AimeeTwed

Hello!

I'm moving to Connecticut for a year as a placement year with university so I'll be very close to New York and will have the chance to travel around the states during February and after my placement finishes.

Could anyone help with some touristy things to do? I obviously want to visit all the major attractions in New York but does anyone have any suggestions on quirky, unique places to visit, or to go eat and drink at?

I enjoy all things unique, vintage, fashion, films, quirky etc etc!

Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks

elisemf

Where are you moving to, exactly? I have lived in Ct. my whole life, and can help you find fun things to do. I am in Westport.

Frank

"exiting places" ?

I don't think you're ready to exit yet!

Bowsprit

Connecticut is a great place to be based for visits to nearly anywhere on the east coast and the access to international airports to travel to the rest of the country is excellent as well.

Where in CT will you be living? Specific travel arrangements from 'there to here' depend largely upon where your home base will be but train and bus options will be important for you to know.

emalloy

Here is a web site that should give you some ideas for the area. Click on Connecticut.

/www.visitnewengland.com/

Aduchamp1

There are numerous off-ramps in the state.

It all depends where in the state. If you are in the eastern part of the state, Rhode Island and Boston may be of interest.

tchoiniere

Definitely need clarification on where in CT you will be living.

AimeeTwed

Thank you for all your help!

I will be staying at Greenwich in CT. Not long now

bachslunch

You can take the MTA Commuter Rail from Greenwich as far as New Haven. There are at least a couple day's worth of things to do in New Haven and about a day's worth of things to see in Norwalk.

Taking commuter rail to Stamford will let you hook up with Amtrak, and from there you can get to New London, Mystic, Providence, and Boston with relative ease. A separate branch turns north from New Haven and heads to Hartford (a couple days sightseeing), Springfield (ditto), Amherst (here and neighboring Pioneer Valley towns can yield up several days worth of attractions), and on into Vermont. Buses will also go here and probably run more often. Buses will also take you out to Cape Cod, New Bedford, and the like.

A cheap if time-consuming way to reach Newport RI is to take the train to Providence, then the local bus to Newport. You can also likely reach Newport via Greyhound-style bus service.

A car would give you even more possibilities.

I'll let you research attractions from here.

bachslunch

Also, while many attractions in New England and the Hudson Valley are open year round, be aware that a notable number of others have seasonal hours (mostly historic houses and some small museums, mainly in smaller towns). In such cases, these are often open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day, and in a few cases for an even shorter time than that. Check first.

Bowsprit

Try to get yourself to Boston this summer and after poking around that great city for a few days, take the ferry from Boston to Provincetown on Cape Cod for another few days. You won't need a car there and it's one of the more unique east coast destinations and contains some of the best restaurants on the Cape. You might also want to explore the Maine coast, stunning. Acadia National Park is a favorite.

If you can rent a car, explore the Finger Lake region of New York; the wine trails there are wonderful.

If you're still here in the autumn, take a trip north to Vermont to enjoy the stunning foliage of early October. There's great skiing there too, of course.

Get a guidebook and you will soon see you are spoiled for choice. Have a great year.

chris45105

Greenwich is awesome! I am also in westport and i love it here. there is tons to do and make sure you get to alot of the beachs. You are also very close to NYC so be sure to take the metro north trian into NYC and spend a day with friends down there!

Bowsprit

Of course you know about the casinos in CT? There's a little river there too that's kind of nice to explore.

New Haven is a 'buzzy' place, home to Yale and other universities. The historical sites in CT are plentiful too. You'll be busy all year.

SueNYC

You can also explore NYC while you are here.

thestarryeye.typepad.com/explorenyc

mclaurie

<purple>Unique</purple>- accomplicenewyork.com is part tour, part street theater and part scavenger hunt.
<red>Fashion</red>-the current Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met museum http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/
<green>Film</green>- Go to Bill Cunningham NY, a fascinating documentary about this iconic on the street fashion photographer of the NY Times
http://www.moviefone.com/movie/bill-...077/main?flv=1
<orange>vintage</orange>-the Brooklyn Flea market on weekends http://www.brooklynflea.com/
The Van Cleef & Arpel exhibit at Cooper Hewitt http://www.cooperhewitt.org/exhibitions/set-in-style

Loads of unusual dining/drinking options depending on your tastes.