Visiting the U.S from down under

How did you even find this board?

Going from the East Coast to the West Coast is quite a trip. The US is quite large so I hope you’re prepared for that. This would be like doing Sydney, Melbourne, Ayers Rock and Perth in the same trip.

I would spend more time in NYC than Boston, for sure. I’m not that familiar with the NE so others will give better info.

I referred him to this site. Gaming buddy

Good luck on your findings, Kim

Red Sox game in Boston, Niagara Falls Canada side, Toronto is a cool place.

Hi Kimtown.

I have lived in Boston for the last 6 years and created a thread a while back with a ton of suggestions of what to do when you're in Boston. It's full of great information (in my opinion) and I do my best to keep it updated. I'm linking that thread below.

I would also be happy to answer any specific questions you have to make sure you have a great time in the city. I can also be a resource for places to go within a drive of Boston.

For starters, what kinds of things are you looking to do? What do you like to eat/drink? Do you like fancier restaurants or keep it local? What's your budget? Any details like that you can give would be helpful!



LINK

Connecticut and Rhode Island are beautiful this time of year. Def hit the back roads to find some New England charm. The coast along the Long Island Sound is really charming. Hit up Mystic, CT. All of those areas are 2-3 hr drives from Boston. You can find a B&B all over those areas. Make a 2-3 day trip of it.

Thanks so much guys.. especially AbitaFan08! Big fan of any type of beer and I've been told N.E area has heaps of great seafood, any recomendations within Boston or anywhere else?

FrankKaminski, have my babies.

Bloupe02, who are ya???

Agreed , went three years ago and abita was spot on .

So the 1st to the 12th starting in Boston and ending in NY with a need to be in Boston for at least 2-3 days with some uncertainty as to which days you have to be there?

If it were me, I’d cut out Niagra. It is 8 hours from Boston so is going to take 2 days of your trip at least. Not worth it to me. Full disclosure, I’ve never been.

I’d plan 4-5 days in Boston. Between the Celtics games and the history there that’s not too long IMO. Since you are a sports fan, I’d definitely try to check out a Sox game or even better a Bruins playoff game. I would also post again when you know where you are staying for specific neighborhood reccs, though Boston is easy to get around in.

It looks most likely to me that the Celtics games you have tickets for will be sometime between May 2-5 which would work out perfectly for your travel schedule as you could fly into Boston and make that your first stop.

If for some reason you needed to kill a day on the front end, I’d look at a quick trip down to Rhode Island or maybe up to Vermont for a beer.

Once you leave Boston and assuming Philly is a must, I’d fly/take train to DC. 3-4 days in DC and 3-4 days in Philly and you are all set.

If DC isn’t an option and you must drive, that’s a weird one as you will be driving past NY to Philly and then back up. Maybe I’d look at a lodge or camping in the Catskills? Or a day or two on Cape Cod/Martha’s Vinyard, though the weather this time of year is unpredictable at best.

If Niagra is a must-do, that’s going to put you way out west in NY state with a lot of Penn backwoods to drive through to get to Philly. I might look at a couple of days in the Alleghenies? A quick stop in Hershey? Literally don’t know what I would do on a drive from Niagra to Philly. It would probably remind me of my home state of Alabama from what I’ve heard.

Good luck!

Boston
Different areas of the city
· Back Bay – tons of high end shops and restaurants
· North End – delicious Italian food
· Seaport – right on the water and lots of nice restaurants
· Financial District – Faneuil Hall
· Charlestown – Navy Yard and Freedom Trail
· Beacon Hill – couple shops and good for walking around
· South End – smaller, boutique shops

Places/Activities
· Fenway Park
· The Freedom Trail
· Boston Common
· Boston Duck Tours
· Museum of Fine Arts
· The Paul Revere House – North End
· Hanover Street – North End
· Faneuil Hall Marketplace
· Newbury Street and Boylston Street – Back Bay
· Charles Street – Beacon Hill
· Harvard Square – Cambridge
· Boston Harbor/Waterfront
· Tremont Street – South End
· Castle Island – Southie

Food/Drink/Restaurants
· Mike's Pastry/Modern Pastry – Two of the best competing bakeries in town. Get the cannoli.
· Beantown Pub – Only place in the world you can “drink a cold Sam while looking at a cold Sam” – Sam Adams is buried in the cemetery across the street.
· Pier 6 Waterfront – Charlestown location with great views of the skyline.
· Neptune Oyster
· Island Creek Oyster Bar
· Bleacher Bar – Bar located in center field of Fenway with views into stadium.
· Cask'n Flagon – One of America’s most popular sports bars on Landsdown Street.
· Tony C's – Great rooftop for watching the Red Sox
· Legal Harborside
· Harpoon Brewery
· Pizzeria Regina – Original location in the north end.
· Monica's – Great for fresh sandwiches
· Bricco
· Vinoteca di Monica
· Mamma Maria
· Mistral
· Top of the Hub – On the 53rd floor of the Prudential Tower. Also has an observatory.

DC, Philly, and NYC are all large cities within your driving radius. If you’d rather not drive and make the trip a little easier you can do all of these by train. I believe the Amtrak even runs to

In the large cities the “hop on, hop off” tours allow you to hit most of the high points, hop off the bus for what you want to see and stay on for what you want to skip. Easy way to get introduced to the city, see different neighborhoods and the important parts of the city.

I hope you enjoy your holiday.

If I were you, I’d personally want something different than the Northeast coast of the US. NYC/Boston/Philly are not all that different. They’ve all gotten pretty nasty over the recent years. San Francisco has gotten real bad over the last few.

What about driving down to Charleston SC or Savannah georgia?

Montreal and Quebec City are really great, and fun drives

Or colonial Williamsburg, followed up with Richmond VA. (The Shenandoah River Valley in the western portion of Virginia is beautiful)

Portland Maine is nice and somewhat unique.