Advice for visiting New England and New York

[BlueVinney]

We're flying into Boston at the beginning of October, about 3 weeks before our eastbound TA on Cunard Queen Mary 2. We're planning to rent a car and spend the time touring the New England states, finishing in New York for a few days sightseeing before the cruise. Not having been this far up the east coast for many years I'd appreciate help and advice to firm up our plans.

 

1. We want to experience the whole area and take in the Fall colours. Please could we have suggestions for a good route to see the best the whole area offers but not be too early or late for the colours at any location on our journey.

2. We've only booked our first night's hotel, near Boston Logan and all the others are open. I guess the few days in New York city will also need reserving but what about the remainder of the time? Are there any other times/places that could have all the hotels full so will need to pre-book?

3. Car rental companies seem to like airports, certainly when reserving from England! Which NY area airport is most convenient to return our rental car and then transfer to a hotel? I'd pencilled in Newark Liberty but would appreciate advice.

4. I'm assuming a hotel in Manhattan would be best for our purposes. Any suggestions for one with reasonable location and prices?

 

Thanks for your help.

[1025cruise]

Dates are going to be necessary for this. Early October includes Columbus Day weekend, which in the Northeast is a long weekend for most people. Definitely book a hotel in advance.

With regards to NY airports, Newark is in New Jersey. If you are planning on staying in Manhattan, there are local rentals in Manhattan that you should be able to drop off at, depending on the company. Also keep in mind that Manhattan and reasonable hotel costs don't normally mix.

[138east]

Yes dates are necessary. Even with time in Boston and New York, three weeks is a long time. What time does your flight get into Boston and where are you coming from? Which Logan hotel are you staying at and what are you paying? To get your trip started off right, I would consider renting the car immediately and getting out of the city in the direction you will be traveling. Rockport comes to mind at that time of year.

[BlueVinney]

Thanks 1025cruise for such a quick reply.

 

We'll be collecting the car on the morning of 4 October - looks as though we may have a problem with Columbus Day holiday! Hope we can quickly decide on a route and know where we will be over that weekend to get booked.

 

Seem to be getting best car rental package prices from Budget (visitors from Europe need a higher level of insurance cover than US nationals). I'd prefer not to drive into Manhattan and an airport drop off is well signed with good transportation links into NYC.

 

Fully appreciate that 'reasonable' has different meaning for Manhattan hotel rooms compared with those outside the metro area. However, it would be good to have guidance between the 'value' of the rate for different hotels. We need somewhere which is clean and gives a comfortable night's sleep with reasonably easy access to public transport links for the tourist sights. We'll plan to be seeing those sights for the rest of our stay.

 

It's been over 20 years since we last stayed in Manhattan so I'm sure many things will have changed since then.

[1025cruise]

It may be too late, but since you have time to burn, last year on Columbus Day weekend, I drove up to North Conway NH and took the Conway Scenic Railroad 5 hour train. Was a great way to see foliage. Unfortunately, it may be too late to book the train, as well as get a reasonably priced hotel in the North Conway area.

[Got2Cruise]

You might consider JFK as another airport to drop off the auto. You can take the airtrain from the rental to the Jamaica Station and transfer to the Long Island Railroad directly into Manhattan. You could visit the Hamptons, or the North Fork wineries of Long Island which are lovely in October.

[greatam]

Just a couple of helpful hints. You need to get as far north as possible immediately if you are looking for fall foliage. And make those arrangements NOW. The leaf peepers will be out in force. Hotels/motels/B&B's will be PACKED (may already be sold out in prime viewing areas).

 

We haul firewood for all the hotels/motels/B & B's every year for leaf peeper season. Our orders are almost double this year against what they have been the last two years, so it looks like everyone is expecting a busy season. Try to go to the best foliage areas during the week-it will be less crowded and you have a better chance of getting accommodations. Here's a handy guide. http://www.leafpeepers.com/ As you can see, the Berkshires (western MA) is peak the first week in October. And some areas of VT/NH are already past their peak by the first week of October.

 

The cities will take care of themselves and can be visited any time.

 

Enjoy your trip. There is nothing prettier in the USA than fall foliage in the NE.

[marco]

Three weeks is plenty of time to see/do a lot in New England/New York. I'd check out a guide book and see what's where in conjunction with your interests, other than just seeing the foliage. Some places I would consider checking out would be Newport RI, Mystic Ct and the nearby Casino, Cape Cod, Burlington VT, Portland Maine and it's a bit of a drive, but Niagra Falls and the fFingerlake district of upper NY state, wineries around New England and Long Island. I'd think 3 weeks would be plenty of time to cover a good bit of territory, but I'd definately have an itinerary and game plan (and reservations) all mapped out beforehand.