First trip to US - many questions
 

Hi fellas,

I am planning my first trip to the USA (24 Sept - 15 Oct). The tentative itinerary is this:

arrival around noon
4 nights NYC
4 nights stay with friends Hartford/CT
2 nights somewhere in Vermont
4 nights Jackson/NH
2 nights stay with friends at a lake in Maine
4 nights Boston
1 night near airport (Newark) - departure

Questions:
Any recommendations about where to stay in Vermont for the 2 nights?
Any experiences with the Riverside Tower Hotel in NYC and John Jeffries House in Boston? Other recommendations for places to stay in these cities?
I am considering these places for Jackson/NH: Eagle Mountain House, Merrill Farm Resort, Covered Bridge Motor Lodge - someone stayed there before?

Did someone tour Harvard? Did you find it interesting?

I need a rental car from Hartford/CT to Boston. Any experiences and suggestions? Is there a chance to avoid one-way rental fees?

Do you think I'll miss something that is a *must* in that region? I am most interested in architecture, art museums, scenic countryside, quaint villages, history, good food.

Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Ingo

The Riverside Tower Hotel was a DUMP. Rooms are the size of a closet (7 x 10 or so. More recent reviews on tripadvisor are better so I don't know if they cleaned up the place or....read back to Jan. 07 http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._New_York.html

It would help to give you recos if we knew your budget and your taste (ie it sounds like a bare bones budget if you've picked the Riverside. Do you need a private bathroom? Are you willing to do a hostel?

As to a rental car, you might try whizzcarrental.com who will quote with all insurance costs included. Where are you from?

One of the most extraordinary collections is the glass flowers at Harvard. A father and son recreated flowers from glass that are so lifelike that they cannot be detected as imitation. It is craftsmanship of another level.

It is worth a trip to Cambridge just for that, Here are the particulars.

The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants
The Glass Flowers

A Botanical Museum collection presented by the Harvard Museum of Natural History

This unique collection of over 3,000 models was created by the glass artisans, Leopold Blaschka and his son, Rudolph. The commission began in 1886, continued for five decades, and represents more than 830 plant species.

Related Exhibition
Modeling Nature: Slices of Glass History from the Collections, a special exhibition at the HMNH



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Above: Bouquet

Additional information about this collection can be found at the
Botanical Museum and Harvard University Herbaria web sites.


Information

Visiting the Galleries
The Glass Flowers gallery is open during regular museum hours and is included in the general admission fee. Click here for hours, fees, and directions.

Group Tours
To inquire about our group tours (for groups of up to 30 adults) of the Glass Flowers, please call (617) 495-2341.

Support the Glass Flowers
A membership to the HMNH offers free admission, discounts on classes and programs, invitations to special events, and an opportunity to support the conservation of the Glass Flowers.

Publications
HMNH Museum Shop offers "The Glass Flowers at Harvard," a beautiful photograph essay book about the Glass Flowers.

The Covered Bridge Motel in Jackson is rather old and worn, although in a lovely setting. Try The Lodge at Jackson Village instead.

Also, four days in Jackson is probably too long for your interests. Spend half that time, and add 2 nights in Portsmouth, NH on the seacoast after you stay with friends in Maine, but before Boston. It is a quaint, scenic city with lots of history (particularly Strawberry Banke) and wonderful restaurants.

In Vermont, I'd try to stay near Queechee and Woodstock. The Queechee Inn and Kedron Valley might be a bit expensive during foliage season. For more modest accommodations you could try the Shire in Woodstock or Ascutney Inn in Brownsville.

Best wishes for a wonderful visit to New England! Welcome!

Agree that the Riverside Towers is NOT a good choice. Rooms are minute and the decor is VERY tired. The consensus seems to be that you get what you pay for.

Don;t know what your budget is - but the Hotel Newton on the upper west side is clean and reliable, close to transport and a lot of great restaurants. They have rooms with shared bath available for only $160 per night for your dates.

If that doesn;t meet your budget - there are some B&Bs/Inns that might have better rates - and be more pleasant than the Riverside.

Let us know how much you want to spend.

Thanks a lot for your responses - very helpful.

I am from Germany and so far have been active only on the Europe forum, especially gave advice to Germany and Switzerland travellers.

Forgot to mention that I am going to take my 60+ parents on this trip.

Aduchamp1: The glass flowers collection is the other reason (beside seeing the campus itself) why we consider to go to Harvard. The Blaschkas, who created these masterpieces, lived in my city (Dresden) and none of their works are preserved here. Have already visited their house and stood at their grave. Thanks to your post we're even more excited about seeing this collection now.

mclaurie/nytraveler: Yep, I saw the reviews on Tripadvisor and was shocked. The worst reviews seem to be older, while the newer reviews tend to be better, so I thought maybe they did a renovation? We got an offer for a 'suite' (two rooms, connected by bathroom) which seems fine for us, for USD 129 per night plus taxes.

I know one cannot expect much for *this* rate in NYC. But I must say I was quite shocked when I saw the rates at other hotels. They must be nuts.

Hostel is not an option, private bathroom is a must. In spite of giving you a budget I'd re-phrase my question: What do I need to calculate to get a decent room in NYC? Ehem, means two rooms or a one-bedroom apartment.

Thanks for the rental car link also. It came up with USD 452 for the 10 days incl. insurance, taxes and evtl. one-way rental fee. Does that sound good?

Dreamer2: Thanks for the info on the Covered Bridge Motel. I'll scratch it from the list. Will have a look into that Inn you mentioned.

We'll ponder the idea of staying in Portsmouth and cut the time in Jackson for it. However, we plan to ride the cog-railway to Mt. Washington one day and thought two days hiking wouldn't be bad either, so I am not sure about taking days off from Jackson.

I had thought about Woodstock. Will check out the accommodations you mentioned.

Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

Ingo

Ingo, as a Californian, I know this area only as a casual tourist. Off the top of my head, Hartford has the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and museum if you're interested in American antebellum literature and/or the abolitionist movement in New England. Next door is the Mark Twain house.

Browse
http://www.visit-massachusetts.com/
and
http://www.discovernewengland.org/
for more ideas about the region.

Maybe check out some sites on the Freedom Trail:
http://www.ctfreedomtrail.com/site/concept.html

I had only a few days in the area last summer and came up with far more that I wanted to see than I ever could possibly do so.

I'm no expert on car rentals, but that price sounds decent. I hope you have as much fun as we did.

Welcome to the U.S. Have fun!

I'm sorry not to be more helpful - but several budget yet pleasant places that I checked re already fully booked. And looking at moderate places (like Affinia3* hotels) are showing rates over $400 per night for that period.

(You should know that the average cost of a hotel room in NYC - for 2 people - and for a moderate - not luxury hotel - is over $300 per night. And Sept is the start of high season.)

I would suggest doing a search on kayak.com and a couple of the other major search engines for your dates and then checking the options against tripadvisor.com (for guest reviews).

But realistically, at that time of year - a double double room - or a bedroom with sofabed in the living room in a 3* hotel will be over $300 per night.

Ingo:

Try The Milburn Hotel on the Upper West Side www.milburnhotel.com - You'd have a small kitchen and a nice sitting area. This would be much nicer for you and your parents. Very nice location.

Come back with how much more you can increase your hotel budget and I am sure the NYC experts will help you out.

Sandy

The glass flowers are housed at the Peabody Museum at Harvard (not to be confused with other Peabody museums all over the country) which has facsinating displays of everything from birds to dinosaurs to minerals.

In NYC, try the Murray Hill East suites, which used to be 1-bedroom apartments so they are relatively roomy for NY and come with an equipped kitchen.

i do think you would like portsmouth....lots to do and see in that area....great discount shopping in kittery, maine, just 5 miles to the north....the whole coast area starting in newburyport, ma and northward to portland maine is very nice...

easy coming down from the cottage to portland (45 minutes) and then south to york and on to portsmouth and newburyport...

no one seems to know the JJ house???

walking around in harvard is not all that interesting other than in the main "quad" which will take you less than one hour total...its quite urban...

glass flowers are a must as are some of the other museums if time permits....also the museum of fine arts boston is one of the country's best.....the isabella stewart gardner museum is one of the most unique small collections anywhere....its two minutes from the museum of fine arts....A MUST!!

sat oct 13, boston GTG...you are already signed up...

Hi, while I'm going to stay out of most of the details, so you can get ideas from those more familiar, I will say this about car rentals:

A few years ago I wanted a one-way rental from that same Hartford, CT to Portland, Maine... and I happened to land on a rate that was so amazing that it was $100 cheaper to rent one-way from Hartford to Portland than it would have been to rent the same car at the same time and return it IN HARTFORD.

A very good idea would be to make an online reservation with a company... and use that rate quote as your budget, and then return to the net every week or two to make the exact same reservation, just in case the price is considerably cheaper.

I don't know how to explain the randomness that is online car rental quotes, but I know that I have on many occasions found the rates considerably less later on for the exact same rental.

For your information:

The car rental rate you cited was quite reasonable - but be sure it comes with "unlimited mileage" so you don't have to pay a per-mile charge.

The rental car price sounds good ($45/day including everything is not bad) assuming it's a size car you like. You should also check this UK site for comparison. (They should also include insurance)
http://www.airline-network.co.uk/CarHire/?

As for hotel, you will find NOTHING like what you describe the Riverside is offering for anywhere near that price. I say if it sounds too good to be true, it is. For 2 connected rooms with a bath for $129, I can only imagine those rooms will both be the size of a closet. If you can deal with that, go for it. Personally, I couldn't cope. If you can deal with sleeping on a sofabed, check out greenwichvillagehome.com This is an apt. that gets good reviews in a charming area. It generally costs ! $185/night.

Looking on kayak.com the Grand Union, often recommended here as a good budget hotel is available through venere.com at $203/night for a triple room and it appears you'd all have a proper bed (no sofabed). FYI, hotel tax in NYC is ! 15% and many websites don't include this cost. So that $203 will actually be $233.50.

Forgot to mention jacksbandb.com as another option. And looking at Greenwich Village home, I could be wrong about the sofabed but it's worth checking.

The John Jeffries house is in a very convenient location, at the foot of Beacon Hill and near a Red Line station. It used to be the dormitory for nursing students as Massachusetts General Hospital. Many years ago, I worked for a company that housed long-term trainees there, and they like it a lot.

Ingo:

Also try The Envoy Club www.envoyclub.com located in Murray Hills. You'll get a nice kitchen and sitting area, former apartments (flats).

You are getting some great suggestions. Please tell us what you decide and enjoy your holiday.

Sandy

As Anonymous said, John Jeffries house has a fantastic location.

Re: rental car dropoff fees, just shop around all the major car companies, you might not incur a dropoff fee--especially if you return it at the airport.

Last October we found a very good rate at the Embassy Suites, in NYC, near the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, and Ground Zero. It had two double beds in the bedroom, and a pullout sofa in the front room. A small refrigerator, microwave and sink, also, in the front room. Try searching expedia.com. That's where we found our price, which I think was only $280/night.
:)>-

another vote for woodstock vt. quechee too. you might find a lot of cheaper lodging at Killington, the ski resort, this is about 45 minutes from woodstock a nice country drive. it would give you more options for lodging as killington is a big ski resort with its own accomodations and lots on its access road.

There is also the possibility of booking two rooms via Priceline for NYC when closer to your dates.

I've enjoyed just wandering through the small towns in Vermont, but on weekdays during that time of year. You will get much better prices and much less traffic. There are several "scenic drives" listed on the state's highway department website and I have thought everyone we took was lovely in different ways. With the high prices of the inns in that area the first of October, sometimes I have foregone the inn atmosphere and booked rooms at a chain motel along the Interstate highway.

I think we stayed in Littleton when we hiked in NH, so I can't help with Jackson.

Boston--on weekend once I got a good deal at Club Quarters. For business clients during the week, it is in a quiet office section, but it was near mass transit.

Plimoth Plantation is interesting history for American history.
http://www.plimoth.org/

It will be cranberry harvesting season. I thought that was an interesting sight to see. We stopped at a festival like this one and enjoyed it:
www.cranberries.org/festival/festival.html

I know I went to see the museums at Harvard with my niece. I seem to remember we enjoyed the flowers. She is an archeology student so she really wanted to show me those exhibits and explain them all to me.

Also remembered, my husband recently flew out of Newark midday, but stayed somewhere south/southwest of Newark itself the night before. He stayed in a chain motel in a nice suburb with restaurants, etc. then had an easy drive to the airport because it was after morning rush hour. The hotel was cheaper than staying near the airport and more pleasant. The locals on this board can probably tell you more, else I can ask him to check where it was he stayed.

A few thoughts about your trip and things to see along the route you are describing:

Early October in central Vermont is probably a good time for seeing "peak" foliage. Of course the exact timing varies from year to year.
Vermont has a foliage "hot line" you can call to find out where the color is best

Woodstock seems like a reasonable place to stay. It has some restored homes in the center of town and a famous inn. It is not exactly a typical, "quaint" New england village but if you drive around the area you can see smaller towns, too. Many churches have community dinners to raise money at this time of year. The billings Farm and Museum in Woodstock is a working dairy farm with historical exhibits.

On your way up interstate 89 to Vt from CT you will go right past Historic Deerfield in western Mass. This area was on the frontier in the late 1600's. There are many old homes to visit and a museum; it is worth getting off the highway to drive down the mile-long Main street through the historic village
http://www.historic-deerfield.org/about.shtml

In Boston, if you do go to see the glass flowers, it is worth while to take a tour of the campus or at least walk through Harvard Yard, too.

I can think of a couple of things you're missing Ingo; California and Colorado!

I once stayed at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. It was nice. The restaurant was good, too. You can tour the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory there.

Btw, I once stayed in Hartford, Ct. It was close to Mystic Seaport which you might wish to check out.

I took the tour of Harvard and I really enjoyed it. If you like history and architecture then I think you would definitely enjoy it. While in NYC I also once took a walking tour which took you around all the historic buildings and explained all of the history behind the scaffolding designs (gargoyles etc.). That was a great, different way to look at NYC and it only took about an hour. This site is also a good one for tours of NYC http://www.bigonion.com/. They are walking tours given by students in NYC. Enjoy your trip!

And I forgot to say Gute Reise! :)

Grasshopper: I'll bring my magic carpet and make a day trip to SF ;-)

Thanks again to everyone who responded. You came up with some very good advice and it's much appreciated.

The Harriet Beecher-Stowe house and Mark Twain house are on my list, so is the Freedom trail in Boston (at least parts of it). I will check out the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston AND I will make sure to attend the GTG on 13 Oct. Thanks Bob! Touring Harvard plus the museums there will keep us busy another half day I guess.

I will make a reservation at the John Jeffries House in Boston since it looks nice and nobody had something negative to say or came up with a better suggestion.

As for accommodation in NYC - I will keep my reservation at the Riverside Tower Hotel at the moment. BUT ... I checked some websites of B&Bs and apartments which are of course more expensive, but look much better. Some are still reasonably priced. (Btw, the question is not how much I *can* increase the budget, I simply find it ridiculous to spend a fortune for the little time that we will spend at the hotel.) If the B&Bs/apartments do not work out I can still try the priceline thing and if that doesn't work I can still stay at the Riverside Tower Hotel. It won't be the end of the world.

The rental car offer did come with unlimited mileage and included the insurances+taxes.

Thanks for all the tips on sights Kay2 and Vttraveller. I will check out Historic Deerfield. Woodstock/Queechee area sounds very good. When I researched on the internet, however, I came across a place further up north - Sugarbush, Mad River Glen. www.madriverbarn.com which looked appealing to me. Anyone knows this place?

Thanks also Born2Fly - Danke! :-) The tour in NYC sounds very interesting. Will check the website out.

Another problem I ran into is that my address is going to change in August this year (home town unites with the neighbouring town). So, what happens at the immigration service if the air ticket shows a different address than the passport? I was told I need to show my return air ticket.

That's all for the moment, but I'll be back for sure to pester you with more questions ;-)

Ingo

We went to Vermont for a few days, it's a big state so we stayed in the North Shire Inn at Manchester, and then at the North Hero House on North Hero Island on the shore of Lake Champlain.

You can see more info here:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...2005/tpod.html

sugarbush and madriver are up near woodstock vt. generally speaking during ski season, sugarbush is kind of expensive but there is a place that i believe is called the sugar lodge or the sugar house that looks like a nice place to stay not sure but i'd guess that peeper season (leaf peepers) may be the same price as high ski season.... good luck

Ingo, may I add another museum suggestion since you already expressed an interest in the Harvard Square area? The Fogg Museum of Art (which also incorporates the Busch-Reisinger collection of northern European and Germanic art) is much smaller than the Museum of Fine Arts but has a very distinguished art collection that is well worth seeing. And it's not that far from the Peabody Museum either.

http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/home/index.html

As others here have said, gute Reise!

As suggested by another poster, Mystic, CT is a cute waterfront town. If you've not gotten your fill of New England waterfront towns after being in Maine, be sure to check it out on your way to Newark from Boston. (It means a slight detour - taking I-95 south from Boston instead of first heading west on I-90 - but really, what's one interstate vs. another?) We love stopping there on our returns from Massachusetts to NYC for a great little fried clam shack called the Seaview. Order at the window, then sit at picnic tables overlooking the river and the edge of town.

IMO, if you only have two nights in VT, you might not want to go as far north as Mad River Glen. I'll probably get flamed for saying this, but the mountains near Jackson, NH are very similar, at least if you're not taking skiing into consideration!

One of my favorite places in VT is Brattleboro, which sits in the very SE corner abutting Massachusetts and NH. Cute shops, good eats, appropriately VT feel. It's maybe 1 1/2 to 2 hours due north of Hartford, so it could be a good place to stop for a meal before you continue on your way.

Many of the Harvard museums have interesting collections and shows. In addition to the Harvard Peabody and the Fogg/Busch-Reisinger, the Sackler has a good, small collection of eastern art. (The MFA has one of the largest collections of Japanese art outside of Japan.)

Just to add a note about Priceline in NYC. My DD and her boyfriend just back from NYC 2 weeks ago. She was in a wedding in New Jersey but they stayed in the city their first night. Through Priceline, they got the Barclay Intercontinental for $130-I think with tax it was $159. The hotel is a 4* Midtown East. For what they paid, they were very happy with the room and hotel. Prices will probably be a little higher in Sept/Oct.

I also noticed on Priceline that a 2.5* hotel called The Exchange in the financial district is being won for $90 to $110. I guess it used to be the Manhattan Seaport Suites. But it is getting good reviews and seems like the rooms are pretty big. Check it out on tripadvisor. The location is a little inconvenient but seems worth it for the price. I would definitely book something cancellable and then try Priceline. When my daughter bid a few weeks ago, it was the first time we had tried the bidding process. It seems like it is difficult but was actually very easy.

The Mad river Valley is a very pretty area but as others have noted it is quite a bit farther north than Woodstock. There are a lot of inns and restaurants and it is a popular during both the summer and ski season. It is also fairly near one of the big tourist destinations in Vt--Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory and the state capital, Montpelier (smallest capital city in the US)
Foliage colors peak earlier in this area than in Woodstock--but really, it is hard to guess when the best foliage will be from year to year.

North Hero which was mentioned in another post is very far NW VErmont, on Lake Champlain--I would not go that far with all the other driving you will be doing.

The Trapp Family lodge in Stowe was originally developed by the Von TRapp family of sound of Music fame. Maria Von Trapp thought the landscape was like Austria. to me, both Stowe and Killington are too crowded but they do have lots of dining and lodging options.

Subscribing

First, good call on the John Jeffries House - a rare combination of affordable and well located for Boston. It's very basic but very clean and comfortable.

As for NYC, I suggest you get a place with
better reviews. NYC has some real trashy hotels. I hate to spend a lot also, but always make an exception for NYC.

Here is a great list of cheap places that have been well vetted by the Eurocheapo staff. I suggest you get something in the $175-$200 range.

http://www.eurocheapo.com/newyork/

<<nother problem I ran into is that my address is going to change in August this year (home town unites with the neighbouring town). So, what happens at the immigration service if the air ticket shows a different address than the passport? I was told I need to show my return air ticket.>>

US Passports don't even show addresses at all. Since they are good for 10 years, it is assumed that it could change. And I've never see an airline ticket with a home address on it. It is most important for you to have your passport name and your ticket name match.

You have gotten a great deal of good advice, but I might add that the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford is one of the finest smaller art museums in the country with a wonderful permanent collection and traveling exhibits or temporary exhibits of distinction. Perfect for a rainy day.

There is also a very good small art museum in Worcester, MA, in addition to the giants in Boston: the MFA, the Isabella Stuart Gardner, and the Fogg and its associated museums at Harvard. Again, perfect for rainy days even if you are not passionate about art, absolute must-sees if you are. The MFA has the finest collection of Asian art in the world, and its collection of Impressionists is world class.

I am glad you will have the opportunity to see the glass flowers. I had no interest before I went but was fascinated by them.

Parking is difficult in Harvard Square,but it is very easy to take the Red Line subway. For lunch near Harvard, I would recommend Mr Bartley's Burger Cottage on Mass Ave opposite Harvard Yard. Hard to describe, but very American, very funky, very Harvard, and very inexpensive burgers, each named for some political or social figure and garnished accordingly. Drink a lime rickey (no alcohol served).

Thanks again to everyone. Especially to ellenem for the reply re: passport/air ticket.

I appreciate all the suggestions for NYC accommodations. Let's close this topic for now, though. I will keep the cancellable reservation at the Riverside Tower Hotel and probably place a bid on Priceline in late August. Thanks for the info about recent Priceline experiences. I checked out Eurocheapo.com but all the appealing places are already booked.

You guys convinced me that Woodstock/Quechee is the area to stay in Vermont. Mad River Valley seems to be a bit too far northwest (and so is definitely Lake Champlain). I will find an accommodation in that area and let you know.

I'll consider a stop in Brattleboro on the way to Woodstock, but there are more places of interest, you know ... we'll see what fits in the schedule. But thanks for the recommendation anyway.

Once in Cambridge/Harvard we'll not miss the other museums that were mentioned - given that we're not exhausted and tired of museums by then.

I am sure I will have more questions later for you ... will start a new thread then. Thanks for now!

Ingo