In which order to visit these 3 cities..Keeping in mind NOT flying into or out of NYC
 

Philly, D.C. NYC
Only reason to visit these cities is Art Museums..Been to all in past years...one "last" trip before I can't navigate...my legs (at 85) get tied quickly..
I have "must use Amtrak money" ...I have traveled by coach to these cities so know I can handle "off & on"
For some reason flying into JFK is not something I am willing to do...
so need opinions:
Fly into Philly, train to NYC then on to DC.(National)..
Twice I have gone in to Baltimore and took train into DC..very easy..
Or opposite direction???
Trip is planned for "spring"

I take it you don’t like JFK?

My first instinct would be to do DC first. So I like your first plan. As dc has the most walking. Philly last is the most compact, least walking.

or I’d cut DC. Fly into Boston, do art museums there, train to nyc, art museums, train to philly, art museums, fly out. Partly because if this is Cherry blossom time, I’d find the crowds in DC tiring (and it’s expenisve). And partly because I love Boston art museums, and Boston is compact like Philly.

I’m not sure if it really matters. You don’t say what museums you plan to do, and it could be you don’t walk the mall or monuments. You also don’t give your dates or budget. That would determine it for me- I’d compare the prices of the hotels I wanted to stay at and then do the cheapest order.

What is wrong with La Guardia? Otherwise no matter what you do there will backtracking. BTW, we just went by train from NYC to DC and the steps getting off and on the train at Union Station are brutal.

Logistically, your plan makes a lot of sense to me. Beyond that, I'm not sure order matters much, but to the extent it does, I think it depends on how much time you are giving for the entire trip, your budget for hotels, and your personal time of day preferences. As examples, I often spend 3 days visiting museums in NYC, but try to time it so I'm there on days when at least a few things are open in the evening and so that I can leave in time to reach either Philadelphia or DC in time to sleep there rather than pay for yet another night in NYC. If you are hoping to see both the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Barnes on the same day, you'd probably want to be there the night before or VERY early in the morning.

If you haven't already done so, I would encourage you to consider using a wheelchair whenever possible at the museums. My elder relatives found that doing so really let them enjoy art museums when walking on those surfaces began to become wearying.

Hope that helps!

I agree that I would probalby avoid DC during cherry blossom time, as it is more expensive then. That's only about a month total out of Spring, though.

I don't think there is any obvious answer except where you most want to fly out of, Philadelphia or DC. Otherwise, you fly into the other one, go to NY in the middle, and then come back to the one you want to leave from.

I have taken the train from NYC to DC a lot and do not understand at all what IMdonehere is talking about, brutal stairs from the train into Union Stn. It's a train, you get off it onto the quay and then walk at the same level into the station. The only stairs I can think of are the few on the train, as with any train. Now those train stairs are a bit steep, I think, but it doesn't have anything to do with Union Stn.

I agree with Christina about the "stairs" at Union Station -- none other than the ones onto / off of the train.

Sorry, but it took a few moments for memory to kick in.... Now that I think about it, I believe there are stairs connecting the passenger level to the train level at Union Station, but there are also ramps. I've never seen any of the ramps blocked, but maybe IMDonehere was there on a day when one was.

If you want to go to Washington first, fly to BWI. If you want to go to Philadelphia or New York first, fly to Newark (EWR). Both airports have a good connection to Amtrak. If you land at Reagan National you have a Metro station attached to the terminal. You might have to change lines to get to the Union Station. There is a long escalator to get up from the Metro to ground level at Union station and there is also an elevator for people in wheelchairs.

But if the goal is to visit art museums in DC, why fly into (or out of) BCI? IME, it's a pain to reach from DC. National is MUCH more manageable if one wants to actually spend any time in DC, and DC does have some truly wonderful art museums!

Of course, people read what they want to read. The step from the train to the platform is incredibly steep and difficult with a suitcase. No matter what they self-righteous say. Just did it a few weeks ago,

@ IMDonehere: According to the Amtrak website, DC's Union Station is one with options to minimize that difficulty -- for some, but not all, trains. I'm sorry you weren't able to find a workable solution.
https://www.amtrak.com/stations/was

For what it's worth, NY's Penn Station is easily as awful as JFK. But, as was pointed out above, you can fly in or out of Newark or LaGuardia instead of JFK, so you won't have to make an awkward and time consuming backtrack.

Yes, Penn Station has earned its reputation as a third world terminal.

This is exactly what I need know...
I may ned to rethink everything after Minneapolis.
Boston is "out" 3 trips in last 3 years.
My"real" love would be NYC...Stay at Warwick..near MOMA....
Also Brooklynn Art Museum. of course the "Met"..
Maybe I should consider La Guardia...

Minneapolis? Boston? I don't think I understand the context in which your visits to NYC, Philadelphia, and DC are planned -- not that I necessarily need to understand!

i had suggested Boston, so there’s that context (I was curious about why she had left it out, not knowing she’d been recently.) And perhaps she’s currently in Minn.?

OP, if NYC is where your heart is, I’d go for that. So much fabulous art in that city and I’m concerned that you may be too tired to enjoy whatever city you visit last if you do all three. If you’re feeling exceptionally frisky, you can always spontaneously decide in NYC that you want to do a short break in Philly.

I don't see any reason why NYC, Philadelphia, and DC couldn't be combined into the same trip -- depending on the actual time involved and the actual museum priorities. The OP says she's been to all of them, just seeking a last visit and wondering how to sequence her time. I've been assuming that she has some sense of what would be involved -- but I could easily be wrong....

It seems like New York is your dream, so how can you make that happen?

My experience: We took my dad to Prague in 2015. He was 74 and we didn't know it, but his knees were about a year from giving out. What we did know is that he couldn't walk as far. He needed rest more often. So when we bought our flights, we asked for a wheelchair for him.

It was waiting when we arrived in JFK. I walked next to it. It was a godsend because she helped us find the international terminal, something you won't need to do. We also used it on the way back, and also on a shorter trip to Denver. In that case, the wheelchair took us to the golf cart to ride to our gate. Plan on tipping them.

Getting a wheelchair also meant that Dad arrived somewhere not totally wiped out. I would recommend flying into LaGuardia and requesting a chair.

OK, a slightly different perspective: One of my aunts continued to visit NYC into her late 90s. (BHH!) She did NOT like flights -- she wanted to be able to stand once in a while, which she could do more easily on the train, and she didn't want to have to deal with getting to or from an airport. She had to take things easy and pace things, but she loved NYC. :)

After careful consideration of opinions AND honest evaluation of my energy level and mobility..
I have modified my trip:
Empire Builder Amtrak..Seattle to Minneapolis..using a roomette (meals included) and past experience found sleeping arrangements comfortable.
In Minneapolis will join Road Scholar group "Art and Architecture"
Have traveled with this outfit before (formerly called Elderhostel)they also "rate" the degree of difficulty regarding "walking'
Nice hotels, some meals, transportation provided and roommate match unless want private room ...little more money.
I always stay a day or 2 after program is over in case i want to revisit any of the sites..
Then, the big splurge...fly home alaska air first class ..
Will evaluate my stamina and perhaps "do' New York city in the fall..flying into La Guardia
One of the hardest things about "aging" & travel... is learning AND accepting limitations.
Moral to this story..."travel before you get too old to enjoy it'
Thanks to all for input..