NEW ENGLAND TRIP
 

PLANNING A TRIP IN JULY TO NEW ENGLAND FOR FOUR DAYS AND THEN NEW YORK AREA FOR 3 DAYS. WANT TO LAND IN N.Y AND TRAVEL TO BOSTON AND BACK TO N.Y. FOR 3 DAYS.<BR>ANY IDEAS ON PLACES TO SEE BETWEEN N.Y. AND BOSTON?

Got kids? New London, CT (submarines), Mystic, CT (sailing ships), Fall River, MA (more Navy ships)

Definitely stop in Newport, RI.<BR>Visit the mansions, walk the Cliff Walk, shopping, dining, etc.<BR>I concur with Larry about Mystic, CT, but would probably skip Fall River, MA.<BR><BR>

Fall River isn't a luxury area, that's for sure, but a tour of the retired WWII battleship, USS Massachusetts, is a treat.

With only 4 days for the NY-Boston-NY leg of the trip, you have to remember that the decision about stops should be weighed as a tradeoff against time in Boston. It's a 4-hour drive each way so any stops you make along the way will eat into your 3 days in Boston/New England (which is it?). <BR><BR>We're not particularly into ships, so for us a good stop would be Newport, even though it's not srticly on the shortest route.<BR><BR>What are your interests, how much time do you plan to spend in Boston? &quot;New England&quot; as a 4-day trip is just very general.

Fall River isn't a luxury area, that's for sure, but a tour of the retired WWII battleship, USS Massachusetts, is a treat.

Sorry...didn't mean that...

It depends what you enjoy doing. You may wish to stop for an hour or two in Westport, CT -- they have a nice &quot;downtown&quot; with trendy shops. Same with South Norwalk.<BR><BR>I suggest Mystic if you've never been. Maybe a half-days time. Newport is about another hour from there. <BR><BR>I would absolutely recommend Newport. Just driving the Ocean Drive to see the Mansions is well worth the trip.

If you are driving between New York and Boston, the I-684 to I-84 to I-90 route through Hartford is preferable to the I-95 to I-93 coastal route at most times of the day.<BR><BR>Hartford is at the halfway point of the first route mentioned. Hartford highlights include the Mark Twain house and the Wadsworth Atheneum art museum. I have travelled all over and these are both world class sites. You would probably need at least 3-4 hours to see both.

Going or coming, DO NOT leave for this route between 2 and 8 pm on weekdays. The traffic is an absolute nightmare. On a normal trip, it should take only 4 hours but on a few trips when I didn't have a choice, it took me between 6 and 7 hours. <BR><BR>If you can, I recommend taking the Amtrak Acela train out of Penn Station which is even better experience than flying. Once you're in Boston, you can take excursions into New England.

Junglecat - I just checked out fares from Penn station to Boston South and its over $200 each way - is this the cheapest option or is a hire car better? Can anyone advise on the best + cheapest way to travel between NYC-Boston-White mountains-Boston-NYC (between 113-20 April) Thanks.

I don't know whether you have your airline tix yet or not but have you looked into flying into Boston and flying out of New York? The airfare should be about the same, depending on where you are coming from.<BR><BR>Traffic is a way of life in the crowded Northeast. The worst times are the morning commute from 6 - 9 AM, and the evening commute from 3 - 6 PM. The worst areas are the entire NYC metro area extending to New Haven, CT along I-95 and up to the beginning of I-684, the entire metro Boston area, especially within Rts 128/I-95 and the 10 mile stretches east and west of Hartford. However, I would still drive between Boston and New York, avoiding I-95 unless you truly need to see Newport or Mystic. You really don't need a car while in Boston. It will still be a bit chilly in April but the city is very walkable and public transportation (The &quot;T&quot;) is very accessible. In New York, you are also better off without a car. It is very expensive to park and taxi cabs are easy to find, unless it is raining. I would stay in Boston first, then rent a car to head to the White Mountains, directly north from Boston on I-93. From the White Mountains, I would then go directly to New York (you don't have to return to Boston) via I-93, I-495, I-290, I-90, I-84 and I-684. This is the most direct route--it goes through Hartford. You could also head to Newport and Mystic via I-93 bypassing Boston via rts. 128/I-95 and continuing south via I-95 through Providence (also busy at rush hour).