Help planning DC / Philly trip
 

Message: My husband and I are going to to my cousins wedding in North Wales, Pennsylvania this October. Since we have never been to the east coast we have decided to make it a 7-10 day trip. We are planning to go to Philladelphia and Washington D.C. How long should we spend in each city? What are the must dos? We are 26 years old we would like to see a lot of historical but also mix in some other some close by trips to see some country side stuff? Should we consider going to New Hope? Fredrick'sburg? Great Falls? Lancaster? Cape May? Are these close to Philly and DC? Are there other fun places neat places to try? I was thinking a night or two in a romantic bed and breakfast might be nice. We will be there in early october so I'm not sure if we should plan to see leave change or stick more to the big cities? Thanks for your input!!!

North Wales is not too far from Valley Forge. The leaves in the park should be very nice at that time of the year and there is a lot of history to be seen there. Of course, Phila. is FULL of historic sights - the Constitution Center is wonderful, Independence Hall, Loberty Bell, etc. The Phila. Art Museum is wonderful and so is the zoo.

You can book tickets to go up the Washington Monument on the internet at the National Park Service site before you go. YOu can also try to get Capitol Tour and White House tickets from your congressperson but often they require 6 months notice. You can still do the Capitol tour if you show up in line very early in the am.

You are going at a beautiful time of year - it should not be too hot or cold and the crowds should be less. In DC I would plan to park your car and take the Metro everywhere as it is quite easy. YOu can stay downtown in the Dupont Circle area, in Rosslyn VA or if you want something a little different stay in Old Town Alexandria. There are lots of great restaurants and shops there, but the trade off is that it takes a bit longer to get into town on the metro. Just pick a hotel within walking distance of a metro stop. From Rosslyn you can easily walk across the bridge into Georgetown. All of the Smithsonian museums are fantastic, as is the National Art Gallery, just depending upon your interests. All are on the Mall, an easy walk from the metro and from each other. If you're interested, Arlington Cemetery is also on the metro and Mt. Vernon is a pretty 20-30 minute drive down the Potomoc on the George Washington Memorial Parkway - very easy and should be beautiful in October.

In Philadelphia I think I would stay downtown, to be within walkig distance of historic sites and great restaurants.

Another fun side trip might be Annapolis, MD, home of the Naval Academy and a very pretty and interesting town on its own. There are many quaint shops and some great seafood restaurants.

Enjoy your trip!

I would spend slightly more time in DC than in Philadelphia. I would also skip New Hope (artsy shopping village; nice if you are in the area but not worth a day trip if it takes you from other more wortwhile sights) and Cape May (really nice beach town but I'm not sure that it is worth it in October). I would spend 3 nights in Philly seeing the historical sites. The Art museum is world-class, and if you like art a truly unique place to visit right outside the city is the Barnes Foundation. It is so jam packed full of impressionist art and other intersting artifacts, it is like a fun house for adults. Also, don't miss Reading Terminal Market - a nice place to walk around looking at food stalls and to grab some lunch. Then, either head west to Lancaster (about 1-1/2 hrs from Phila) and stay overnight in a B&B there, or continue a little further west to Gettysburg(maybe 2 hours from Phila). Both are interesting. Alternatively, you could head to Annapolis on the way to DC and stay in a nice B&B in town. So many choices....Have fun!

If you are really looking for a B&B in a small, artsy, town, New Hope would be my first pick in the area (I am a 26 yr old who lives in the area). Also, Lambertville is across the bridge from New Hope -- lots of antique shopping, and there are outlet malls and a cute shopping village 5 minutes from New Hope. That area is about a 30 minute drive from North Wales.

However, that being said, I would only spend one night there. Also, I have heard great reviews from people in the area that go to Cape May - as long as you don't mind not being able to go into the water, it will allow you a similiar experience to New Hope, plus getting up close the the Ocean.

There are a lot of posts on what to do in Phila -- Suki's post has a lot of great ideas. There are awesome restaurants in Phila too!

Don't forget Baltimore -- another cool city not to be missed. If I was you, I would go to Baltimore over New Hope or Cape May -- if you're looking to hit major cities with more nightlife.

I hope I don't sound too confusing...! Good luck!

Consider the Wilmington attractions of Winterthur and Chadds Ford museums -- that's one great day right there, and Oct. is a perfect time.

I assume soccr means the Brandywine Museum (http://www.brandywinemuseum.org/) with all that Wyeth stuff. Even if you aren't big on museums, both Winterthur and Brandywine are in great mid-Atlantic settings, with rocks and mills...

In WashDC, my preference would be to skip the Wash Monument and go up the bell tower in the Old Post Office pavilion building. Not as tall but much better perspective on things around the area, nicer view, easier to navigate, and rarely the kind of wait you'll have at the Wash Monu.

Cape May is far away, as is F'sburg. You may have trouble getting reservations at romantic B&Bs in October -- high season, but you might still want to check out Bucks County, despite the touristic aspect of New Hope.

Since is your first visit to the East Coast, I highly recommend you concentrate on seeing things you can't possibly see where you're coming from. On your next trip here you can spread out a little and sample the subtle small delights near our cities.

Three days is the minimum for either of these two places; both could occupy the entire time depending on your interests. This Philly resident recommends you give priority to spending time in Washington, simply because there is so much more to see there.

Must See in Philly (no particular order)
1) Independence Hall
2) Constitution Center
3) Reading Terminal Market
4) Art Museum
5) Christ Church and its cemetery
6) Franklin Court
Recommended Philly
1) Atwater-Kent Museum
2) Philly Zoo
3) Mummer Museum
4) Masonic Temple (tours only, check times)
5) Academy of Fine Arts
6) Univ of Pennsylvania
7) Kimmel Center (free tours are available, but if you have any interest in fine music, try to attend an event there) check out
www.gophila.com/events
and enter your dates to get an idea of what you can experience.
And this is just Center City and Fairmount Park.

Since you'll be traveling between Philly and DC, I highly recommend a stop in Baltimore for at least two things: their Aquarium in the harbor area and Fort McHenry. The former is world class, and the latter is where "the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there." At the end of a film explanation of what inspired FS Key to write his poem, you hear the strains of the Star Spangled Banner, the curtain opens to the outside, and you see a replica of the actual flag Key saw standing at the exact site where it stood. You can see the original, BTW, in the Smithsonian in DC.

That time of year is usually gorgeous in the Brandywine Valley (home to Brandywine Museum and Winterthur).

You could leave Philadelphia early one morning, spend the day touring in the Brandywine region (make sure it's not a Monday; some of the attractions are closed Mondays), then continue on to DC for the night.

thank you for the input!

Suki: I was under the impression that the Barnes Foundation is not generally open to the public. Is this not correct and how does one get access?

You've received plenty of recommendations, so I won't add to the list. However, I can make one comment about the B&B situation and cost (if that's a factor).

If you try to get a nice B&B in New Hope in Oct., you're going to pay top dollar. So I'd consider trying Cape May or another shore point for the B&B. It'll be off-season, so you may be able to find a great deal on a top-flight place.

And though one poster said Cape May and thei shore aren't the places to go in Oct., I respectfully disagree. It's not swimming or suntan weather, but Oct. can be beautiful on that part of the mid-Atlantic coast. And no crowds!

She posted this in August. I assume she already went this past October.

ita_

You can make reservations for the Barnes on their Web site:

http://www.barnesfoundation.org/

~Liz