jeuclid13

My wife and I are California empty nesters. Travel is now the focus in our leisure time. We will be arriving in Pittsburgh, in June, renting a car, and traveling to Niagara Falls for a couple of days. Then on to Cooperstown for a couple of days. Then onto NYC, my wife wants to see some play about a Revolutionary War hero whose name escapes me. Then we travel back to Pittsburgh while visiting Philadelphia and Amish Country on the way. Spending about 8-10 days on this trip. I am looking for ideas on things to see, places to eat, best scenic routes to take on this road trip. I know I can always depend on Fodor's Forum readers for great suggestions, thank you!

tomfuller

Why Pittsburgh? I would fly to Erie or Buffalo if the first stop is Niagara Falls.
Take your passports to go see the Canadian side. Most say it is better than the US side.
Were you planning on catching a baseball game in Pittsburgh?
If you're interested in Revolutionary War history see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Be sure to eat at least one Philly cheese steak (with)from a street vendor.
Good luck on getting Hamilton tickets.
One day at Cooperstown might be enough.
If you're into visiting new states for your state count, it's easy to pick up Delaware when coming out of Philly.

isabel

The problem is you have NYC in the middle, meaning you have to do something with the car. I guess it depends on how many days you plan to be in NYC, certainly if only a couple days parking won't break the bank, but if more than that you might want to put NYC at the beginning or end. I agree flying into Buffalo for Niagara Falls makes more sense than Pittsburgh. And yes, the Canadian side is better. Then you could go through the Finger Lakes to Cooperstown, down into Amish Country and Philadelphia. You could even drop the car there and take the train to NYC.

If seeing Hamilton is a main focus you better look into tickets now.

brookquarry

Hamilton tickets are sold out for the month of June.
So, assuming you have not already purchased, you will be looking at resale tickets on Ticketmaster or Stub Hub
Expect to pay $400-500 per ticket for rear mezzanine seats. Orchestra seats are well north of $1000.

Lancaster County (Amish Country) is well worth a day, but you'll have to narrow down what you want to see. What are your specific interests?

doug_stallings

That's actually a pretty rushed trip, but you can certainly do it. It's a half-day of driving from Pittsburgh to Niagara Falls, a similar length of time to Cooperstown, and another 4 to 5 hours to NYC. Then you have to drive to Philadelphia, to the Amish Country, and back to Pittsburgh. So that's at least 3 full days of your 8 to 10 days driving. So you will need 3 days for Niagara Falls, 2 days for Cooperstown (with only one full day there), and 2 days in NYC. I haven't included Philadelphia and Lancaster. I guess I'm not seeing how you're going to fit so many destinations into such a short trip.

garyt22

On the way from Pittsburgh,consider stops in Chautauqua institute, Jamestown (Lucyfest), Ellicottville, East Aurora (Roycroft craftsman movement), and Buffalo...

Once in the Falls, consider attending the Shaw Festival, the Niagara Wine festival, Niagara on the Lake, as well as Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds...

The best route to Cooperstown from Niagara is to jump on NY Route 20... as you drive east, you will encounter Letchworth State Park, known as the Grand Canyon of the East, and drive through the farms and villages along the north of the Finger Lakes...

Stop in Seneca Falls which is the home of the Womens movement and the town that inspired "It's a Wonderful Life"... visit Geneva with its massive lake resort hotels, do some antiquing or stop at a roadside farm stand... take a lake cruise on the Finger Lakes and enjoy the amazing scenery on one of the "Americas Scenic Roadways"... all of this ends near Cooperstown where you can tour the Baseball Hall of fame or take a boat ride on Glimmerglass Lake...

Route 20 ends in Albany, where you can head south to NYC and stop along the way in the Hudson Valley... Consider a stop at West Point, Sleepy Hollow, or the Woodstock Concert Museum in Bethel, NY... all worth the time... have fun!

sf7307

There are some excellent threads on here (but almost 5 years old) re the Hudson Valley --- I used them when we were going on a short trip. Here's a link to mine, hopefully you can find others.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...y-262177-2.cfm

Also, with enough time, I'd try to include Ithaca (home of the gorgeous Cornell University campus and many wonderful parks (gorges and waterfalls)), and Watkins Glen.

jeuclid13

Thank you all so much, each of your posts had something of value for my planning. Yes, we are watching SF Giants play the Pirates so that is why we are starting and finishing in Pittsburgh. @garyt22 this is exactly the type of "local" flavor I was hoping for. It appears the car may be a problem in NYC.

elberko

If you haven't purchased plane tickets yet, buy open-jaw tickets and fly out of NYC, putting it at the end, instead of circling back to Pittsburgh.

IMDonehere

Niagara Falls is worth 1/2 day, Cooperstown maybe a day.

garyt22

ImDone with people who blather on about cities like they know what they're talking about... You can only do Niagara Falls in half a day if you are riding over in a barrel... Please do Imdonehere...

IMDonehere

I was just to Niagara Falls last summer and it is charms are limited. After the Falls, we only saw contrived tourist attractions.

We were with cousins, one of whom went to many shows in Niagara on the Lake over the years and that is the town where we stayed. We had a decent dinner at winery. The boat ride was more fun than I thought it would be. But you herded like cows.

So get exercised as you wish Garyt, it is worth a 1/2 day.

IMDonehere

So state your case GaryT, instead of making ad hominem attacks. Why is Niagara Falls more than the natural attraction?

garyt22

Your brief drive by and boat ride hardly qualified you to minimize the area... the region is rich with history as the home of the forts from the war of 1812, battlefields, monuments, museums and reenactments.

The nature of the falls extends over 20 miles to Lake Ontario on the North, the Whirlpool, Gorge, nesting eagles, and the walls carved by the river... there are miles of hiking trails that descend to the water, allowing access to the lower rapids... Whirlpool Jetboats tours these rapids allowing a breathtaking and memorable event... along the North Niagara are the Power generation plants that harness the hydro power of the Falls... tours are offered...

Above the Falls is the Niagara Rapids and Goat Island... the US side offers Cave of the Winds, the opportunity to stand below the Falls and feel the charged ions of the water...

The State park has invested millions in providing close access for tourists to where the Falls passes over the ledge 176 feet above the bottom...

Add to that, over 200 wineries that rivals regions from around the world, great farm to table restaurants, Niagara on the Lake, ArtPark, wine festivals, jazz at the vineyards, the Shaw Festival, three Casinos and your favorite the "contrived tourist attractions"...

Oh... I forgot... you can stare at the Falls for a half day and complain it's not worth it...

IMDonehere

Now that is a much mature approach, even if you want people to believe that there "over 200 wineries that rivals regions from around the world."

garyt22

The climate and glacial soil (terra) in the region offer ideal growing conditions for both reisling style and Ice wine... My credibility is safe...

IMDonehere

Right, Gary.

SusanMorgan

Great!