Hi all,
Have arrived here in NYC from overseas and will be here for a few months. Wanted to take some time to travel to different places close to NYC - because of work and time constraints, we can only really do 1 or 2 day trips during the weekend - what cities/places can you recommend and what would you say are the best ways of getting there? We've already been told that we should go and see Philadelphia on a day trip by bus and also Washington and Boston (but that it might be hard to do the latter 2 in a day). Would appreciate any help.

Long Island and its exquisite beaches is lovely in the warm weather. A huge attraction in the summer, along with bad traffic, crowds and very expensive lodging, but in the spring you might be able to find some overnight deals on the East End. Lancaster and New Hope area in Pennsylvania also is very pretty. Try, too, some lovely areas in Connecticut that aren't quite as far as Boston, though if you can stay for 2 nights, you shouldn't miss Boston or Washington DC. Check out the local NYC travel section of a book store. I'm sure there are some good books just about day/weekend trips from NYC.

A few months? Will you be there in September? Apple harvesting time in Portland, Maine, and there-about was enchanting. Beautiful. Great scenery. Lighthouses. LOBSTER. Probably best to fly there.....

Philadelphia would be better as a overnight trip.
The Hudson Valley has enough attractions to warrant several weekends spring, summer and fall. Also, the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts makes for a great weekend, especially in the summer when it can include a concert at Tanglewood.
Two days in Boston or Washington is a bit of tease. The way to consider a two-day visit would be to fly back and forth. Otherwise, you're spending too much time travelling back and forth.

Yes, the Berkshires in Massachusetts, the Catskill Mountains of New York...East End of Long Island...New Hope, PA...Philly...DC...Litchfield, CT...Jersey shore...New Hope and Bucks County, PA.... Newport,RI ...Boston...Finger Lakes of Central New York...There's lots to do and see, but traffic is an issue.

Philadelphia is also an easy train trip. If you take one of the Chinatown buses or the like it's cheap, but the train is more comfortable. Amtrak is more expensive. You can use a Septa train.

For Boston and Washington, it's really best for an overnight. Your options for those are flying, train, bus. General feeling is they all take about the same time when you add travel to/from airports and check in time. The fast Acela trains (which were never all that fast) are not running right now due to brake problems.

The Long Island mentioned by kflodin is the Hamptons and Montauk on the eastern end of LI. You can get there by train (Long Island Railroad) and Hampton Jitney (a coach) hamptonjitney.com It's about 3 hrs. Once you get there, you probably will want a car. Enterprise Car rental has an office in Southampton and at the East Hampton airport. There's also a local car rental place in Hampton Bays across from the train station.

A cruise up the Hudson to Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate is a great day trip.

Rhinebeck is a pretty spot. I think you can train there. That should get you started.

There are some things on Long Island worth seeing closer to town like Sagamore Hill, Teddy Roosevelts' home in Oyster Bay, the Vanderbilt Mansion and Old Westbury Gardens. These would be best with a rental car. Very doable for a day.

Thanks all, these are great tips. Just a couple of quick followup questions:
1. What's the best way to get to Conneticut? By bus?

2. What are the best areas to stay in Washington if I don't have a car? I'm hoping Washington is as easy to get around as NYC is by public transport?

3. I was thinking of also going up to Niagara Falls - I've done some reading on this board and just wanted to clarify a few matters:
a) it seems if I fly, it's best to fly to Buffalo and then go from there?
b) is it better to stay on the Canadian or American side - again, bearing in mind, I won't have a car.

Thanks all, this is a great board, I'm finding the information much more up to date than travel books!

1. There are trains or buses to CT--you'll have to check schedules to see what's more convenient. The thing w/the pretty parts of CT are suburban and you may need to rent a car.

2. DC is very easy to navigate and the subway system is easy. You don't need a car if you stay in the District.

3. Niagara Falls is near Buffalo but think you would need a car...The American side is cheesy but the falls are pretty. I haven't been to the Canadian side...


YOu have TONS of great suggestions--have fun! Boston, Philly and DC are most definately worth considering (esp. if you can stretch you weekend to 3 days) as are some of the smaller towns mentioned.

You can also check the Long Island Railroad and Metro North Web site
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/lirr/
for special rail packages and daytrips throughout the spring and summer. A fun trip is also Mystic, Connecticut!

I strongly recommend Newport, RI. Stay at the Castle Hill Inn in one of their rooms right on the water. Simply lovely. www.castlehillinn.com

Hi,
I think you have some great suggestions above. I work for a company that sells very inexpensive bus tickets and tours to many of the places mentioned. I thought I would pass it along. I prefer to go on my own but if you want a guided tour, you won't beat the prices.
www.GotoBus.com

Niagara Falls can be done as an overnight by plane (it would take about 8 hours each way by car or train) but once there most of what you want to see and do is on the Canadian side.

For this it's best to rent a car. Also - you need to be sure your visa (assuming you come from a visa country) is good for multiple entries to the US - it's really easy to get into Canada - but can be a bear to get back into the US.