Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report – Boston, Philadelphia, and a few Presidents’ homes in Virginia

I have returned from my much awaited trip to the northeast. Thanks so much for all of the great help I received from this site! I really helped my planning. I hope this trip report is beneficial…or at least enjoyable.

Thanks to everyone in Boston and Philadelphia for their help! I asked for directions many times. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit in both cities. The park rangers and private tour guides at various locations were excellent, without exception. Everyone was super friendly!

When reading, keep in mind that I had a specific purpose on this trip. I wanted to visit places related to the Revolutionary and Colonial period of American History.

Lodging:

In Boston, I stayed at Beacon Inn at their 1087 location http://www.beaconinn.com. This Inn is a little ways from downtown Boston, but is directly across the street from a T stop. It was pretty easy getting into town in the mornings. The room was small, but it was perfect for me, traveling alone. The breakfasts were small and self-served. They had coffee, tea, pastries, cereal, bagels, and a refrigerator with cold drinks and milk. It wasn’t a cozy homey place for families, but it was perfect for me. The staff are all friendly and helpful. It was quiet, private, and quite a bargain at $115 per night. I would recommend it unless you want to be within walking distance of downtown.

In Philadelphia, I stayed at the Thomas Bond House http://www.winston-salem-inn.com/philadelphia/. I loved this cute B&B! It is located in Independence National Park, right across the street from City Tavern. This was the perfect place to stay. I was within five blocks of all of the historic homes, buildings and museums that I wanted to see. My room was super comfortable, and all of the rooms were decorated in a very homey way. The weekend nights that I was there were a little loud. There was a lot of horn honking and voices in the street, as there were quite a few bars on the next block. It wasn’t too bad, though. The comfort, cleanliness and helpfulness of the staff certainly made up for it. Their weekday breakfasts are simple…freshly baked muffins, yogurt, fruit, coffee and orange juice. They have homemade cookies out at night, and wine and cheese in the afternoons. I would definitely stay here again. I paid $105 per night for a single room.

Charlottesville, VA – I stayed at the Best Western Cavalier. It is next to the campus of the University of Virginia, which is a beautiful campus. The hotel was fine. The staff was very helpful, particularly in helping me get back to Dulles airport. The room was clean. The hotel seemed a little old, but the breakfast was good, the room was fine, and it was inexpensive. They had glassed in the entire building, so you didn’t really have to go outside to get to your room. I left my room once late at night to get something from the lobby and there was a security guard in the hallway. It felt pretty safe.

Transportation:

I flew Delta from Nashville to Boston. Everything went fine. It was about $120 one-way.

I flew USAir from Boston to Philadelphia. They have very convenient flights every hour between the two cities. The only problem was that my suitcase weighed 56 pounds. I had to take out 6 pounds at the check in counter or pay $30. I know it is the rule, so I guess I can’t complain.

I took Amtrak from Philadelphia to DC. The train ride was very pleasant, but my checked bag didn’t make it. That was particularly frustrating because I checked it over an hour before the train arrived, which should have been plenty of time to get it on. I was planning on renting a car at Union Station and not returning to DC. I ended up having to return that evening to get my bag, which wasn’t too bad since it was a Sunday and there was plenty of parking. At least they didn’t lose my bag for good!

I rented a car twice, both times from Hertz. No complaints here either.

I flew Independence Air from Dulles Airport back home to Nashville. It was a pleasant flight. I think the ticket was around $70. It was the first time I had flown Independence, and I was happy. It was comfortable and the flight attendants were nice and helpful.

As far as the sites I visited, I kept a daily trip diary online with all of the details. You can find them along with a few pictures at www.lostinfounders.blogspot.com. I will warn you, there is plenty of detail! It is somewhat educational, as I included the significance of the places I saw as well as my experience there. I may add some more pictures. Once you get to the site, scroll down just a little and click on “October” to the left and it will bring up all posts. Start from the bottom and go up if you want to read chronologically. The first post is my planned itinerary. It is a great itinerary, if I do say so myself. I followed it somewhat closely. I hope it will help someone planning a trip.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! I will be checking back. :)