Meneer Guggenheimer

Hi

For a film a need to visit some locations and I will do this from this saturday. I have a few places to visit and I just wanted to fill the other time with some detours

11feb till 13feb I will be in and around Anandale NJ
14feb till 15feb I will be in and around Philidephia
16feb till 18feb I will be in and around Hoveton, Pensilvenia
20feb till 21feb I will be in Boston
22feb I fly back to AMS

I fly into and out from JFK. Have a car rented. DO NOT NEED to go to Manhattan (I am there every 4 weeks)

I need to visit a few locations and talk to people but have a lot of time to spare. I want it to make into a road trip and need some tips from people who know. What is what I need to see along this road trip, my question is!

Was thinking to drive via Niagra falls and Canada to Boston.

Do not mind to drive a lot during the day. I will not have to chance to this in the near future anyway so I would like to do a nice drive.

Boston can be dropped if you have alternatives!

I like to experience the landscape, country and people

I am a bit flexible with the dates of the visits

Appreciate your help!

Letitride3c

That's quite a bit of distance driving up thru Penn. to Niagara Falls, cross into Canada (Toronto) toward Montreal, etc. and back down toward Boston, MA in 2 days - much of your time will be driving behind the wheels (per your schedule.)

If you do, please make sure your car rental company is aware of your plan to drive across the border (and that you have unlimited mileage included) plus the car is properly winterized - it should have all-season tires but ice/snow tires and/or chains are often better up in the "lake" regions as it is still winter. Long-range weather forecast for these places is mainly cold & snow showers, no major storms or blizzards in the 10 day forecast, so that's good news.

Perhaps you might want to stay along the East Coast up & down the I-95 corridors, spend a day or two in the Capital (Washington, DC & MD/VA area) - see the Baltimore Inner Harbor, towns along the Connecticut coastlines to Rhode Island, and maybe even checkout Cape Cod in the winter before reaching Boston.

Guercifgal

If you want the true historic Philadelphia experience, you have to visit the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Betsy Ross House. I suggest taking one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tours so that you can see everything in a day. If you want a museum-oriented experience, visit the Art Museum (where you can run up the steps like Rocky Balboa), the Franklin Institute, and the Rodin Museum (largest Rodin collection outside of Paris). You also have to try the food that is unique to Philly - cheese steaks, water ice, and soft pretzels. There is a whole thread on FlyerTalk debating the best place to get a cheese steak (which isn't a steak, but rather thinly sliced beef with cheese on a long bread roll).

For a day drive, head out west to Lancaster County to visit Amish country. You could also go to the Hershey chocolate factory. A little further out will take you to Gettysburg, site of the one bloodiest battles in the Civil War. If you head east, you can spend the day "down the shore" as those of us in Philadelphia say when we go to the New Jersey beaches. New Jersey shore towns are beautiful, especially Cape May at the very southern tip of New Jersey. It has loads of Victorian era homes that have been restored, and many of them are bed and breakfasts. You can also stop in Atlantic City if you feel the need to gamble. I suggest going to the Borgata hotel and casino.

Hope this helps!

niftyknitter

I second the Lancaster County visit, that's one of my favorite places to go.

Niagara Falls is far. I live in North Jersey and it's an 8 hour drive up there. Just want to make sure you're aware that it would probably result in more time behind the wheel than actual sightseeing if you were to go up there.

Blumie

In lieu of the painfully boring drive from Niagara Falls to Boston, I recommend crossing into Canada and driving east on the north side of Lake Ontario, visiting Toronto and Montreal and, if you have time, Ottawa. From Montreal, drive south to Vermont, which is beautiful this time of year. After visiting Burlington and Stowe, Vermont, continue south on scenic Route 100, through Waterville, Waitsville, Warren, and Killington. In Killington, pick up Route 4 to Woodstock, Vermont (no relation to the famous 1968 music festival of the same name!), stop for lunch at Simon Pearce in Quechee (after lunch, make sure to park near the Quechee gorge and walk over the bridge to check out the spectacular view), and then pick up I-89 to I-93 to proceed to Boston.

kwildnj

Just a word of caution:


Not all rental car contracts permit entry into Canada, so be sure your rental contract permits entry.


And my trip thoughts:
PHL-Niagra Falls and Niagra Falls -BOS are both 8 or 9 hour drives (no stops, no breaks, etc) They also are not exactly that scenic of a route either.

Do you really want to do this all in one trip? Or maybe on one of your monthly trips to NYC, you extend to include Niagra Falls on one trip, and Boston on the other.

kwildnj

Double post :-(

Meneer Guggenheimer

Appreciated! We are not going to do NF!

kipper

I'd also suggest Lancaster County, Hershey and Chocolateworld there, and Gettysburg. Depending on day/time, you can even probably convince an FT'er to meet you for a drink or meal in those locations.

Meneer Guggenheimer

Update:

We have spend 2 days in Philadelphia and did all the thing mentioned. The Rodin is closed for renovations but then I made my rocky picture on the steps.. (and I have not even seen the movie ... which of course no I have to)

We are now in Honesdale where we know a lady friend. We have skied and we are going to taste a bit of the mardy grass today.. I already got a beadle necklace this morning during breakfast.

People are very nice and we actually went to the local high school musical...

We met 2 lawyers on the flight from AMS to JFK which have invited us for a day in New York which we will do on the last day of our trip. We are skipping the falls and will drive via Amish country back to Philadelphia to see some more before we drive back to NY.

Thanks for the tips! I enjoyed the phili cheese steak!

b1513

There's a great German restaurant in Honesdale called The Alpine run by a German family. Wonderful food.

Bobette