East coast of the USA

In about 3 weeks I am going on holiday to the east coast of the USA I will be spending a few days in New York, a couple of days in Boston and then about a week in cape cod, I have no idea what I should go and see so if anyone has any suggestions I would be really greatful. I have never been to the USA befor and am quite excited.

O M G ! ! you´ll have a fab time, I´m not from USA but have been to New York and Boston and theres loads a cool stuff to do ! What I found useful was to do a list of the things I defo wanted to see, just to make sure I didnt miss things. Sleep was a bit of a problem for me, the old jet-lag and time diff. really caught up with me.
Have a great time and keep us posted on the fun !
ps - I am planning a New York trip next year, so will keep my eye on the suggestions from our American buddies

What type of things do you normally like to do? Are you into scenic drives, museums, shopping, historical sites??

Here is a thread I started with some pictures of Cape Cod

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...light=cape+cod

Well if you were goint to be going to Maryland, I'd say the site to see there is ME! *lol*

Are you going to make it to Washington DC? There are some amazing museums there.

Oh yes Washington DC is the best! Course if you live in the Area it gets kinda boring (always take the Metro, never try to park). Also some of the beaches are just awesome (the beaches of NC and SC are some of the best, next to FL of course).

Hey Nerelda, where in MD do you live? I used to live in Landover!

It depends on what your interests are. Anyway, in my book to get a nice flavor of New York City I reccomend a trip on the staten island ferry. It's also free, you just have to take the subway down there. You can also check out the metropolitan museum of art. If you go to the empire state building get there way early. It is the highest point in NYC since 9/11. A new attraction for a view is "top of the rock" I checked it out, it was very pretty. (The top of rockefeller center). I love going to chinatown in NYC. Good museums include ellis island, and the museum of the city of new york. Times square is neat to check out as well. I also wouldn't be afraid of the subway, it is much better than it used to be.
I like boston but I find it a very frusturating city to visit. Parking is tough and the T (the subway in boston) is kinda tricky, plus it doesn't run all night. Streets are a bit more confusing. Quincy Market is a nice place for shopping and very historical. There is an aquarium in boston and other stuff to do.
In sturbridge, ma which is right in the middle of NYC and boston you will find sturbridge village, which gives you the flavor of what life was like in New England inthe 1800's. Hartford has the mark twain house and harriet beecher stowe house. There are other musuems in the smaller cities in NE, but it's hard to name them all!
OH, and be sure to have some lobster when you are on the cape.

Is it a non-tour trip? I.e. you're going on your own/with friends, but not on a planned tour?

In Boston, There's a restaurant boat that sails out into the harbor and you can eat some of the best lobster on board. Just beware - you have to crack it open yourself. I was 18, freaked and had a friend of mine do it for me!

There's also Nathanial Hall, which is a very awesome place for shopping. I'm not sure where it is, but it is somewhere Boston.

You can take an hour trip to Salem, MA famous for the Witch Trials in early America. The only thing that I missed was the Witch Trial museum which has a very awesome ambiance to it....I think we were there on a Sunday and left before it opened.

Oh yes, and Cheers is a famous bar (If you have ever heard of American TV w/ Ted Danson from the 80s & 90s) its similar to that. Again, I couldn't go in because I was 18 (on with my high school peers).

Hope this helps! Sorry I haven't been to NYC or Cape Cod yet.

That's Faneiul Hall in Boston, great shopping and eating. A little of everything!

http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/

The aquarium in Boston is good and you should do the Freedom Trail (is the the right name??) trail walk in Boston.

Yes, the aquarium is excellent. It is called the Freedom Trail.

I would like to suggest that one take the "Fast Ferry" from Long Warf, Boston to Provincetown. Don't miss the Grapenut flavored ice cream across the street from Macmillan Wharf.

Originally Posted by neetanddave

That's Faneiul Hall in Boston, great shopping and eating. A little of everything!

http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/

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Ooops..my bad...you can tell how well I paid attention

Originally Posted by lunasmom

Oh yes, and Cheers is a famous bar (If you have ever heard of American TV w/ Ted Danson from the 80s & 90s) its similar to that. Again, I couldn't go in because I was 18 (on with my high school peers).
.

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The Cheers bar is actually called the bull & finch or something like that. I don't know if they did change the name to cheers The front was filmed and used as the front of the cheers bar on TV. I never went in but I heard it looks different inside. I think it's along the freedom trail. I forgot all about that, it's been so long since I went to Boston. Salem is a fun town!

Oh, and one of my favorite towns to explore in Mass is Northhampton. It's an old college town but it has tons of cool little shops. It's about two hours away from boston.

Originally Posted by zak&rocky

The Cheers bar is actually called the bull & finch or something like that. I don't know if they did change the name to cheers The front was filmed and used as the front of the cheers bar on TV. I never went in but I heard it looks different inside. I think it's along the freedom trail. I forgot all about that, it's been so long since I went to Boston. Salem is a fun town!

Oh, and one of my favorite towns to explore in Mass is Northhampton. It's an old college town but it has tons of cool little shops. It's about two hours away from boston.

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Of course this was 10 years ago...but I remember the bus driving by a sign that said Cheers...it was different from the one in the show...the one we drove by had the Cheers logo and the buildings were all white or light gray stone. Not the dark brown you see in the show...

I'll see if I have a picture.

I used to live in NY, and there is SO much to do... just shopping alone could take days! Definately see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. You can take a ferry to the island, so you get a boat ride, a nice view of the city, a tour of the inside of the statue, and the museum as well. Also, there are shops & stuff on the island... And times square is a must. See if you can catch a play on or off Broadway. There are tons of clubs in the city, if you like to go and have a drink... fyi, cabs are a fortune and so is parking... so figure out what works best with your party, and car pool. Take a carriage ride through central park, visit the battleships along the West Side Hwy, be like King Kong and go to the top of the Empire State Bldg! But 1 thing I have to say, make sure you eat a slice of pizza there, and not from a chain pizza place, from some mom & pop's pizza place, where the cook is the owner who's 110 and has been making them his mom's way since he was 12. And get a fresh bagel for breakfast 1 day, not from your hotel, again from the locals.... they're so good. Of course the museums... the MOMA, the Guggenheim (sp?), The Museum of Natural History... there's so many to choose from... have a good time!

New York City has many iconic places to visit like Libery Island, Ellis Island (19 cen immigrant processing site) and Broadway shows. At teh Statue of Libery I would skip the line to go to the crown... the window is foggie and too small to see anything anyway. Empire State Building has a great view of the city. You have to eat at a corner hotdog stand... it was great. Musuems, historical tours are always fun. You could watch a baseball game, if the Yankees, Mets, or Red Soxs are in town. If you are planning on seeing a show or a game, I'd get tickets now rather then when you arrive. Both cities should have tourism websites, that offer things to do and see.

Thanks for all your help there is so much to think about, it isn't a tour trip so It will just be me, my dad my brother and sister trying to see as much as possible.

Is the subway similar to the tube?

cape cod looks so lovely in those photos! I am so excited now I can't wait I am not looking forward to the flight though but it shouldn't be as bad as when I went to australia or brazil so that is one positive!

Yup the subway is like the tube.. In NYC it's called the metro actually. You just walk down the stairs, slide your card and you are there. I think it's 2 bucks a ride or you can get a 7 dollar "fun pass" that is good for the day. I like that option b/c I don't have to worry about taking short trips if I'm too pooped to walk. It's a good idea to kinda familiarize yourself with it cause it is confusing. Uptown goes north, downtown south. The lines are colored coded, but on the line you can have express trains, different numbers and letters. They seem to call them by letter or number, not color. I'm sorry to go on and on, I am just so proud of myself for figuring it out. I usually take the commuter train in from the suburbs b/c parking is such a nightmare.. It usually is not included in your hotel rate!
Boston has the T.. which is also a subway.

Originally Posted by zak&rocky

Yup the subway is like the tube.. In NYC it's called the metro actually. You just walk down the stairs, slide your card and you are there. I think it's 2 bucks a ride or you can get a 7 dollar "fun pass" that is good for the day. I like that option b/c I don't have to worry about taking short trips if I'm too pooped to walk. It's a good idea to kinda familiarize yourself with it cause it is confusing. Uptown goes north, downtown south. The lines are colored coded, but on the line you can have express trains, different numbers and letters. They seem to call them by letter or number, not color. I'm sorry to go on and on, I am just so proud of myself for figuring it out. I usually take the commuter train in from the suburbs b/c parking is such a nightmare.. It usually is not included in your hotel rate!
Boston has the T.. which is also a subway.

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From what you have said it sounds really similar to the tube with the exception of express trains we don't have those. My dad has been to New york before so I assume he knows what to do.....atleast I hope he does.