the summer trip new york state to where

[truckeruk]

Where do we start ...every year we ask the same question ..and the answer is always quite simple really...find a site that has like minded people ( like here ) and ask the collective wisdom for their advice. So here I am.
Now to the fun part well , the question: Mmmm this always sounds easier then it actually is so here goes !

My wife and I will fly into Boston on the 14th June this will be our first time in New England and we plan to spend 5 nights in Boston; will hopefully give us time to do the tourist things ..lol. Part 2 of the trip is to catch a train yes people a train, something I have not been on for at least 15 years and never ever had the experience of catching one in the USA. So its the train from Boston on the 19th June to the "Big Apple" and another 5 nights to explore .
Now here comes the difficult bit I have arranged in a moment of sheer madness to hire a car from Avis for 16 days and that we are going to collect it from central Manhatten which should be fun. So now I am after ideas of what best to see and how much can I cram in , in these 16 days. These are bits that must be included within our trip;
1) We must end up in Boston on the 9th July
2) We would like to visit Niagara Falls.
Also we would like to split the driving between boring interstates and nice country roads.
Current ideas are;
1) New York -D.C.-Niagara-Boston Would this be too much to take in, in such a short time. Would we end up just stoping each night to sleep and not really seeing anything .
2) New York - Niagara - Boston. this involes just taking our time driving through NYS to the falls and back through VT to Boston.
So fellow travelers its now down to you to hopefully try and steer me in the right directions ...seriously any input would be much appericated.
thanks all of you in advance

[East Coast with kids]

Sounds like you are coming from overseas for this trip -like we are-. In that case, i think it would be worth while to go down to DC, the trip is not too long and D.C is one of the most beautiful cities in the USA. The National Gallery is gorgeous, as it is the Hirshhorn museum. and walkin on the smithsonian mall in the summer is a treat. up to the falls from there can be long, but you can take turns driving at night and get there the next day.
Good luck. sounds like a good plan. Boston and NYC should prove great destinations. Do not forget to go to Nirvana, a great indian restaurant next to the Plaza hotel on central park south. and in Boston Harvard sq. is a must.

[truckeruk]

thanks for the quick reply...the trouble with doing this is ..at some point "she who must be obeyed" and myself have to make some choices. I must admit that the idea of DC does appeal to me but we would then want to spend some time in Philly on the way to DC and time in the Amish Countys on the way to the Falls.
The driving part does not worry me (after all I do it for a living) but it would be only me doing the driving as the wife cant get her head around the fact that you all drive on the wrong side of the road and your cars are a lot bigger then her little mini.
but my biggest concern is that we need to actually stop and relax along the way rather then spending all day every day in the car if you know what i mean .on previous trips to the US our mistake was trying to see and do to much .again thanks for the help has given me ,us , more to think about

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

With 16 days, you can actually see quite a lot of that region of the country. Keep in mind that no two places that you've listed in your current ideas are more than a day's drive from each other at most. So that leaves quite a few days for you and SWMBO to relax and explore your destinations, even if you were to combine both of your proposed itineraries. I might 'steal' a day from Boston or New York to make the driving portion more relaxing, but otherwise, I think you could anticipate alternating a driving day with two or three 'seeing and doing' days, and even then your driving days would not be "spending all day every day in the car".

Just a couple of additional points and tips. The train service between Boston and New York is some of the best in our country, particularly if you travel on either the Metroliner or Acela trains. While it is true that one of us drives on the wrong side of the road, I have never found that the transition takes more than a few minutes to get comfortable with, and our secondary roads are proportionately wider to accommodate our wider cars. There is always room to allow two cars going in opposite directions to get by each other. In Amish country, actually I strongly suggest that you get onto these back roads (Pennsylvania state highways with 3 digit numbers, such as PA-896, PA-340, etc). But slow down on these roads. Especially if you are driving through on a Sunday, you are quite likely to round a curve or top a hill and find yourself right behind a horse and buggy moving at 5-10 mph. Also be aware that the Amish do not like to have their pictures taken, so honor their sensibilities or at least be circumspect. The other area where you should poke around some of our 'B' roads is in Vermont. VT-100 which runs north-south through the center of the state is particularly scenic.

AZBuck

[truckeruk]

thanks for the advice ..have now booked Acela Train from Boston and with help from some friends from another site was advised of promo codes to get 25% discount ..was well pleased every little saving helps.
Am now trying to work out best route for the trip current ideas are nyc- philly am not sure how long this part will take but assume hopefully not more then 2/3 hrs with a night spent in philly should gives ue the best part of 2 days to explore the city ..then on to DC for 2/3 nights ...then a night in Lancaster county before going on to the falls for a couple of days then ..???...well we are still looking like the idea of Vermont as we both love the "rolling hills ideal" also that might give us the chance to get "lost"and just see where we end up ..lol after all although we /I am getting on in years I still like some sort of Safe adventure if you know what i mean ...so now bake to the map book and the guide books ....thanks again for the help

[Quebec Gen]

well we are still looking like the idea of Vermont as we both love the "rolling hills ideal" also that might give us the chance to get "lost"and just see where we end up

For Vermont and New England suggestions I suggest you read this post.

Gen

[Aboslet1]

I recommened, if you are going from NYC to Niagara Falls, to stop in the Finger Lakes Region. There are many nice towns in the area, such as Ithaca (artsy college town right on Cayuga Lake), Hammondsport (small bed/breakfast town on Keuka), Corning, Watkins Glen, ect. If you like baseball, check out Cooperstown, for the Baseball Hall of Fame is there. Also, when coming back from the Falls to Boston, I would recommend taking a quick swing up north into the Adirondacks. Absolutely beautiful...