# 2 weeks on the east coast



## mck (Aug 7, 2010)

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some help!

Husband and I are looking to spend a week in New York next June/early July and another week somewhere else - possibly on the coast?

Where would be good to stay? We were thinking maybe Cape Cod in a timeshare? Or are there better options? We have been to New York before but never New England. We are happy to hire a car for the coastal part of the trip but would need good public transport links to get from New York to wherever it is we go.

Any timeshare recommendations would be good too.

Thanks for any help or suggestions!


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## mck (Aug 7, 2010)

Sorry, should have said, we're travelling from the UK, probably flying into New York or Boston!

Doesn't have to be coastal, just somewhere where there is plenty of sightseeing, were not ones for just lying on the beach!


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## kwelty (Aug 7, 2010)

Williamsburg, VA has a lot of history; The Golden Triangle of Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg.  The beaches are a little over an hour away and there are a lot of theme/water parks close by.  DC is even doable but makes for a long day.  Plus there is a whole lot of timeshare availability for this area.


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## mopsy (Aug 8, 2010)

If you fly into NYC  and want to make your way to Boston....hop on a $15 1way bus trip via Lucky Star/FungWah or $20 for Peter Pan bus. They all go to South Station which is a major hub for subway/train activity in Boston.  I think the Custom's House is the only t/s in Boston; if you can get a rez there, it's right in the middle of everything.

Take a Freedom Trail walking tour of olde Boston, visit Museum of Fine Art; hop on a duck boat for Charles River tour; take a leisurely ride on the swan boats of Boston Common. The Millenium Hotel overlooks Fanueil Hall/marketplace. Other hotels are on the harbor (Long Wharf and Boston Harbor to name a few). Do NOT drive in Boston; walk, take the subway (the T) or cabs.

When leaving Boston take subway to airport to pick up a car. My Opinion? Head to MAINE and end up at Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park. timeshare there is Harbor Ridge. Along the way... eat lobster, blueberry pie, ice cream and stroll the shops. Coast is very rocky so it's a great place to sit on rocks and watch the tides come in and out....truly mesmerizing if you're an ocean lover. Other people will tell you to go to Cape Cod.  The swimming is definitely better at the Cape.

ps...next w/e there's an re-enactment of British troops on Boston Common; New Englanders love this type of stuff!


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## mck (Aug 8, 2010)

Thanks!

Going to Boston sounds like a plan - how long to spend there? Would two or three days be enough? If we've done a week in NY we might be all citied out?


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## neash (Aug 8, 2010)

If you have not been to Niagara Falls, you may want to consider that, it is a must see.


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## pedro47 (Aug 8, 2010)

What is your travel range in terms of mileage for a second vacation spot after leaving New YorK?


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## mopsy (Aug 8, 2010)

If you spend a whole week in NYC, yeah, you might not want to deal with Boston at all. Especially if it's a hot, humid summer like we're having now.

If you have a car and you're leaving NYC, you can head toward any number of places that aren't seat-numbingly long excursions:

     *Ocean in Connecticut w/ trip to Mohegan or Foxwoods Casino? 
     *Lake George and the Adirondacks in upstate NY? 
    *The Jersey shore with Atlantic City excursion to their casinos?
     *Poconos in Pennsylvania?
      *The Hamptons?

Tuggers..more suggestions or expound on these?


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## pkyorkbeach (Aug 8, 2010)

Just came back from Lake George.  LOVED it.  One of the best vacations ever.  Beautiful Beach..clean water and a lovely boat ride.  Fireworks on Thursday night.  A fort to visit that children LOVE-Fort William Henry.  The drive up to Lake George New York was very nice. The mountains are gorgeous.

There are so many things to do on the East Coast.  CT has a Seaport, Aquarium as well as the two Casinos.  But my children did not like the Casino....There are beaches too!!. Essex has a steam train ride and there is a boat on the CT River-all of the things I mentioned in CT are near each other.

 Cape Cod has the beaches, biking, etc..Maine has lovely beaches, arcades and site seeing, boat rides etc.  I am going to put on my thinking cap for some more idea.


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## pkyorkbeach (Aug 8, 2010)

Niagra Falls is BEAUTIFUL.  How far do you think that would be for them to travel from NY city to Niagra Falls???


Do you like history things, or animals, touristy places????


A ride to Vermont, New Hampshire are beautiful too.  Lots to see and do


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## SailBadtheSinner (Aug 8, 2010)

Google maps has the distance and time from NYC to Niagara Falls at just over 400 miles to just over 500 miles and travel time of just over 7 hours to just over 8 hours depending on the route taken.

My suggestion is to drive up Mt Washington http://www.mtwashingtonautoroad.com/ or take the Cog RR http://www.thecog.com/ to the top of New England.

I do agree with a visit to Bar Harbor, ME and Acadia National Park. Not mentioned, how about Newport, RI or MVI & Nantucket?

Of course, I would skip the ocean in Connecticut, and do the ocean in Rhode Island or Cape Cod.

We'll be at Bar Harbor, ME in late June, 2011.


*SBtS*


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## vkhome (Aug 9, 2010)

If you're going to Rhode island, Newport is a must.  Personally, I think Niagara Falls is a waste of time - very touristy - the falls are nice, but you can see them in a few minutes.  I find it all unappealing there- not worth the drive.

Finger Lakes region in NYS is very nice; fun wine tours and water activities.  Love Boston and its history.  Upper New England is charming (NH, VT, Maine). Or from NYC, head south and do Cape May, NJ.  So many choices.

Enjoy!!!


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## DeniseM (Aug 9, 2010)

After spending several days in NYC, we flew from NYC to Buffalo, (cheap on jetblue)  and then rented a car and drove to Niagara Falls.  We loved it and wished we had more time to spend there.  Then we drove back to NYC through Pennsylvania, taking several days, and visiting Pittsburg, Gettysburg, and other historic areas.


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## mck (Aug 10, 2010)

Thanks for all the suggestions!

We will have some RCI points to use up so are hoping to stay in a timeshare for our second week and travel around from there - with some relaxing thrown in! I mentioned Cape Cod only because there looks to be good availability there at the moment. As long as we can fill in a week ok?

I thought we might do a week in NY, public transport to Boston, car to Cape Cod spend a week or less there then spend a couple of days in Boston on the way back down to NY for flight home?

Any other combination would work but I would like to use up these RCI points!


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## Kola (Aug 10, 2010)

mck said:


> Thanks for all the suggestions!
> 
> We will have some RCI points to use up so are hoping to stay in a timeshare for our second week and travel around from there - with some relaxing thrown in! I mentioned Cape Cod only because there looks to be good availability there at the moment. As long as we can fill in a week ok?
> 
> ...



I know some people wouldn't agree with me but IMO spending a week in NY City in late June/early August is a waste of your time and money. I wouldn't survive more than a couple of days ! Why not get a week at a nice Marriott Fairways resort in Galloway Twnsh, NJ and visit Philadelphia (one hr. away) the NJ coast and Atlantic City. Getting an exchange anywhere on the east coast for the first week of July will be very, very tough. You will be lucky to get a decent exchange on Cape Cod but keep in mind there is a very limited number of oceanfront timeshares. Rhode Island is very nice but also very difficult to get in the summer and very expensive to rent. If you have some flexibility in terms of dates you may do better to schedule your trip before school summer holidays. Oh, and skip Niagra Falls, too far, too commercial. Good luck.


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## mck (Aug 11, 2010)

Thanks Kola!

When do the school summer holidays start/finish?
Schools here don't break up until the end of July!

We could always postpone our trip til September I suppose. What would the weather be like then?


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## jaym (Aug 11, 2010)

mck said:


> Thanks Kola!
> 
> When do the school summer holidays start/finish?
> Schools here don't break up until the end of July!
> ...



 Primary schools usually finish the year around last week of June or so around here, at least in Massachusetts. Generally never extend much beyond that if snow days were added to the year. Colleges wrap up around mid-May or so. 
 September in Boston and many parts of New England can provide some excellent weather. One of my favorite times of year in New England.
You may find bright, dry days, and cool nights requiring only a light jacket or sweater. Of course, that's if not experiencing a wave of hurricane remnants or actual full blown storms (rare) across the region. That's NE, never know what to expect so be prepared for anything!
Also, note that September is the start of peak foilage (leaf peepers) season in the north, NH and VT, so better strategy might be to plan on visiting Cape Cod and/or other southern coastal areas of New England if you decide to visit after Labor Day. Beautiful and accessible, good rates.  
If you do postpone until September, I would also consider moving your focus further south to Washington D.C. and possibly Philadelphia where there are an abundance of locations, museums, historical, boat tours, shopping, etc. Temperatures moderate, more enjoyable for touring....just ask anyone from the area as they are enduring a very hot summer.  Enjoy planning!


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## Kola (Aug 11, 2010)

mck said:


> Thanks Kola!
> 
> When do the school summer holidays start/finish?
> Schools here don't break up until the end of July!
> ...



You already got one response to that question ("Primary schools usually finish the year around last week of June or so around here, at least in Massachusetts...")  This is a general rule but I would say that each state has somewhat different rules.

 My point is that perhaps "the worse time" to come would be the week that includes July 4th holiday unless you want to witness the parades, fireworks, etc. This will be the most difficult time to get resort accomodation in the north-east and hotel prices are always way up. 

Keep in  mind that New York, NJ, other coastal areas, could be VERY hot and humid in July like this year temperatures sored to 37 deg C. with humidex in the order of 45 C. We happened to be 1st week of July at a resort in northern New Jersey, it was a bit cooler there but still almost unbearable unless you were in a pool. Now, granted not every summer is as hot as this year but I would not plan on being in a large city like NY or Boston walking hot pavements. 
If you do have flexibility, I think late August - early Sept. would be a better time to visit north-east. 

K.


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## mck (Aug 19, 2010)

Hi ! Me again!

I have now booked our week at the Manhattan club for middle of June 2011. 

Have had a look at likely timeshare availability for the second week and it looks like it will either be Cape Cod or Brigantine/Atlantic City.

Which to choose? I need to consider time and ease of getting to resort from NY and what there is to do once we're there. I believe Philadelphia is a day trip from Atlantic City?

Where should we go? We haven't been to Cape Cod or Atlantic City before.

Thanks in advance!


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## pkyorkbeach (Aug 19, 2010)

I think Cape Cod is beautiful.  There are many towns and lots to see and do.  Quaint shops, great ice cream etc....The beaches are lovely too!!

Atlantic City has the beach and the Casinos.  I stayed on the Boardwalk twice in a hotel.  Did not enjoy the beach on the strip.


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## SailBadtheSinner (Aug 20, 2010)

mck wrote: _...Have had a look at likely timeshare availability for the second week and it looks like it will either be Cape Cod or Brigantine/Atlantic City...._

If you do select Cape Cod, here's a list of to dos:

Walk & visit Chatham:
http://www.chathaminfo.com/
Visit Chatham light:
http://lighthouse.cc/chatham/
Visit Cape Cod Light, N. Turo:
http://lighthouse.cc/highland/index.html
Visit the Nauset Light, Eastham:
http://www.nausetlight.org/
Walk & visit Hyannis:
http://www.hyannis.com/
Walk & visit P-town:
http://www.iamprovincetown.com/index.html
Climb the Pilgrims monument in P-town:
http://www.pilgrim-monument.org/
Go whale watching from P-town:
http://www.whalewatch.com/
Go whale watching from Hyannis:
http://www.whales.net/
Visit the Cape Cod National Seashore
http://www.nps.gov/caco/index.htm 
Hike/bike the Cape Cod rail trail:
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/ccrt.htm
Take a train ride from Hyannis:
http://www.capetrain.com/
Visit Marth’s Vinyard or Nantucket by ferry from Woods Hole or Hyannis:
http://web1.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/
http://www.hy-linecruises.com/
Go antiquing on Rte 6A:
http://www.capecodcommission.org/byway.htm
Saturday flea market at Wellfleet:
http://www.wellfleetdrivein.com/
Take a hike!
http://www.cctrails.org/
Take a dune tour of CCNS from P-town
http://www.artsdunetours.com/
Do some shopping at the Christmas Tree Shops (there are 6?? on Cape Cod):
http://www.christmastreeshops.com/massachusetts.html
Watch the fishermen unload the catch of the day at the Chatham Fish Pier & then buy it at the little fish store there:
http://www.telecamsystems.com/fishpier/
Walk on all of Cape Cod’s boardwalks:
http://www.capecodtravel.com/attractions/walkingbiking/boardwalk0499.shtml
Museums:
http://www.capecodweb.com/capeinfo/cape_cod_museums.htm


SBtS


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## Rene McDaniel (Aug 21, 2010)

mck said:


> I have now booked our week at the Manhattan club for middle of June 2011.



Congratulations.  We just returned from the Manhattan Club in July.  You will have a great time there.  We have exchanged there for July 4th week several times now, and have not found the weather to be THAT bad.  The Manhattan Club has fabulous air conditioning, and even on really hot days, it is cooler in the mornings & evenings.  If it gets really hot mid-day, you can always pop into one of the museums:  Metropolitan Museum of Art, MOMA, Guggenheim, National History Museum, Frick, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, etc.  A hot afternoon can also be a great time to see a Broadway or off-Broadway matinee, or have a stroll, picnic, or rent bikes in Central Park.  We always have a great time in New York, even if it is hot mid-day.  Mid-June, I think you should be fine, and not have any major problems with heat.

For your week #2, it might help to know what sorts of things you enjoy doing on vacation. As a west coaster, I've never heard much of anything good about Atlantic City or New Jersey.  (I just think of casinos and an unattractive Boardwalk, but maybe things have changed?)  However, I have heard a lot of good things about Cape Cod,Boston and the charms of New England, so that area would be *my* first choice.  Maybe East Coasters would have more information on that.

After our week in NYC we added on a week in Washington DC, and found it a completely different city experience than New York.  We enjoyed the wide variety of museums (most are free), parks, zoos, walking & dining in charming Georgetown at night.  The closest timeshare would be the Wyndham in Alexandria, Virginia (@ the end of the DC metro line).  However, we wanted to stay right in the heart of the city, so we rented our timeshare for $950, and used that money to book a 1-bedroom w/kitchen & living room at the George Washington University Inn for 6 nights (tripadvisor.com lead). It was near the famous Watergate Hotel & walking distance to Georgetown.  We took the Amtrak train from NYC (Penn Station) to DC (Union Station) & buying tickets in advance it was only $49/each for the 3 hour ride.  We could have taken the Chinatown bus for $10-$15, but I felt the train would be more comfortable, predictable & easier for dealing with luggage.

Both the TUG reviews and Tripadvisor are great resources as you start to research your options for your second week.  Feel free to PM me if you have additional questions.

--- Rene McDaniel


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