people in my grad school who grew up in So Cal. They were SO MISERABLE during their 4 years in Boston. I never understood why then... what's their problem??? Every single one of them could hardly wait until graduation day so that they can move back to Sunny SoCal. I finally understood them when, last month in Dec, I spent 3 warm and sunny weeks in LA:

1) You can't roll out of bed and go to classes in shorts and flip flops. Just an example, today's temperature in Boston is 15F, with windchill in single digit.

2) Winter in the NE is 6 months too long. Spring does not arrive until mid-May, and summer is only 2 weeks long

3) If your son is used to driving everywhere, it'll be a huge shock - he'll have to use mass transit and no more personal space as buses and subways are crowded

4) Even locals here suffer from SAD, I can't even imagine how non-natives get through the winters here.

You're correct nytraveler, there probably is no good reason one has to leave the comfort of the West to seek a good undergraduate education.

I'm a bit baffled by the "advice" I'm getting here .

Are there any other thoughts about getting outdoors in the area ?

Guys!

okoshi wants to know about outdoor areas to visit this June while on an East coast trip.

She is not asking which colleges her son should tour or attend!!!

0koshi- you might re-post this question. Use a new title such as, " Parks and outdoor activities in New England for June 09". Don't mention the college viewing aspect in it!

When you say "outdoors" what do you have in mind?

Around Boston, you can head out to Cape Cod for beaches (but traffic will be a killer in June); or up to New Hampshire to the White Mountains for hiking.

Closer around town, there's the Boston Harbor Islands
http://www.nps.gov/boha/

The MASS Dept of Conservation and Recreation operates state parks, one can go canoeing in lakes, hiking on trails etc
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/metroboston.htm

For winter activities, it's mainly snowskiing up in NH/VT/ME; or snowshoeing along hiking trails.

PS- I happen to have the latest bulletin from my daughters' school here in Honolulu. It has a list showing the colleges attended by the class of 2008.

0ver a quarter of the students are at East Coast schools,
vs 45% in California and the Pacific NW, so apparently it isn't that tough to sell.

Besides, ALL Hawaii kids think that winter is unbearably cold, whether they are in San Diego or Boston. That's half the adventure of going off to the mainland!

You're right Icuy -even the 60sF we've had recently has us running for socks !

Well, I think we will accept that this trip will be about the cities.