Slickdeals is community-supported.  We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
Forum Thread
Groupon Discounts, Deals and Coupon Codes

What are the best things to do on a road-trip between Boston-CT-NYC-PA

2,710 2,027 June 22, 2012 at 09:37 AM in Travel & Vacations (9) Groupon
Deal
Score
+2
42,530 Views

Thread Details

Last Edited by the.J129 June 23, 2012 at 06:30 PM
+2 Deal Score
42,530 Views
My fiance is flying over for a week from London, and she's never been to the east coast.

So I figured, I could do a road-trip- Boston-hartford-NYC-Philadelphia-Washington DC.

And I'm trying to squeeze in the best of everything. Once she finishes her doctorate, she plans to move here anyway, so she is going to get more chances to explore New England properly.

But I was hoping for suggestions for some rare treats along the way that are not usually advertised on the travel websites.

This is gist of what I've come up with so far-
  • Boston- Quincy, the boat ride along the coastline, Freedom Trail, Cambridge.
  • CT- Hartford, Mark Twain's house, Groton-USS Nautilus, Mystic- the aquarium.
  • NYC- the usual- Central Park, Times Square, SoHo, United nations, Statue of Liberty.
  • (6 flags and Atlantic city if time permits)
  • Philadelphia- a whole bunch of museums, the rocky steps at the Museum of Art, Liberty bell, Philadelphia Cheese steak, Longwood gardens
  • A visit to Centralia (the place Silent Hill is based on)
  • Skydiving (Groupon deal bought)
  • Washington DC- Smithsonian museums, White House, Lincoln Memorial (that entire area), Georgetown.
I'd appreciate any suggestions and ideas to places worth checking out or things worth doing.

Thanks!

Your comment cannot be blank.

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Joined Oct 2009
L3: Novice
> bubble2 125 Posts
26 Reputation
imagineverythin
06-29-2012 at 11:40 AM.
06-29-2012 at 11:40 AM.
If you like the beach, take the Long Island Railroad to Bayshore and catch the ferry to the car-free Fire Island for a day trip. As a boy raised in Brooklyn, then Long Island and now living in New Jersey, I can say it is one of my favorite places in the tri state area.
Reply
Joined Feb 2011
I beat the Kobayashi Maru
> bubble2 2,710 Posts
2,027 Reputation
Original Poster
the.J129
06-29-2012 at 07:12 PM.
06-29-2012 at 07:12 PM.
Quote from imagineverythin :
If you like the beach, take the Long Island Railroad to Bayshore and catch the ferry to the car-free Fire Island for a day trip. As a boy raised in Brooklyn, then Long Island and now living in New Jersey, I can say it is one of my favorite places in the tri state area.

Thanks for the suggestion..But I've added
Misquamicut beach in RI to the planner, Also I'm not planning to stay in NYC for too long, (Probably just a day and a half) before heading off to PA, so a visit to Fire Island will have to be happen another time.


I really appreciate the comments though, but I'm trying to find interesting things to do between Boston-NYC and PA.


Since we don't have that much time on this trip, we're trying not to stray too far from the itinerary that we've created. Wink
Reply
Joined Jun 2012
L1: Learner
> bubble2 10 Posts
10 Reputation
JGuz649
06-30-2012 at 06:17 PM.
06-30-2012 at 06:17 PM.
Quote from the.J129 :
Thanks for the suggestion..But I've added
Misquamicut beach in RI to the planner, Also I'm not planning to stay in NYC for too long, (Probably just a day and a half) before heading off to PA, so a visit to Fire Island will have to be happen another time.


I really appreciate the comments though, but I'm trying to find interesting things to do between Boston-NYC and PA.


Since we don't have that much time on this trip, we're trying not to stray too far from the itinerary that we've created. Wink
The link for mystic seaport:
http://www.travelzoo.com/local-de...ment/19226

Glad to hear you added Misquamicut to the list, it's right near mystic and a very nice beach.

I second the appreciation on comments everyone, living in CT I'm thinking about taking a trip to a few of the places recommended that I'd otherwise not know about.
Reply
Joined Feb 2011
I beat the Kobayashi Maru
> bubble2 2,710 Posts
2,027 Reputation
Original Poster
the.J129
07-04-2012 at 09:10 PM.
07-04-2012 at 09:10 PM.
Quote from JGuz649 :
The link for mystic seaport:
http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Hartford-New-Haven/Entertainment/19226

Glad to hear you added Misquamicut to the list, it's right near mystic and a very nice beach.

I second the appreciation on comments everyone, living in CT I'm thinking about taking a trip to a few of the places recommended that I'd otherwise not know about.

Thanks for the link! I'll probably have to check it later in August, as all the deals it shows now, are only good till August!

Haven't been able to find a good deal for 6 Flags though.
For anybody who's reading this, and has been to the New England 6 Flags, what's a good price?

Is it true that I can pay a little extra and get a "special" pass that would allow me to bypass the queue? And what rides do you guys recommend? Big Grin
Reply
Last edited by the.J129 July 4, 2012 at 09:11 PM.
Joined Aug 2007
L5: Journeyman
> bubble2 931 Posts
437 Reputation
LOV3LYxGRL
07-08-2012 at 01:00 AM.
07-08-2012 at 01:00 AM.
Times Square is nothing special, really. It's pretty much tourist zone there and shops rip tourists off with their multiple taxes.

Check out Battery Park, Rockefeller Center, Little Italy, Chinatown, City Hall. Those last 3 are connecting and downtown is pretty much where it's at. Also, they just finished reconstructing the Brooklyn Bridge so it's so worth the trip to Brooklyn and to walk. While you're at it, downtown Brooklyn is great and really worth seeing.

Jersey is also nice, if you want to take a look - Jersey City and Hoboken are nice places, but only visit during the daytime! Sales tax is super cheap!
Reply
Joined Feb 2011
I beat the Kobayashi Maru
> bubble2 2,710 Posts
2,027 Reputation
Original Poster
the.J129
07-08-2012 at 08:26 AM.
07-08-2012 at 08:26 AM.
Quote from LOV3LYxGRL :
Times Square is nothing special, really. It's pretty much tourist zone there and shops rip tourists off with their multiple taxes.

Check out Battery Park, Rockefeller Center, Little Italy, Chinatown, City Hall. Those last 3 are connecting and downtown is pretty much where it's at. Also, they just finished reconstructing the Brooklyn Bridge so it's so worth the trip to Brooklyn and to walk. While you're at it, downtown Brooklyn is great and really worth seeing.

Jersey is also nice, if you want to take a look - Jersey City and Hoboken are nice places, but only visit during the daytime! Sales tax is super cheap!

Battery Park and the others were already on the list. nod And Times Square because well, she's never been here before. So I'd like her to see it, once. We're going to be there anyway, to see Phantom of the Opera.


Thanks for reminding me about Brooklyn. Added the Empire-Fulton park to the list.
Reply
Joined Dec 2005
L4: Apprentice
> bubble2 423 Posts
48 Reputation
chic
07-08-2012 at 01:11 PM.
07-08-2012 at 01:11 PM.
You are a good fiance! LOL

I haven't looked at everything that people have suggested, but here's my 2 cents:

Boston duck tour -- There's duck tour in a lot of places including PA, but I think the view is much better done in Boston. If you guys like baseball, check out Yankees Stadium. I love the energy there. If you guys like museums, then don't forget the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, Museum of Modern Art, and The Guggenheim. Honestly, there's so much to do in New York, but I will stay away from the super touristy places (like Times Square) or just spend as little time as possible.

I recently went to Philly for the first time and notice most places close at 5PM (like the Liberty Bell, etc), so make sure you plan accordingly. If you're going for cheese steak, you may have heard Geno's and Pat's. I didn't get to try them but I got to go to this place called Sonny's and they are REALLY good and very reasonably priced. I would recommend it. I also liked the Reading Terminal. There's a lot of people but there's a great variety of food.

Hope you both have lots of fun on your trip!
Reply

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Joined Feb 2011
I beat the Kobayashi Maru
> bubble2 2,710 Posts
2,027 Reputation
Original Poster
the.J129
07-08-2012 at 02:14 PM.
07-08-2012 at 02:14 PM.
Quote from chic :
You are a good fiance! LOL
I try!Big Grin It's so difficult making a long distance relationship work. Frown So we both try to make our short visits as perfect as possible.

I have done the duck tour a long time ago and it was pretty cool but since we're going to be in Boston for a short time, I've made a list of some good things to do/see by ourselves. It helps that I know Boston pretty well, so I could be the guide! Smilie


We love museums, and the list has grown SO long!! lol. We're going to have to cut that list in half, or we won't get a chance to see anything else. For now,unfortunately, we've cut DC out of the list...But I'd really like to somehow make it! I've never been to the Smithsonian museums and I've heard that they're pretty awesome.


New York is going to be mix of lot of things- Phantom Of The Opera, Statue of Liberty,Central Park,Brooklyn and others. I am going to try my best to keep the super-touristy places to a minimum. lol.


I did notice that almost all the really good places in Philly close around 5pm, and I have planned everything accordingly. Thanks for mentioning the names of the Cheese Steak places, will check them out. I remember, the last time I was there, seeing this cheese steak place called Jim's steaks that had a line that went around the block! Might check that one out- If there's isn't a line. Wink
Reply
Joined Dec 2005
L4: Apprentice
> bubble2 423 Posts
48 Reputation
chic
07-08-2012 at 04:20 PM.
07-08-2012 at 04:20 PM.
Quote from the.J129 :
I remember, the last time I was there, seeing this cheese steak place called Jim's steaks that had a line that went around the block! Might check that one out- If there's isn't a line. Wink
When I did the duck tour in Philly, the lady drove through South Street. I think that is the cheese steak place you are talking about. Yes, a long line out the door. We didn't go since we went there for a conference and that was out of the way for us. There's also a bar type thing there that one the 3 Stooges guy used to live. I forgot his name (before my time. LOL). There's also a pub McGillin; I think that's the oldest in Philly. In case you run out of things to do when most things close at 5PM . . .
Reply
Joined Sep 2009
L10: Grand Master
> bubble2 7,138 Posts
642 Reputation
zzyzzx
07-10-2012 at 11:55 AM.
07-10-2012 at 11:55 AM.
Visit Atlantic City.
Reply
Joined Feb 2011
I beat the Kobayashi Maru
> bubble2 2,710 Posts
2,027 Reputation
Original Poster
the.J129
07-10-2012 at 05:27 PM.
07-10-2012 at 05:27 PM.
Quote from zzyzzx :
Visit Atlantic City.
laugh out loud naaa. We've been to Vegas..so taking it off the list was a good decision.
Reply
Joined Feb 2011
I beat the Kobayashi Maru
> bubble2 2,710 Posts
2,027 Reputation
Original Poster
the.J129
07-12-2012 at 08:41 PM.
07-12-2012 at 08:41 PM.
What do you guys think of Coney Island. Is it worth it?
Reply
Joined Dec 2005
L4: Apprentice
> bubble2 423 Posts
48 Reputation
chic
07-13-2012 at 01:02 PM.
07-13-2012 at 01:02 PM.
I live 2 train stations away from Coney Island and I've only been to Coney Island less than 10 times in 10 years including when I went to the DMV. I thought you are going to six flags? If so, I personally say stick with six flags then. The only other thing I recommend for Coney Island is to see the Brooklyn Cyclones (baseball fan). There's also an aquarium sort of thing, but I've never been in it so I'm not sure. If you are staying in the city, it may be a long trek by train or by car to come out to Coney Island.
Reply
Joined Feb 2011
I beat the Kobayashi Maru
> bubble2 2,710 Posts
2,027 Reputation
Original Poster
the.J129
07-13-2012 at 01:16 PM.
07-13-2012 at 01:16 PM.
Quote from chic :
I live 2 train stations away from Coney Island and I've only been to Coney Island less than 10 times in 10 years including when I went to the DMV. I thought you are going to six flags? If so, I personally say stick with six flags then. The only other thing I recommend for Coney Island is to see the Brooklyn Cyclones (baseball fan). There's also an aquarium sort of thing, but I've never been in it so I'm not sure. If you are staying in the city, it may be a long trek by train or by car to come out to Coney Island.

That's exactly it...I was thinking whether to choose six flags or Coney Island... Looks like six flags it is! Thanks. wave
Reply

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Joined Jun 2012
L1: Learner
> bubble2 10 Posts
10 Reputation
JGuz649
07-14-2012 at 06:36 PM.
07-14-2012 at 06:36 PM.
Quote from the.J129 :
That's exactly it...I was thinking whether to choose six flags or Coney Island... Looks like six flags it is! Thanks. wave
Depending on when your trip is, watching eBay is a good way to snag tickets. I just got tickets for Wild Safari/Great Adventure for $35 bucks each(normally $66 with tax).
Reply
Page 2 of 3
Start the Conversation
 

More Tours & Travel Packages Deals & Discounts

Link Copied

The link has been copied to the clipboard.