East Coast USA

Shred

Evening all.

My family and I (including a 13 YO) are heading back to the States for the first 3 weeks of August, this is our itinerary:

New York City - 1 night (planning to head to Coney Island for the evening).

Then Train to Washington DC - 2 Nights (planning to do Monuments/Memorials/Capital and maybe the Air & Space Museum).

Then Train to Philadelphia - 2 nights (looking at various popular attractions/sites).

Then Car to Atlantic City - 1 night (only 1 night so just planning to take in the atmosphere of the Boardwalk, something to eat etc.)

Then Car (back) to New York City - 2 nights (meeting family here so will likely have to do some of the things we've done before as their kids haven't been before - Empire State, Rockefeller etc.).

Then Car to Cape Cod (staying with family) - 8 nights. (defo want to get to Martha's Vineyard (big Jaws fan), considering a trip to Portland).

Finally onto Boston for 3 nights.

I've been doing some research but I'm just looking for any suggestions from people who've been to these places, be it cultural or even cool places to eat; my wife and I consider ourselves foodies…junior not so much!

We've been to NYC a few times before and love it, but open to things we might not have done before.

Kathnora

Washington DC is the place I'll comment on ……

Staying there for 2 nights presumably gives you 1.5 days to explore. I think your time there is very tight. There's a lot of walking to be done to visit all the war memorials and monuments as well as the Capitol and the White House. You could easily spend a long day seeing them all. The Air and Space museum is huge and will take 3 or 4 hours at least to see everything. The History museum is well worth a visit. Could you adjust your schedule to spend more time in Washington? Up to you of course…..

deisemum

Philadelphia the city of love is a great city, the greenest in the US. It's both historic and modern. Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are worth a visit but to get tickets for Independence Hall you need to get them from the Independence Visitor Centre early in the morning probably before 9am as there's a limit to how many are given out every day. The ticket will tell you what time to get access to Independence Hall.

It's about 25 years since I was in Boston so my memory of it is a bit hazy, the big food market and Cheers stand out. I visited New York about 20 years ago and was underwhelmed by it compared to any of the other US cities I visited.

I loved Washington and was there when Bill Clinton was President, it was before 9/11 so I was able to do the White House tour and the FBI tour. There's a lot to see there.

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122087037#Comment_122087037

Thanks, we were originally supposed to go to DC for 3 nights but my wife is a slightly nervous flier and when she saw the plane was a 3 x 3 seater she said no way for a longish flight…So for that reason we changed it to staying the first night in NYC and then will get to DC by lunchtime the second day. Not ideal but we'll just have to make it work in the time we have.

Shred

Thanks for that @deisemum, I actually forgot about Cheers!

geographica

cheers was filmed in a studio. There’s a cheers bar but it’s not the inside that we see in the show

The Nal

Just back from DC and Cape Cod (and loads of other places) last week.

DC. Do the Capitol tour and get into see the House of Representatives and the Senate. Book ahead as itll be busy in August. Its all free. https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/visit

Have lunch at The Old Ebbitt Grill. Arlington Cemetary is defo worth a visit. Spend an afternoon and/or evening in Georgtown. Nice restaurants and shopping and they have the Exorcist house and steps.

If you haven't been before Id advise more time in NYC. Maybe skip Atlantic City.

Cape Cod is great. Hyannis is nice for a stroll down main street. Did a few days on Marthas Vineyard. Its 220 quid to bring a car on the ferry though (return) so maybe cheaper to rent one there. Edgartown is Jaws territory. Chappy Ferry etc is there. Defo the nicest town on the island.

Vineyard Haven is lovely too. Oak Bluffs is a bit tacky by the sea tbh. Fine for an hour.

Unless you have plans, 3 nights is a lot of time in Boston tbh. 2 is plenty.

Shred

Thanks a mil for that, some great info there 👍

This will be our 4th time in NYC and really we may be a little constrained in what we can do as the kids of my family we’re meeting there haven’t been been before so they’ll likely want to do the usual sites we’ve previously done…but we’ll see.

This is partially why we plan to go to Coney Island the first night, it’s something I’ve wanted to do and it’ll be something different while not ‘spoiling’ the city for us for when we return a few days later.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122088520#Comment_122088520

Ah yeah that makes sense. Never been to Coney Island. Looks like fun!

steve-o

I can't think of anything appealing about Atlantic City. It's a dump. I'd skip that and add another night in DC

Manic Moran

I'm kindof curious as to why you would take the train for most of it, but then use a car for the Philly-Atlantic City-NY run. NJ Transit runs that way.

But if you do like trains, the B&O Railroad Museum is a must. Stop at Baltimore just before DC on the way South from NY, you'll still need an uber to get to the museum though.

You have an extremely tight schedule, though, for everything.

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122088856#Comment_122088856

Yeah I'm not expecting anything life changing but thought it'd be an experience while 'passing through'.

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122088858#Comment_122088858

The central reason for this trip overall is for junior to connect with cousins in Cape Cod (they have weekly facetime calls playing Robolox etc.); we haven't been over since they moved there in 2017, in part due to restricted travel during Covid - so we're well overdue.

We decided while there we may as well see some more places on our list having done California (August) & NYC (December) in 2019.

Originally we wanted to fly to and start in DC first, we then changed this for the aforementioned reasons. We were also going to Train and/or Bus between DC, Philly, AC and NYC before collecting a car there to continue onto Cape Cod. The reason we've settled on what I've laid out is I don't want to be driving the whole time but I do like the freedom of movement a car can bring.

The Nal

Id advise renting a car for the whole thing. Really cheap at the moment.

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122089752#Comment_122089752

I've no issue driving but wouldn't want to be doing it for the whole trip tbh. But, we still have to book trains etc. so we'll weigh it up when we get around to that (gotta do it soon).

SweetSand

Hi :) You do have an extremely busy/tight schedule alright. I would definitely look into renting a car for the whole time, trains are very expensive in US. I do understand what you are saying re not driving the whole time but you might change your mind once you see prices for those train tickets. I would turn back after doing DC and spend more time in Cape Cod/cousins if possible. I would cut Boston to 2 days as well. Weather is going to be hot in August. Last August was very hot and humid, very uncomfortable if you are not near the water (we live just outside of Boston) or A/C. We love CC, it is going to be extremely busy in the summer, like an 1.5h just to cross the bridge :(and be prepared to be stuck in traffic/long waits everywhere. But the beaches are amazing, check out Beachcomber if passing by, seafood is super fresh and delicious.

Manic Moran

I wouldn't be so quick to get a car for all of it. The public transport systems in places like NY and DC are pretty decent, and one can do without fighting bridge traffic or paying through the nose for parking.

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122091055#Comment_122091055

Thanks for that and I'm aware of the challenges with traffic etc. from my family there alright. Anticipating hot weather too!

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122091131#Comment_122091131

This is it. As it stands we're picking up on our way out of Philly, driving to AC and then onto NYC before dropping the car off…the hotel charge $80 for valet parking there alone and I need to clarify if that's per night, I won't be surprised if it is! We'll then be hiring another from NYC to CC…the plan was to hold onto it until Boston but I've been offered the use of a car in CC so probably not.

A few people have mentioned it's a tight schedule and it is. The plan is for some downtime at the beach for at least couple of days once we get to CC though.

We're considering changing back to 3 nights in Washington based on the feedback here…so thanks folks, lots of good stuff to consider!

endofrainbow

Consider an open jaw flight into philly or Dulles and home from NY. The rockaway in Queens has some nice beaches.

GeneralSherman

I can also confirm that Atlantic City is indeed a dump and suggest an extra night in DC instead. So much to see in DC. Two air and space museums, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, The Mall and all the war memorials, Arlington Cemetery, Great Falls National Park, FBI/Spy Museum, Ford Theatre, Botanic Gardens, Capitol Hill, White House

FYI My family 2Ad + 4Ch used https://tripperbus.com/ from NY to Bethesda and I would really recommend it. Really comfortable.

Could I ask who you are using for car hire please ?. We will be hiring for almost 3 weeks from JFK.

JVince

I really would look at flying into Dulles - very comfortable flight.

I'd also look at 3 days in DC especially if you are into museums, history, natural world.

And that's before capitol hill.

As you said, it will be hot, so be prepared for tiredness.

Maybe drop Philly.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098611#Comment_122098611

I ued RentalCars last month. Got a car for 8 days for €250.

Ive used Turo before and it was good. Nice car and fairly cheap

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098187#Comment_122098187

Thanks, our flights already booked though.

Oh and I've discovered from a colleague in work (an Aviation nut) that the National Air and Space Museum are in the middle of a $1B renovation which isn't due to finish until 2026…he was there again last summer and was very disappointed with the amount of exhibits that were closed in comparison to when he saw it fully open previously.

https://airandspace.si.edu/about-transformation

Sounds like it'll be impressive when done though!

xper

I’d echo the suggestion of spending more time in DC, it’s a unique experience different from all other US cities with lots of individual attractions that take up hours each.

Plus you have really hectic intercity schedule set out that I would find tiring on planes/trains, I can’t imagine driving a good chunk of that too. Driving in the cities as a tourist seems insane to me - even the locals get lost in Boston. Cape Cod leg makes sense

I’d go with knocking Atlantic City on the head and a night less in Boston.

And just to contradict myself, consider a day trip to Gettysburg from DC/ en route to Philly, the battlefield preservation is very well done

Shred

We're considering moving things around to go back to 3 nights in DC by leaving out AC and going back to NYC (probably by train) from Philly…but my wife and I are still attracted to the adventuring side of hopping around that first week and the freedom a car gives to stop off places on the way. Anytime we've gone on sun holidays I'm usually tired of it by the 4th day.

FWIW, when we did California in 2019 this was our itinerary (driving between all places): 3 nights in San Francisco, 1 night in Santa Cruz, 1 night in Cambrills, 2 nights in Santa Barbara, 2 nights in Anaheim and 2 nights in LA…while we would have preferred to spend longer we still absolutely loved it!

We won't be driving in any city this time, we plan to pick up on our way out/dropping off when we arrive anytime we do use a car; as it stands we now may only be picking up on our way out of NYC the 2nd time and then dropping when we get to Boston.

SweetSand

How is your 13 yo re traveling? Funny, we did similar California trip by car in 2015 as we were in California for few months, kids were 2 & 4, we continued to San Diego after Anaheim and onto Vegas and back to SF. Las year we did a 3 week cruise from Rotterdam to Boston, kids 10 & 12. We made sure that we had a very intense itinerary in every port and I feel like we over did it a bit for kids :))) I almost feel like it’s getting a bit tougher traveling with them as they are getting older. You will have to post a mini report here after your trip for all of us.

cobham

I did trip many years ago and took first boat out of Hyannis which happened to be to Nantucket. Whale museum …. small island and hired a bike to get around. Spent time in Provincetown and again bike friendly tracks. I took buses as well as train from Boston to New York.

Shred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122104776#Comment_122104776

They're very easy, always have been thankfully - we'll see how long that lasts as we get more into the teenage years!😁

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122087837#Comment_122087837

The Cheers bar was the biggest disappointment of my life. Take pictures outside, but don't go into the place

GeneralSherman

Shred, perhaps consider the other Air and Space museum near Dulles airport https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center . It's basically a car park for notable airplanes ie a big hanger with some of the most famous flight vehicles ever eg Enola Gay, Concorde, Space Shuttle, the Blackbird. Lots of info online. Less crowded than the other one on the Mall.

Also, you could go back to New York the other way by car via Gettysburg or to Hershey Park for the 13 year old. Interesting countryside along the way.

Or head out from DC by car to do the Skyline Drive along the crest of the Blue Ridge mountains in Shenandoah National Park. Escape the heat in the Luray Caverns.