Two 64 year old buddies on A week trip
 

We are two well-aged ladies in mid 60's and we are looking for a
Ladies vacation that would be fun and energetic. We both have husbands that are failing in health so can't do the things we want to do. our first choice is New York but would like to consider other options as well because it looks like New York is expensive. We love the theatre(musicals) and we are quite typical in that we like to shop(well, I do anyway', see everything there is to see, great food and wine, hiking would be fun but not essential. We would love to know of any ideas where two fun loving friends can have a great time? Thanks to all

Philadelphia has all of the things you've listed (including some great hiking!) as well as a lot more, and it's less expensive (generally by quite a bit) than New York. There are some ideas here to get you started: http://missalg.tumblr.com/

Here's one place to find out what is on in musicals: http://www.philadelphia-theater.com/

And for all the logistics and so forth, try www.visitphilly.com

I too thought of Philadelphia. LOTS of shopping for you. History and art to explore, and yes, some hiking too.

When? Budget? Drive or fly; from where? Hiking - as in real hiking or walking on a path? Rental car of public transit?

???

San Francisco came to mind -- GREAT scenery, great shopping, theater, hiking/parks/beaches, hotels can be expensive but are generally cheaper than NYC and there are a lot of well located budget options which tend not to exist in NY.

Charleston. Maybe no theater but enough walking with great interesting things to qualify as "hiking". GREAT food. Doesn't have to be super expensive.

oops -- left off the food . . . SF has some of the best food in the country.

Charleston would be wonderful if you wanted to stay on the east coast (but not if your trip is in the summer -- really REALLY hot/humid)

Minneapolis

Theater - 2nd most theater seats per capita (only NYC has more)
Shopping - Mall of America plus numerous smaller shopping districts and little towns in the area
Great food/wine - yes...every major city has great restaurants
Hiking - One of the best city park systems in the country, plus half a dozen state parks within an hour of downtown. We also have numerous regional parks and a national wildlife refuge within the metro

From now until mid to late October the weather will be decent. Winter would be ok except for the hiking part. Fall color peaks in early to mid October.

Washington D.C. is another location with lots of live theatre including the Tony award-winning Shakespeare Theatre and Signature Theatre (in nearby Arlington). The Kennedy Center is offering "Evita" in the fall. There's some excellent restaurants and for hiking, there's the nearby Great Falls NP. (But you can also do plenty of "hiking" just walking to the various monuments, memorials and museums.)

All of the Smithsonians are free as are the monuments and tours of the U.S. Capitol, National Archives, Ford's Theatre, etc. making Washington D.C. an affordable place to visit. The hotels in nearby Arlington and Alexandria can also be less expensive than those in D.C.

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful assistance. It is still our priority to go to New York but nice to know there are options. I have always wanted to go to charleston and New Orleans!

There are bargains in New York at various times of the year, for good advice we'd need to know your month of travel (at least), estimated budget per room per night, transportation options (where are you coming from?) etc.
If it's your priority to visit New York, people can help, but fodorites are generally not into pulling teeth.

Put - NEW YORK CITY BUDGET - in the search forums box at the top right for a start.

Boston has it all!