Roundtrip in new york - where?
 

We are a familiy of 3 (son 16) from Norway going on vacation to New York in the middle of June. We will stay 4 days in NYC and are then planning to rent a car and travel around the state. We have 12 days to spend on a roundtrip. Anyone out there having good suggestions?

What type of activities are you interested in? Also, is there some reason you want to limit yourself to New York State? Have you been anywhere else on east coast of US before?

I might suggest spending some time in either Washington, DC (about a 4-5 hour drive or train ride south from NYC) or Boston (about the same distance, north).

(Our daughter - age 13 - went with a school group to Scandinavia for 2 weeks last summer - her favorite country was Norway!)

12 days in upstate NYC certainly would be excessive, especially if you're allowing only 4 days for the city iteself.

If you're looking for more urban experienes, then Washington DC or perhaps Boston are good choices.

But if you're interested in seeing the surrounding countryside, then you should include Pennsylvania and New Jersey, or head north to the New England states (Connecticut, Massashusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine). Mid-June is a lovely time of year in New England, and less likely to be very hot.

(It occurs to me that willi might not literally mean the "state" of NY.)

Thank you for responding. Nice to hear that your daughter liked it in Norway!

The reason why we are planning on New York State is that we would like to see the Niagara Fall, but I suppose Washington DC is a "must" when we are so close to it. Another big city (Boston) in addition would maybe be too much...? Do you have any suggestions for where to spend some relaxing days on the east coast at the end of our vacation?

Certainly you wouldn't want to do both DC and Boston, they're in opposite directions. But DC will be very hot and uncomfortable.

I must admit, I'm totally baffled by the number of posters on these boards who set a high priority on seeing Niagara Falls and/or Salem, Massachusetts.

Maybe that's because Niagara Falls is given big attention in geography-books for children in Europe (and especially in Norway..?). Ever since I was a child I have dreamt of seeing the Falls!
By the way, Rhode Island seem to be a good suggestion. I just looked it up on the web.

To Anonymous: Niagara Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world - what's so unusual about people wanting to see it?

Willi, maybe some of the others are right - a visit to D.C. would certainly be interesting for all of you. New York State is breathtakingly beautiful, but would your 16 year old son be interested in mountains, lakes, and wine country?

If you decide to stick with your plan to drive around the state, then Niagara Falls is definitely worth a few days - not just for the views, but the activities also.

Have a great trip.

You may want to consider starting in New York, spending some time in New York/New England and then returning fromm Boston. (Although if you really insist on seeing Niagra Falls you may want to consider returning from Toronto - since its really remote from the coast.)

I would suggest you go north up the Hudson see perhaps Saratoga and Lake George and the go est through New England - perhaps staying in New Hampshire or lower Maine coast the then returning through Boston. (If you want some costal relaxing as the very end of the trip you could do Boston first then some timeon the coast - which is only a couple of hours from the boston airport. Another coastal choice isCape Cod - but I think it takes longer to get form there to the airport at thttime of year.)

Don;t get me wrong - the Falls are very impressive - but IMO not worth going that far for unless they're attached to something else - like Toronto.

To BuffaloGirl and Nytraveler. Yes,I think we will stick to Niagara Falls. A trip to Toronto also seem to be a good idea. Our son is definitively not a nature-lover, so our vacation must include some fun for him... We are going back from JFK airport, so the last days of the vacation should not be too far away from NYC.

12 days is a lot of time. You can do a grand circle tour something like this: NYC - Niagara Falls - Toronto - Ottawa - Montreal - Boston - NYC. Even Quebec City if you want to cramp it in. Longest leg will be from NYC to Niagara Falls, which will take a whole day of driving. But all the others are shorter. For example, Montreal-Boston is about 5.5 hours, and Boston-NYC is 3 hours.

I am think that you would be disappointed in Niagara Falls, especially compared to the beauty of Norway. I would recommend Boston or DC, but I would lean towards Boston and include some of the following: the southern coast of Maine (90 minutes away), Cape Cod (within 2 hours of Boston), Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Rhode Island (could be on the way back to NYC). Also on the way back to NYC is the Berkshires in MA- great if you like music, depending on the schedule. Many more suggestions, but would be nice to know your interests.

DC would most likely be much hotter, tons of great museums, art, history, and other goverment buildings to tour. Lots of advanced planning helps to see more and in a more efficient manner. (I would suggest writing a letter to your ambassador asking if there are any special tours offered) We got some VIP tours by writing to Senator Kerry.
Boston has a lot to offer as well.

Buffalogirl, I was so surprised by your assertion that Niagara Falls is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, I actually Googled it. The only US site on the list is the Grand Canyon.

In consideration of what your son might like as well, then a trip north, maybe along US-9 or 9W, along the Hudson might be in order. Off the route are wineries, lots of mansions & religious retreats, monestaries, etc., as well as West Point, our Army Military Academy. If you are familier with stores like "Rip Van Winkle", "Legend of Sleepy Hollow", etc., this is a place to be. There are aeronautical "dogfights" staged up near Rhinecliff. Saratoga area has a vibrant downtown, Museum of Dance, and various cultural/concert events at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Closer to Lk George is a 6 Flags amusement park, probably of great interest to your son. From there you could head north to Lake Placid, home of several Olympic events, and continues as a training facility, with several venues open to the public. From there, head south on Rt 30 to 10, and down to Cooperstown to see Baseball Hall of Fame, "Farmers Museum" and the Fenimore Cooper Art Museum. Get back along the Thruway (a toll road) or Rt 5 and find various Erie Canal sites/museums. After Niagara Falls, maybe head south & drive thru Pennsylvania. Like trains? Steamtown National Park in Scranton PA. Or if you want more amusement parks, head SW from the Falls and check out Sandusky, in Ohio. Also, for a quieter ride thru smaller towns and a lot of interested local museums, try driving an older non-interstate route, such as US-222, and visit Amish farming towns. I find it much more relaxing to NOT stick to an itinerary, but just relax, stop when you see something interesting.

Welcome to our country, and I hope you have a very memorable vacation.

willi, rb gives some good suggestions. I don't understand why everyone wants to talk you out of going to Niagara Falls when you have said you've wanted to do it all your life! It truly is beautiful and you will want to see it from the Canadian side as well. Don't miss a ride on the Maid of the Mist, the boat that takes you right to the bottom of the falls. The Cave of the Winds (I think that's the name) would be fun as well.

Upstate New York is very beautiful. I know you said your son is not a nature-lover, but if you follow rb's route, you will be close to Adirondack State Park (northeast) and Letchworth State Park (western part of the state south of Buffalo), both beautiful parks. Have a great trip!

Hi Willi. You've gotten some good advice about what to see. It so hard to advise you though, without knowing what you, your wife &amp; son like. Driving to Niagara Falls is <i>far</i>. The fastest way to do it is probably on the New York State thruway which is boring and not very atractive. There are some very pretty areas of New York state off the main road-especially at that time of year, but not what people would normally want to see coming all the way from Norway! Unless you want to spend most of your 12 days in Canada, (which is a fine alternative, just not what you plannned), consider <i>flying</i> to Toronto or Buffalo, NY to see the falls. Jet Blue (jetblue.com) has round trip flights to Buffalo from JFK for about $100/person. Then rent a car in Buffalo to get there. Maybe even fly there &amp; rent a car in Buffalo &amp; drive the rest of the time. The Jet Blue fares are available one way. If you've never been to the U.S., you might even consider flying &amp; seeing the west coast.

I also wonder why only 4 days in NYC unless you've already been there or are not city people.

Some of the most beautiful beaches on the east coast near NY are in the Hamptons &amp; Montauk, at the east end of Long Island,but the U.S.Open golf tournament will be taking place in Southampton in mid June so accomodation may be very difficult &amp; expensive.

I was just offering another opinion.
I have been to Niagara falls on multiple occasions, because I was passing through on a road trip from Michigan to Massachusetts. To me, it was like stopping to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa on my trip to Italy. I had read about it my whole life, and it made an interesting 2 hour-long detour. But I would have been disappointed if I had changed my entire trip on account of it.
Because Niagara Falls is such a long drive (6 1/2 hours), and because once you get there, there is hardly a day's worth of things to do that are not tourist traps, especially if you are only in this country for 12 days, I feel that it is worth skipping. I understand that you do not want to be in large cities for too long after NYC, but both Boston and Washington DC feel much more manageable. It is easy to travel by foot. Also, Boston has many opportunities for day trips to the beach, etc. It is also closer to NY. Cape Cod and Maine are both wonderfully relaxing trips that have a true New England flavor.

Go, yes, go to Niagara Falls. It is a wonderful place. And while you are there, be sure to take in the neighboring town of Niagara On The Lake, Ontario (http://www.niagaraonthelake.com). I did not know about it and could only drive through it wistfully on my way out of town. It is a quaint place with a great little walking and shopping area full of little shops, cafes, etc. After all the tourism of Niagara Falls, it was a welcome releif for me. And it has some serious gardens and nurseries, as I recall -- you could spend a day there for sure, if you like to visit gardens. It also has a George Bernard Shaw Festival with plays if you'd like to try something a bit more sophisticated than the typical tourist hype.

When we went, upon leaving we headed north to Montreal, by way of Manassas, NY where we had family to visit. We loved Montreal, be sure to check it out and see if it might interest you. It is a very large beautiful city and the best time to be there is in the summer when you're planning to be there. This does not put you any closer to New York City, instead you are farther away. So what you might consider to break up the drive is to book a place in the Adirondack Mountains or the Catskills on your way back in a nice lodge. Someone else would need to advise you about that -- I imagine the weather in the summer would be cooler there.

From there, head to Philadelphia to see the city of Brotherly Love and have some cheese steaks. Then go to Washington DC for all it has to offer.

That's what I'd do. Can I come?

Many thanks to all of you for the frienliness and good advice.

The reason why we plan to stay just 4 days in NYC, is that we bought a package from a travel agent - flight + hotel. However, we would like to be flexible, that is to stay longer if we find it pleasant there, but the problem then is car-rental. Our travel agent is recommending us to rent a car from here (Norway), telling us that to do so is much cheaper. We therefore have to decide in advance how long to stay in NYC. Does anybody know if it's worthwhile taking the chance of renting a car when we are in US ?

There is a perfect website for you that specializes in content on destinations and packages within a 500-mile radius of Manhattan. It's........
http://www.escapemaker.com

When I rent cars in the US, it is almost always cheaper to rent it as far in advance as possible. It is also possible to cancel reservations in the last minute. I don't know how it works if you are coming from another country.

You could hit all of New England in that time.

As far as the rental car, 12 days will likely be 2 weekly rental charges, so an extra day or a day or two less may not actually affect your rental costs, and rental car reservations are very easy to cancel. Car rental in NY is very expensive compared to the rest of the United States, but I don't know how it compares internationally. You should book ahead though because car rentals in the summer in NY are in high demand. You might want to think about adding another couple of days in NY at the end of the trip, so you can drive back without having to try to time it to a flight and a couple of days to relax and catch the sites you missed the first few days.

If you want to go to Niagra Falls, go. I think the falls are very impressive, I think the bigger problem is that there is not a ton of stuff in the area, and that is what may make the drive make it seem not worthwhile. However, there are several beautiful places to stop along the way. It might help if you give an idea of likes/dislikes - how much driving you are ok with, if you are more interested in cities, rural areas or vacation/resort/beach spots.

Here's my latest addition to the advice you have already received.

Days 1-4 NYC

Days 5-6 rent car and drive towards Boston, perhaps stopping at western most part of Cape Cod - your son might like the ocean. Skip Plymouth Rock (even if you get other suggestions) - it is just a large rock in a mesh wire cage.

Days 7-9 Boston

Days 9-10 Drive to and see Niagara Falls

Days 10-11 Brief visit to Toronto and fly home from Toronto.

That gives you one extra day to add someplace else along the way. This is just a rough framework of a trip - you can make stops along the way to see other things, depending on your interests,

If you want to have an interesting 12 days and don't want to spend the whole time in the car, see if there is anyway to not make it a RT out of NYC.

By now you have received over 20 very different replies and are probably hoping you could just stay home!

I'm glad Tandoori Girl mentioned Niagara on the Lake. It is a lovely town, and if you're interested in wine, you can tour the Hillebrand Winery there. They have some very good wines.

Willi, have you already bought this package? An air/hotel package is rarely economical for 3 in a room. A triple room doesn't usually cost 30% more than a double yet that's what you will pay. Also, I agree you'd be better off flying in &amp; out of 2 different cities-whether that's Toronto or Boston or Washington. You're getting bad advice from the agent. You shouldn't have to back track. It might even be cheaper to fly into Toronto, see Niagara Falls, then fly to NY. What's the price of the package &amp; what hotel does it include in NYC?

It <i>is</i> true you're better off reserving a car ahead of time.

To Anonymous: You are correct. I did a little googling myself, and as it turns out, Niagara Falls is not listed in the top 7 wonders of the world. However, along with a few other places, it is considered one of the natural wonders of the world. Thanks for straightening me out on that one!!!

And Willi, I think a lot of the posters are forgetting that you mentioned traveling with your 16 year old son. Places like Niagara Falls and Toronto, or New York, or Boston, etc. will be exciting for all of you. I can't help but think your son will be bored with some of the places in New England (or Niagara on the Lake if you choose to see Niagara Falls).

I learned something tonight. I've lived all of my life in Buffalo and Niagara Falls has always been advertised as one of the 7 Wonders of the World. I'm very surprised to see that it is not. Willi, if you go to Niagara Falls I would suggest also including Toronto. There is lots to do and see there for your 16 year old.

Willi- Gail has given you the best advice. Try to change your flight plans to fly into NYC and out of Toronto. You will have a much more pleasant trip. The drive from Niagra Falls to NYC is very long. Doing it twice (there and back)is not a good idea. Definitely go to Niagra Falls and go on both the US and Canadian sides and take the tour that goes behind the Falls and go on the Maid of the Mist too. Have fun trip.

Willi,

Niagara Falls is a lot of fun. Riding the Maid of the Mist is a MUST DO! The Cave of the Winds is fun too! These are both on the Canadian side of the border, so make sure your passport is on you. The New York side of the falls is not as impressive, so you MUST go to the Canadian side to get the full experience. I think there is an amusement park not too far from the falls that your son might like. The falls can be done in one day (there's also a butterfly place there and beautiful grounds, they're building an expensive casino too), so you may want to discover Toronto and/or Montreal, then head down 87 to Lake Placid (olympic village), Lake George(lake and amusement park for your son), Saratoga (quaint downtown Horseracing and Dance Museum) and back to NYC as another poster suggested! If you've dreamed of seeing the falls, do it! Take the NYS thruway there (90 west) without stopping and then follow the scenic route back. Have a great time!

Thank you for good advice. We will stick to our plan of visiting Niagara Falls, but will also take trip to Toronto, as so many have suggested. Then we will drive down to Washington D.C. and stay in that area before we return to NYC.

And now I have an additional question (a long one...only for those who are interested in reading a story abot may grandfather....)- He lived in US for almost 20 years before he went back to Norway where he met my grandmother. He was an engineer, working for different railway-companies in US, among them Southern Pacific and Erie Railways(where he also was a teacher at the apprentice school in Meadville). He volunteered for the US Army in World War one and was educated/prepared for the service at Camp Devens, Mass. He was then sent to Belgium/France (Ypres) in 1917. During the time he was there, he constructed a new/made an improvement of the respirator-mask which was in use against the poison gas. His model (prototype) was approved, but due to the sudden end of the war, it was not set into production. According to the written information he left behind for us to read, his respirator model was taken to Washington D.C. and kept as a ?peculiarity? of the war in the archives of the chemical wardep.
This is of course ages ago ? but maybe it still exists ..?

And then to the question:? does anybody know if it would be worthwhile at all trying to trace this item, and if so, how to do it/where to begin ?

Well, there's no hope of finding it if it's still with the Department of Defense. But you might try contacting the Smithsonian Institution, which is considered &quot;the nation's attic.&quot; Start at www.si.edu

I agree with Peggy, her characterization of Pisa was right on. Niagara Falls is a very quick trip you see it and thats it. If you are coming from Norway I think it would be a shame if you didn't do D.C. so much to do and see and within a few hours of New York. Boston is okay and has something to offer but not nearly as much as D.C.

Thank you Anonymous, I guess you are right about the Department of Defense. I will as a first step follow your recommendation and send an e-mail to the Smithsonian Institution. If I'm lucky, they will respond and give me further advice.