East coast trip during the winter
Replies: 12 - Last Post: Nov 11, 2012 1:48 PM Last Post By: EddieNY
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East coast trip during the winter
Hello!I'm an exchange student here in the US and decided to travel during my school's winter break (from Dec 20th to Jan 9th). I'm living in Philadelphia and would like to go to close places (that I can get to with Megabus, Boltbus or Greyhound). I'm travelling on my own for the first portion of the trip (20th to 30th).
So far, I have this itinerary:
20-23: Washington, DC
23-24: Baltimore
24-26: NYC
26-30: ?????
30-2: Philadelphia
2-8: Las Vegas
I was thinking of going to Boston from 26-30, but some people told me that it's going to be waaaay too cold for sightseeing (I'm from Brazil so I'm not really used to cold weather), so I'm not really sure it's a good idea, since it's kind of expensive to stay there.
So, do you guys have any suggestion of places that I should visit, that wouldn't be as cold or expensive as Boston?
2
Agree with tilos - The whole mid-Atlantic eastern seaboard will be cold then and there's much more to do in New York than Baltimore. You could consider adding a day to Washington DC too.Bussing to Las Vegas is going to be an arduous trip. Check regional air carriers for deals - you may find flying competetive with bussing.
3
Thank you for your reply!Hmm, I've been to NY and will go again for a few days in the beginning of December. I really just want to spend Christmas there. Baltimore seems beautiful, and it's really close to Washington, do you really think it's not worth going there to visit? Do you have any other suggestions?
Boston has a lot of indoor activities, right? I love museums, so I think I'll be going there to do that stuff and just go back to do sightseeing when it's warmer.
About the six days in Vegas, on 01/02 I'll arrive at 11pm and on 01/08 I'll leave at 11am, so it's just 4 days for doing stuff, being one of them to visit Grand Canyon.
4
Oh, I'll be going to Vegas by plane. Sorry I forgot to mention that! The bus thing is just for the east coast. I've used Megabus and Greyhound before and I think they're good.So maybe an extra day in DC instead of Baltimore?
5
DC has really excellent (and mostly free) museums. And their food scene is vastly improved, so you could easily spend four days there. If you have found two days of activities in Baltimore, then stick to two days there.That said, by mid-day on 12/24, everything will start closing down, so it might be better to be in NYC where more will be open. Not sure anything is open on 12/25 except outdoor activities, corner stores/bodegas and Chinatown. Well the Jewish museum will also be open. Maybe you could flip your schedule around so that you see Baltimore after NYC.
And I hope you've booked places to stay. The holidays are a popular time for travel, especially to New York.
For your extra days, consider Princeton, New Haven, Mystic, Long Island. Boston is also doable. If you ski or want time in the snow, there are other options, but again, finding accomodations might be an issue.
6
If you're on a typical student budget, the best option is to rent a van or SUV with friends and drive it (skipping las vegas).Once you have your accommodation worked out, DC is a discount location, NYC is often a budget breaker.
Honestly?
I'd stay with an american friend for christmas, save my money for florida and party like a demon during spring break.
Edited by: LongIslandBob
7
Bob is entirely wrong about the cheapest way to get between East Coast cities. And you, OP, are right. And bob, OP already told us he is on his own for the East Coast part.Get a guide book and see if there is anything in Baltimore that interests you as much as what you would see on a third or fourth day in DC or NYC. I doubt there will be.
8
pripichani,On Baltimore - I lived around Baltimore for many years, so I actually like the place. It's just that compared to your other destinations there isn't that much to see and do.
If you choose to go to Baltimore you could tour Fort McHenry where the Star Spangled Banner was written. Near to that is the waterfront with a pretty decent aquarium, shops and restaurants. Baltimore has a "little Italy" section with some good restaurants. Sadly one of Baltimore's iconic places, Lexington Market, is gone.
About two hours from Baltimore is Annaplois, the state capitol and home of hte U.S. Naval Academy. There's lots of colonial houses and buildings still intact including the state capitol building itself. The Annaplolis waterfront is very nice, but upscale and expensive.
11
Richmond is 90 minutes from DC and worth a night or two. I know it goes unmentioned by most people but I really like it. It has good history, beautiful old streets, and good food and drink. You can get there by bus or Amtrak.The one issue may be accommodation. I have no idea where to stay that is walkable and budget friendly.
12
My favorite destination is Washington DC, almost everything is free. Most of the attractions are in the National Mall .
