15

I guess I should have asked before:

Are you able/willing to rent a car?
Some of these destination are difficult or impossible to reach by transit.

16

This may be of interest but not sure how long you will be in the USA:

http://www.chincoteague.com/ponies.html

bzookaj, book was telling OP to look at the TA forums, not the reviews - I use the forums and there are some very helpful posters on some of them.

17

And ftr, I used to live down there, and have friends who live (or lived) there. I stand by what I said: there are better places closer to where the OP will be.

18

I second Mystic and Newport and would add New Bedford and its whaling museum.

19

Classy, not honky-tonk, and completely gay. Says LI Bob. Who also thinks that Virginia Beach is "the ghetto".

20

ya know
I can handle an adult disagreement,
and my skin is thick enough for a humorous smack down once in a while,
but this stalking and attacking stuff is getting a little thick.

How about we use this site for exchanging travel advice?

21

That's what I'm trying to do, Bob. You advised OP that Rehoboth Beach was classy and almost completely gay, and that leaving Virginia Beach you felt like you were leaving the ghetto. My experience of both places is rather different, and I'm advising OP accordingly.

22

You basically have about 7 days. Here's what I'd suggest since you like smaller charming towns. I'd focus on Maine.

Boston
Portsmouth, NH
Portland, ME
Old Orchard Beach, ME
Kennebunkport, ME
Ogunquit, ME

23

OP, what city are you arriving in? Will you get a rental car?

24

Thanks for all the above information it has helped a lot. We have actually planned to go LA, to Washington (6 days) then New York (5 days) as have been there before, then Portland, Cape Cod area, Boston, then Nashville then back to LA for 3 days before returning to Australia. There is just so much to do and see and we absolutely love America, so may have to come another time to see more. This is actually our 3rd trip to mainland USA, and we have been to Hawaii twice.

25

Sounds good to me.

26

Thanks VinnyD

27

Freeport, MAINE.....12 miles north of downtown Portland
from downtown take I - 295 (toll-free) to exit 17 onto route 1 north
home to LLBEAN there are 5 different stores
flagship, hunting and fishing, bike boat & ski, home
all open 24 / 7 and an outlet open to 9pm
for eats checkout the "Cafe" situated at the Freeport Inn ( a best western )
the cafe is popular at peak-times.
enjoy.
info see .....FREEPORTUSA.COM /

28

Thanks yofletch, will look at the info

29

Philly and Washington are going to be completely different from the rest. Really a different trip than the small towns, so that's the first decision to make. If you do Philly and Washington, you should take the train (Amtrak), and plan on giving Philly a couple days and Washington the rest. Especially in Washington, you should stick to the beaten tourist track.

I usually am quite warm on the off-the-beaten-track stuff, especially seeing as how this is the TT and all, but Washington, D.C. is a big, big exception to the rule. Rather than repeat myself, I'll give you a link to this post, where I gave my thoughts to someone taking his daughter there. I'd say the same to you, not to be patronizing but because you've never been there. The standard tourist stuff in Washington is magnificent, and you won't have enough time to hit even all the basics there. I lived and worked there for five years, and am quite confident in my basic advice, even if there have been changes at this or that attraction.

The downside of Washington, in particular, is that you'll hit it at prime tourist time. June and July is when a whole lot of families round up the kids and head there. That much said, it doesn't really matter. The city is pretty much build to handle the hordes, including you. After five years there I was quite eager to leave, but as a tourist destination, especially a first-timer, it's right at the top of the heap in its category. If that's what you want to do -- cities, museums, and monuments -- you'll have an utterly great time.

On the smaller town front, like I say this really is a separate trip. I wouldn't try to combine them. Some people might advise you to take a day trip from Washington to Annapolis, Maryland, which is about 50 miles away. I liked Annapolis quite a bit, but for a first-time visitor to Washington I honestly think you will have plenty to occupy you in the city. And the trip to Annapolis would entail renting a car and driving there, which I found to be fairly stressful even for someone whose middle name is "road trip."

So, if you do the smaller-town side of it, based on what you've written your itinerary in New England is already set, and you're wondering what to do before that. Here's the dirty little secret about Washington, D.C.: It's pretty far from anywhere else. So, if you're not going to do the D.C.-Philly thing, I'd advise you to fly into Charlotte, North Carolina instead, and to spend your time in the Carolinas, especially Charleston and the Outer Banks.

Those places are both fairly crowded at that time of year, but that's the East Coast. There'll be a lot of people wherever you go. Your budget is pretty good, so for the Outer Banks I'd suggest looking for accommodations in the town of Duck. The epicenter is Kitty Hawk, and it'll be pretty mobbed, but north of there is nice. The question is whether you'll be able to find something. Now is not too early.

From there, you can make your way north along the coast. I don't have a lot of good things to say about the mid-Atlantic Coast. Virginia Beach is kind of a pit, and the so-called "Delmarva Coast" (an amalgamation of Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) will be very busy, especially once you get to Ocean City, Maryland. Why? Because this area is the only coast within a day's drive of Washington, D.C., which means that hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people get packed into a short stretch during the summer.

Ordinarily, I'd send you up the New Jersey shoreline, which has been known for a string of really quaint, cool beach towns. But last winter there was a massive storm there, and it just devastated many of these places. I actually had tears in my eyes watching the news coverage showing what has happened to Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., for example. I visited there in 2006 with my niece as part of 9,000-mile road trip, and it's been just wiped out. They're all talking about recovering for the summer tourist season, but I'm skeptical. So, at the very least, you'll need to do some research about the accurate state of the Jersey shore if you want to go there.

As I write all this, I'm thinking that the best thing, given all these practical realities, is to take the Washington-Philly option.

HAVE A GREAT TRIP

p and it was my first time, I'd be thinking about the mountain towns in Virginia and West Virginia, and maybe the beach towns of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.