Boston - Niagara - New York!! Any Advice Please Xx

[Noclusa]

Hi Ya, Hope all are well!!! :-)

Me, my partner and another couple (all male if that helps/matters!!!) have just booked flights to Boston, landing the evening of June 21st & returning from JFK on the evening of July 2nd!!! We have an idea of what we would like to do but not sure on the practicality of it all!!!

Ideal plan as follows:

21st = Night in Boston
22nd = Day/Night in Boston
23rd = Travel towards Niagara, overnight stay en-route
24th = Arrive in Niagara, Night in Niagara
25th = Day/Night in Niagara
26th = Travel towards New York, overnight stay en-route
27th = Arrive in New York, 5 night stay
2nd July Return Home :-(

We would all love to go to Niagara but this does not have to be a certainty but obviously we HAVE to go to New York for our return flights!! If anyone can let me no if our IDEAL plan seems reasonable that would be great if not then any alternative ideas would be lovely!!!

If this is possible then any suggestions on: car Hire, Route's, places to see/stay en-rote, hotels for Boston, Niagara & New York, or maybe an apartment in New York if this would be better!!!

Ideas on things to do, must see's and stay away form's would also be appreciated!!

Budget: Not a endless pot, mid-range but we all love a bargain!!!

Thank you and Happy 2010!!!

:-)
Xx

[Mass Tim]

Welcome to the RoadTrip America Forum!

This plan certainly isn't out of the ordinary. Chances are you'll have the best luck renting a car in Boston at Logan - there are eight companies to choose from. There will be an extra charge for a one-way rental, as well as if any driver is under age 25.

You've done well to give yourself a couple of days from Boston to Niagara and again back to New York City. You have some time to explore as these trips aren't much more than 8 hours, each way.

You may be interesting in exploring the Finger Lakes region of New York, or perhaps the Erie Canal. Along the Mohawk River Valley are a lot of historical and agricultural areas which are quite far removed from the squalor of city life.

I would recommend a stop in the Catskills during part of the second day from Niagara to NYC.

[Lifemagician]

Just wanted to add to Tim's suggestions, all of which I endorse.

On top of that, though, may I encourage you to leave Boston on one of the minor highways, such as 9 or 20. Rural Massachusetts is such a marvel with its quaint towns and fascinating history, not to mention the scenery and architecture. None of which is readily obvious from the MassPike.

Lifey who loves rural MA

[scosm]

The best place to look for sublets in New York City is on Craigslist (craigslist dot org and click on the sublets/temporary link). Some people do nightly sublets that are more or less like hotel rooms. Not sure if it makes sense for only 5 nights though.

One place to consider for NYC hotels is in Jersey City near the PATH train or other parts of New Jersey right across the river from New York. The hotels there are a little cheaper, but of course you wouldn't be staying in Manhattan if that is a big deal to you. You could also try to get a hotel in Queens or Brooklyn. Whatever hotel you pick, I would call the hotel up and ask how far away public transportation (and how far the trip is to Manhattan) is to make sure you can get in and out of Manhattan easily. (Some parts of Queens and Brooklyn are very close to Manhattan, e.g. Long Island City in Queens and Brooklyn Heights in Brooklyn, but those boroughs are large cities unto themselves so your probably don't want to be staying at the hotel airports in Queens for example.) The same holds true if you are doing a sublet -- figure out where it is and if it is close to a convenient subway stop before booking. You'll most likely want to return your rental car as soon as you get to NYC as it will be of no use to you driving around the city unless you'll be taking day trips outside of the city.

A couple of other places I'd recommend that you could stop at on your drive are the Hudson River Valley in New York state and the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Not to take away from the Finger Lakes or Catskills -- all the areas mentioned are beautiful. You could probably find bed and breakfasts in any of those areas that would be a nice spot to spend a night.

EDIT: I should add, if you want to go out to bars/clubs in NYC a lot, it might be a pain to stay in Jersey City or one of the boroughs. Not impossible by any means I can attest, but it adds a few more minutes to your commute back to your temporary residence.

[Mass Tim]

... may I encourage you to leave Boston on one of the minor highways, such as 9 or 20.

Lifey who loves rural MA

This of course depends on the day of the week you will be traveling these routes! Having spent many years traveling MA-9 during the week in the Worcester area, I wouldn't recommend it. However, from the Brookfield area west, it's a nice ride.

Similarly, US-20 is a much different animal west of Westfield, following a windy path through the hills alongside a river.

You could go along I-90 to Palmer, MA-32 North to Ware and MA-9, then follow MA-9, stop at the Quabbin Reservoir. Continue on MA-9 to I-91 North, then MA-2 West through the Mohwak Trail and into New York, getting back on I-90 in Albany.

[Noclusa]

Thank you for all your helps, very appreciated!!

More welcomed!!!!

Xx

[mancjim]

We did a similar trip 3 years ago and stayed in a stunning little hotel called the Aurora Inn, which stargely is in Aurora on the side of the lake. Staying here made the drive to Niagara much more bearable.