annenytrip

Hi everyone! I am brand new to this forum as my husband and I are trying to plan an east coast trip for this August. We are from Orange County, CA and have not been there since we were children so we would love to head east and explore- but we are at a loss as to where to begin. ( We are in our 20's and this will be a "my husband graduated law school and finished the bar" trip!)

So- these are the things we would love to do and if anyone has any insight as to what airport to fly into, what to see, best routes to take, I would love some very specific advice. Also, to note, I work in Sales for Marriott so we want to stay in exclusively Marriott hotels as I receive a fabulous discount

We want to see the following:
-New York City, Times square, Manhattan, tourist spots
-Cape Cod
-Boston
-Fenway Park
-Yankee Stadium

We would love a scenic drive, unique stops along the way, perhaps staying in connecticut/rhode island, etc. We are open to ideas. We want to make the trip about 7 or 8 days.

I appreciate all of your help and advice! Thank you in advance!

nytraveler

7 or 8 days is very short for NYC, Boston, Cape Cod and touring the countryside.

IMHO you need at least 3/4 days in NYC, 2/3 in Boston and a couple in Cape Code - plus getting from place to place.

(Could you see SF, LA, SD and the sights along the coast in 7 days?)

downtownbrown

7 days is a little tight.

Let's assume your plan to see FP and YS includes actually going to games (get tix in advance, though scalpers abound at Fenway). That eats up a fair amount of time. Plus, there's lots to see and do in Boston besides Fenway. And you do want to spend time in NYC.

Here's my suggestion: Cut out Cape Cod. Instead, stop in Stockbridge or some other part of western MA on your way to Boston. Lots of nice resorts in the area, and the Berkshires are different from what you're accustomed to in CA -- and you'll get more the "touring the countryside" flavor.

gail

Fly into NYC and out of Boston (or reverse). In your time frame, I would skip the idea of a scenic drive thru RI/CT - while there are places to see, for the most part the route is not all that scenic and time constraints is a limiting factor.

Fly into NYC, Stay 3-4 nights at some Marriott - since you get a discount. Can't help on specific hotel, but assuming you can figure it out.

Take the train/Amtrak to Boston. You will get a little scenery. Stay a couple of night in Boston - several Marriott properties. According to my search, the only Marriott on Cape Cod is a Courtyard in Hyannis. So after your Boston stay, rent a car (your first car of this trip) and drive to Cape Cod. Try to time this drive on a non-Friday, Saturday and preferrably not a rush hour. It should take a couple of hours to Hyannis - and spend the last couple of nights there, taking day trips around Cape Cod (Hyannis is very central), returning car to Logan and flying out of Boston.

Red Sox tickets for the summer went on sale yesterday (1/26) - so once you are ready to commit to dates, buy tickets ASAP if you want to go to a game. (Although availability is easier now that my Red Sox really stink).

While in Boston, walk the Freedom Trail and pick one museum to see - I like the Institute of Contemporary Art but that opinion is not shared by some here. Eat Italian food in the North End. Take a short Harbor Cruise - they range in length from a lunchtime one of an hour or so to a bit longer - they give some interesting history and commentary and the breezes in August will be nice. If you are here on a weekend, there are weekly festivals in the North End. Stroll along the Harbor on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Cape Cod - drive towards Provincetown from Hyannis, stopping to poke around in some of the artist/craft studios or antique shops. Have lunch/dinner in Provincetown - more unique shops there as well. National Seashore beach is nice - usually big waves. We go to Coast Guard Beach - although you must park in a lot and take a shuttle to beach to avoid parking destruction of the dunes. If you are driving to Provincetown there are also some incredible dunes along the road around Truro.

If you decide to change your itinerary at all - agree with above that Berkshires might be a more "touring the countryside" type trip. Tanglewood has outdoor music all summer. Or you could stop in Newport/Jamestown areas of RI. In that case, rent a car out of NYC and drive, returning car in Boston since it is not a driveable city for strangers and parking will cost you a fortune.

jubilada

I agree exactly with Gail if you want to get to the Cape, but a week is tight for this trip .

emalloy

Gail has a very nice plan for as short a trip as you plan. If you can't get tickets to the ball games when you go east (check to see when they are on the road), you can do a tour of Fenway in any case. If it is last minute and you want tickets try stubhub.com they are a legitimate reseller of tickets that I have used a couple of times.

nytraveler

You should buy tickets as soon as your dates are fixed - since the ones with decent views at non sky high prices are rare.

travelerfromtx

I understand the desire to see it all when you're so close to an area, but you can't do justice to all 3 places with only 7 or 8 days. You might have regrets later that you missed some great things (as in "I can't believe I was in NYC and only did such and such, and missed ________). To fully appreciate and experience what these places are like, you need at least a few days in each. As previous posters have suggested, stick with NYC and Boston. Or better yet, maybe you can extend the trip.

In Boston, I recommend the Marriott Long Wharf. It's location is ideal for sightseeing and is convenient to many restaurants, including those in the North End. Plus it's a very nice hotel.

oliverandharry

A second vote for the Long Wharf - our fav hotel in Boston - but be glad you have the discount! If you are flying into Logan, you can get to the door by water taxi!

cw

There is a new Marriott Residence Inn scheduled to open this summer in Boston. It is located on Brookline Ave., quite near Fenway Park and convenient to public transportation in Kenmore Square. Staying on the waterfront is obviously more desirable but the new hotel is near some very good restaurants.

I agree that your time is tight to visit the Cape. One alternative might be to get off the train in Providence, rent a car and drive to the Cape for two nights, and return the car to Boston (or Providence and take the train to Boston) where you can finish up your trip.

BigRuss

<<We want to make the trip about 7 or 8 days.>>

Too tight. Need a better timeframe. Others have covered this above.

You also need to check out mlb.com - the RedSux are home the first weekend in August and not again until the third weekend so your dates for dodging the rat infestation in Fenway are limited.

The Yanks are out of NYC until the second weekend of August so your dates for seeing the greatest franchise in North American sports history are also limited.

Don't limit yourself to Stub Hub, there are lots of other seat reselling sites like Vivid Seats and Razor Gator that have the same guarantees and often lower prices (we got concert tickets at the Garden a few years ago for far less on Vivid Seats than what equivalent ones were listed for on Stub Hub).

jubilada

you can also take the ferry to Provincetown from Boston if you don't want to drive. You can take the shuttle to beaches. No Marriott in Ptown though, its charm is in being adamantly anti chain.

nytraveler

For baseball tickets try the team websites first - but do it NOW - or all good ones will be gone.

Teacherfish

Here's an idea. There is a ferry (actually several) from the North Shore of Long Island to the South Shore of Connecticut. You might want to exchange the Cape Cod portion for a few days on either or both sides of Long Island Sound. You could take a Long Island Railroad Train to Orient Point,the North Fork of Long Island, have some time at the beach, go on a winery tour and other less urban activities. Then take the Ferry to New London, explore Mystic Ct and/or the large Native American owned Casinos, even if you don't gamble the museum at Foxwoods is well worth the stop and you would be well on your way to Boston. (Plus there are some reasonably priced motels in the area and you would get your scenic view of Southern New England)

nytraveler

Just so you're aware - you must have a car to tour Long Island and CT - it's not really doable by public transit- which is very few and far between - and has limited scope.

And adding this to a 7 days trip - doesn;t really save you any time. You are still trying to put 10 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag.

topeater

I like the Marriott on West St. around Battery Park, even thought Battery Park got pretty messed up during Sandy. I like the location because it is away from the really tourist areas plus it's easy to get to really good restaurants via subway. It's really pleasant at night to leave the crowds behind.

Last October, we went to a business meeting in Boston for 3 days & added 1 non business day for a total of 4. We've been to Boston many times, so we had already seen a lot of sights. We then rented a car & drove to Vermont & stayed at the Windham Hill Inn in West Townsend. The drive was beautiful & the Inn was perfect, so beautiful & relaxing. Great hiking close by & little towns to explore. We were only there 2 nights before driving back to Boston & flying to NYC. We spent 3 days in NYC for business which was OK since we were going back in December & we got there every quarter. You could easily spend all 7 days in NYC & not be able to do everything you probably would like to do.

My point is, we did too much & we already know Boston & NYC! What we wished we had done, was to find a way to have stayed in Vermont at Windham Hill Inn. My husband said it was the first time in years that he felt totally relaxed. We had such a great time, hiking & then coming back to the Inn for afternoon tea & scones in one of the many social areas & then playing cards until cocktail hour.

psyche101

How funny is this - We are from OC too and planning somewhat similar trip. Although whereas you have a week - we have 3 days to visit all the places! We are going from Boston to Cape Cod, New York City for quick statue of liberty and then upstate to Cooperstown for 7 days. I think it's absolutely do-able (we did Muir Woods, Berkley and San francisco in a day). Of course you really want to see everything but scheduled dictate what they do. I am curios mostly about the drive - by California standards everything is very close (it can take 4 hours to get to the valley if the traffic is is bad) so what have you decided as far as the drive? Coastal? Get to each destination as quickly as possible? I'd like to get your feedback. Thanks!