Leslie

I'd be departing from Boston. Thought about going to Charleston, NC, but there aren't any direct flights, and the flight time are awful, either departing at 6am or 6pm, and not arriving in Charlotte until 6 hours later. because of connection times. Checked into Savannah, and have the same issues with the flights. Don't want to spend more than 3-4 hours at most flying to get to [fill in destination here]. I'd like to keep the airfare in the $300 range at most.

Looking for a destination where I won't have to rent a car, so there has to be good public transportation, or the venues need to be within walking distance of each other.

The New England area is not a consideration, I live just outside of Boston, and that weekend New England is going to be packed with tourists on foliage tours.

NYC might be the best possibility because of the proximity to Boston, and, there is so much to offer, with museums, theatre and restaurants. One of the places I would like to go is the Ellis Island Museum. Has anyone been? Also, if its NYC, I'd like to bid on a hotel through Priceline, so which would be the best area to bid in.

Going alone, so I'd like to keep the hotel costs to under $100 per night.

Other than NYC, does anyone else have any other ideas? Montreal would have been a good idea, but I'm going there over Labor Day weekend.

Thanks for your input.

xxx

Leslie, Charleston is in South Carolina, not North Carolina. Have you looked into what flights are direct from Boston?

mare

www.portlandsquarehotel.com

Book a room here, it's in a great location for tourists. You can cancel if you end up finding a good luxury hotel with priceline, but you'll have something in the meantime if you don't.

Rich

Toronto or Ottawa? Toronto in particular is easy to do without a car if you stay downtown near a subway station. Ottawa would be pretty easy, too. Both are terrific cities with a lot to offer...in fact, I like them both better than Montreal. (Sorry, Montreal). Air Canada has non-stops to Ottawa; AC, AA, and UA have non-stops to Toronto.

Quebec City might also be a possibility; American flies non-stop between BOS and there.

There's always Washington. Any further south than that and you start running into cities that are very difficult to do without a car, with the exception of Atlanta.

Jim Rosenberg

I heartily second the nomination of Ottawa, which I consider one of the most undersold destinations in North America. It is extremely walkable and built on a very human scale. It's also a bargain! Here's a link to my travel notes:

http://www.igougo.com/planning/journal.asp?JournalID=1963

There are direct flights from Boston. Happy contrails!

westy

NYC hands down. Try the COmfort in Central Park West, its right of Central Park West on 71st st. Great residential area, less than a block to subway. Small, new, clean hotel; I know peo who have paid under $100 a night. Oct. is a nice month in NYC--and you can enjoy the park!

Rich

Glad somebody else is as big a fan of Ottawa as I am. It's a wonderful city with first-rate museums (I especially enjoy the Canadian Museum of Civilization across the river in Hull), beautiful architecture, and a mix of French and British culture. It's also in a gorgeous area -- the Parliament buildings sitting up on the bluff high above the rapids of the river is an unforgettable sight.

It's also fun to walk around the old market and down by the canal. Good shopping, and many things are a bargain for Americans due to the exchange rate.

If you like art museums, the National Gallery is a must. There are also some very interesting smaller museums, like the Currency Museum. The changing of the guard will make you feel like you're in London. And of course, the Canadian people are very friendly and seem to be pleasantly surprised when Americans show interest in Canadian culture and history.

I agree with Jim -- it's amazing how few people in North America (many Canadians included!) have discovered what a terrific place Ottawa is to visit, for a long weekend or more. As far as national capitals go, I find Ottawa a much more enjoyable destination than Washington (which I also enjoy).

dcdcdc

Washington, D.C. is your best bet. Ottawa is a wonderful town, but I think DC fits your situation perfectlyl

Leslie

Thanks for the opinions thus far. Checked into flights to Ottawa, and the non-stops on Air Canada are approximately $320, and the flight is about 90 minutes. Checked Orbitz, and the best price I could find was in the mid $200s, but those are connecting flights, and it would take 6 hours to get to Ottawa with the layover. So, for now, Ottawa is out.

Looks like it will be either New York City or Washington, DC. Checked the Comfort Inn that was mentioned and the rack rate is $179, plus tax. The Portland Square Hotel is right in the center of the theatre district, which is great, and the price is $65 for a room with a shared bath. So, right now, I am attempting to bid on Priceline for 3 star hotels. If I can't get a room for $75/night on Priceline, then I think that I will look into Washington, DC. There flights to National are on the expensive side, and there are no bargains to Dulles. But, I found flights for $120 roundtrip to BWI.

So, now the question is, what is the easiest way to get from BWI to Washington, DC? Is there a direct train from the airport or a bus? If so, how much time would it take, and approximately what is the roundtrip cost? Those two factors might make it cost effective to fly into National. Also, I would need recommendations for hotels in Washington that won't break the bank -- say a 3 star in the $75 range, and close to the museums, or at least close to a metro stop, in a good neighborhood.

Thanks, I'll keep you all posted.

Jim Rosenberg

I'm a big fan of Washington, too -- although it is very different from Ottawa. You can pick up the Radisson Barcelo through the Radisson website on that weekend for $99 the first night, then $129 for additional nights under the "Go Package" (which includes breakfast). It's a super location (second time I've touted it today!) Here are my notes:

http://www.igougo.com/planning/journal.asp?JournalID=5632

Definitely fly into DCA if you can -- it's a $15 cab ride to the hotel and that might even inclue your tip, if the traffic isn't too bad.

Another source for Washington DC hotels is www.quikbook.com -- but DO pay attention to the neighborhood. Dupont Circle is a great area to work from and the metro is an E-Z walk from the Radisson Barcelo. You might also check Hilton's website for rates on the Hilton Embassy Row.

Happy Contrails!

Leslie

Not having any success bidding on Priceline for hotels in New York for Columbus Day weekend. Might have to wait awhile for more inventory to open up -- probably by the end of August.

Next research project is to look at the hotels that Priceline has to offer in Washington, DC. Seems that Dumont Circle and Embassy Row are the best areas location wise.

Since I am still exploring all of my options, would New Orleans be a good destination for 3 days without a car and is October a good time to go?

Leslie

Oops ... another typo, meant Dupont Circle.

Jim Rosenberg

As long as you remain very much undecided, another great destination for mid-October that I think you would find very substantial but less pricey than New Orleans, New York or Washington is Chicago's Michigan Avenue area. It's filled with wonderful shopping, great places to eat and there are some fabulous museums (art & otherwise). Recently did some "re-discovering" of the Windy City and I must say that I give it very high marks. Priceline has been producing some very attractive prices for folks there, too. Did a weekend there without a car and I truly didn't miss it at all. You can take the train in from O'Hare for $1.50 and the overall public transportation network is fairly extensive.

Leslie

Jim, the last time I was in Chicago, umm, I'm showing my age here, but I was with my parents and siblings, and my Dad was on a business trip in the summer. It was the same year as the Detroit riots - 1969, which means that I was 11, and have four memories -- staying at the Lake Tower Inn on Lake Shore Drive, having real deep dish Chicago pizza at Pizzeria Uno (way before they were all over the US -- corporate office happens to be in Boston now), going to a steak house that my Dad used to frequent often called Shulians (spelling is probably wrong, but the owner did card tricks and I was in awe at age 11), and going to the museum that has the submarine.

Chicago sounds like a wonderful possibility. Now, I have to go check the airfare.