V

Dear All,

Me and my fiancee are planning a trip to the US in September. A friend of mine is getting married on Cape Cod in late September so we are planning on staying for three weeks in the vicinity of Boston, MA. We will stay at least a week on Cape Cod, where we can go whalewatching, eat lot's of nice seafood and enjoy the scenery. We have been recommended that the Wequassett Resort is really nice (albeit expensive) so that is one possibility.

We will fly in and out of Boston, MA but we are not restricted to MA only. We will rent a car and can also visit Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New York state or even Montreal. We visited the city of NY last time we were in the US so that is not a must this time around. The idea is to stay in Boston for a few days (at a nice place?) and then maybe drive somewhere else for a few days, then another destination (but it could also just be that we stay in one place all the time) and then we are off to Cape Cod.

What we like to do is:

Stay at one (or more) nice hotels/resorts
Eat good food, drink good wines
Visit beautiful places
Lie on the beach and go for a swim (weather allowing)
Go shopping
Do memorable things (like whale watching, hiking, guided boat tour etc.)
Visit a SPA facility (maybe enjoy a massage or two and just relax)

etc.

If you have any suggestions on the things listed above (or if you know where to rent a Porsche/nice car) , please do share. Where are the good outlets/places to shop? Which are the nice places to eat? Any steakhouses (Mortens etc.)?

Any input much appreciated.

MKK993

I grew up in Maine (now live in Hawaii) and I'm also bringing the family back east this month for a wedding on Nantucket. It is a great place to visit in the summer and fall. We'll be bringing our two children so our itinerary will be a lot different than yours, mainly visiting family and seeing a couple Red Sox games at Fenway Park. Although here are a few suggestions for someone who will be visiting New England for the first time:

Shopping:
Quincey Market - Boston
Outlets - Freeport, Maine
Outlets - Kittery, Maine

Scenery: (The leaves could be changing at that time)
Kancamagus Highway - New Hampshire (watch out for moose)
Mt. Washington - New Hampshire
Baxter State Park - Hiking
Newport, Rhode Island

Beach:
I would stay on the south shore of Cape Cod. The water stays pretty cold even in the summer.

Food:
Try a lobster roll at a small restaurant along Route 1 in Maine
There are a lot of great restaurants in Boston, but it has been a while since I've been back and we mainly hit the family style versions with the kids.

Enjoy the trip. I'm sure you will get a lot of great feedback from members that are currently living in the area.

nile13

Viggo, I'll try to answer some questions.

Late September in Boston area will be a complete craphoot weather-wise. It is usually nice and pleasant, the height of Indian summer. But it can also get cold and wet. it is definitely not swimming/beach weather, the water will be cold.

Cape is nice at that time, it's pretty deserted and you can walk around nice little towns, eat decent food, definitely go to Provincetown for a day. There are a lot of very nice galleries, decent restaurants and a generally nice atmosphere not dissimilar from Key West. a town called Truro is next to it and there are some very nice sand dunes there to explore. You might also hop on a ferry to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket, nice little islands with their own culture.

Boston itself is a couple of days of sightseeing and walking around (I'll definitely offer to give you a tour of the city if I'm around and I should be). A lot of American history, some shopping on Newbury Street and nearby Copley Square Mall and Prudential shops. You might want to take Freedom trail, visit USS Constitution (nice free tours), see Boston Common - the standard stuff that I can talk to you about when you are here. Then you'd probably want to go to a few more places like Salem, for example. All within an hour's drive or a short boat ride.

Steaks are not a Boston thing. There's Morton's, of course, Chris and Ruth's, etc. There's Capital Grille which is considered to have very good stakes. There are several good non-chain places downtown as well. But Boston is about seafood. There's an absolutely excellent raw oyster place called Neptune Oysters (Salem Street in North End, about 5 minute walk from my place). North End itself is an Italian restaurant mecca. Most places are fairly blah, but a few, like Prezza, Artu, Strega and a few others are good places to visit. Of course there's Daily Catch there with a line wrapping around the corner and Mike's Pastry with another line wrapping around the opposite corner.

All of this is fine, but there are lobsters. That's where it gets interested. Late September is a tale end of lobster season, so they'll be fresh, sweet and cheap. They are everywhere. It's not a fancy thing here. You get them in places without table cloth. They serve you lobster and fries and cole slow and drawn butter, all for about $10. You seat there, drink your beer and... well, you'll see

On top of that there's clam chowder. Oh, yeah, clam chowder. I know a few places One is actually right on the side of my building, it's called Sail Loft and it has some of the best, albeit not very traditional, New England clam chowder. Than there's some places like Barking Crab that probably need to be visited just to get a feel for New England communal eating experience. There are also much fancier places, we can discuss depending on your preferences. But to just to let you know, this is not NYC in terms of food. Which is unfortunate, but we make do.

Based on your preferences i would strongly recommend a trek to Maine for a few days. There's spectacular scenery, better lobsters and nice friendly rustic New England that you wouldn't see in Boston itself. I would also recommend a trip to New Hampshire mountains or even Vermont, but the leaves would not be changing colors yet, so it'll not be as spectacular as it is in October. There are, however, a whole bunch of hiking trails there with some really great views. Not my thing, but we can find you info easily.

I'd also suggest a day or two in Newport, RI. Nice town with old mansions, some decent restaurants, overall a good place to visit. If you decide to go to NYC, it's 3.5 hours away by car or an easy 4-hour bus trip which is actually more comfortable than car. That opens a whole bunch of possibilities, including Broadway shows. If the two of you have not been to NYC, I'd take a couple of days to go there, might as well.

Boat trips are easy. There are a bunch of harbor cruises and whale watching boats leaving right from under my windows. There are also some whale watching and cruises from North Shore, like Gloucester, etc. Again, this can all be arranged once you are here. No need to deal with it in advance. Oh, there're also fairly inexpensive yacht cruises available.

As far as car rental it's not trivial. There are bunch of regular rental agencies here, but they have nothing special. There is, however, place called U-save that tends to have some interesting cars. I can find that out for you if needed. Than there's this: http://www.findexotic.com/c/1258_Bos...icarrental.htm with corresponding prices (actually, not as bad as I'd thought and minding the Euro's strength...). Oh, if you feel like giving your fiance a ride in a 993 cab, you'd be able to do so

Well, that's about 1.5% of what I'd like to say about Boston. Feel free to ask any questions, don't worry too much about arrangements. You are more than welcome to email or call me for info. And, as I've said, if you'd like I'd be more than willing to help and show-and-tell once you guys are here.

NC TRACKRAT

What Nile13 said, especially the restaurants and Italian bakeries in the North End and...If you get to Maine, stop in at Stonewall Kitchens in York. Take the shipride out to the lighthouse from Portsmouth, NH...about a 1/2 day but a great adventure. If you're into history, Sturbridge Village in Mass. is very nice, too.

bb993tt

I'd deffo recommend taking in a Sox game at Fenway if you have time, V. Even if you know nothing about the game or have ever seen one, to attend one at Fenway is one of the most iconic American things you could do. A few years ago my wife and I went to see India v Pakistan (cricket) in Calcutta. We knew very little about the game but seeing one there and experiencing the locals' reaction to it was one of the highlights of the trip.

TRINITONY

Try to visit Marthas Vin..yrd....becareful, them boston folks r some crazy drivers.... do the fannie hall bit, sit on Harvards lap and take some pics...bring warm clothing...it's alwasy cold....and visit Cambridge...

Chuck W.

Nice job!

CalvinC4S

I could go for beer, lobster and frys alone. Odd but taisty trio.

95_993

Viggo,

Nile13 has some great suggestions and would 2nd the recommendation to take a day or two in Newport, RI, especially in Sept. Have brunch at the Inn at Castle Hill overlooking the entrance to the harbor.

Cemoto

Nile13 did a great job. He is right, there is so much to see and do. It really depends on what you like.

I'm a little better than an hour west of Boston and the countryside looks like this. I took my sport bike out last Thursday and shot this with my cell phone.

The coastline shot is from southern Maine a little better than an hour north of Boston.

What's a thread w/o pics?

porschemikeandnancy

I'd add a climb up Mt. Monadnock in Southern NH. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Monadnock). I think it is either the first or second most climbed mountain in the world (Mt. Fuji may be ahead of it). Actually not much of a mountain (about 3000 ft) but great views of the white mountains (NH) and green mountains (Vermont).
Also, for some of the real culture of Boston, take a ride south out of town down Blue Hill Avenue. There used to be a great hot dog place right in Mattapan Square (at the southern end of this street). You could also take a walk up Blue Hill - a local ski area - south of Boston. One of the few ski hills where you can see the lights of a major city (Boston) from the summit.
There used to be a fantastic middle eastern restaurant in the south end of Boston called The Red Fez. It's been gone for quite a while. The Wayside Inn (http://www.wayside.org/) is a slice of early American History (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow dined there).
I'd also suggest a ride on the MTA (the trolley system in greater Boston). There is a famous song by the old folk group The Kingston Trio, about a man named Charley. See you have to pay additional money when you get off the train in the suburbs. Poor Charley didn't have the money so he had to stay on the trolley ("he may ride forever, 'neath the streets of Boston - he's the man who never returned")
And as Niles 13 suggested, visit "Haavaahd". Take in what are some of the finest museums in the country - also visit the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Gardner Museum nearby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabell...Gardner_Museum) scene of the great art robbery in the 1990's.
Not on everyone's list, but I'd suggest a visit to The Media Lab at M.I.T. This lab, founded by Nicholas Negroponte (the "one laptop per child" guy) (http://www.media.mit.edu/). This lab studies the confluence of communications, computers and entertainment. They do some of the most advanced R&D in this area. Even though I've been in the computer industry my whole life, I am always amazed at what I find there.

MKK993

Lobsta, Chowda, and Beeya

95 NC 993

Excellent suggestions here. Definitely hit Provincetown for at least one day, enjoy Race Point and the sand dunes, go to the top of Pilgrim Monument if a clear day. The Lobster Pot restaurant in town has outstanding fresh seafood with a great view of Provincetown Harbor (getting a good window seat should not be hard in September). If you want to actually stay in Ptown, the small airport has flights (they used to anyway) to Nantucket where you can spend the day and still fly back all in the same day. it wasn't terribly expensive and it beats the longish ferry trip. Definitely go to Martha's Vineyard (the ferry trip is not bad compared to Nantucket), and see all the lighthouses and towns, and even see where Jaws was filmed back in the the 70's. You can still recognize spots.
One other suggestion is the Maine coast. Take your pick of endless quaint coastal towns but don't miss Camden and the delightful harbor there with many restaurants to choose from.
Have a great time!!

** One side note: Crime is not much of a factor hardly at all on the Cape but still use 'common sense' and lock your car up (hide valuables, etc..) but in Boston, be alert! That can be a tough town and the Boston drivers are ultra aggressive. They honk before the traffic light turns green sometimes. One of the worst cities I have ever driven in and I've been to many, including LA, SF, and Atlanta many times.

deadhead1960

For the week on/near Cape Cod: Biggest, most tourist type towns are Falmouth and Hyannis. Try and get to Truro and Provincetown. Truro is very peaceful and has great beaches. Provincetown has a large gay community but also has great shops, restaurant and art galleries. Provincetown is like Key West in Florida. I would spend 4 days on Cape Cod. I would then recommend taking a ferry ride to Nantucket. Nantucket is like St Barts. Very upscale and quaint in a New England style. It originally was a whaling town 100+ years ago. Look to stay at a bed and breakfast. You can leave your car in the parking lot at the ferry station on the Cape and rent bicycles while in Nantucket. You can also rent a jeep for a day and go ride on the beach and/or sand dunes; I hear it’s fun although I’ve never done it. For many, Nantucket is their most special place on earth. The other island off of the Cape is Marthas Vineyard. It is much bigger than Nantucket and you do need a car. I think for 2 days or so, Nantucket is much better. The beaches on Nantucket are incredible and you should be able to swim through the end of September.
For the other two weeks: Vermont: Drive from Boston up to Burlington, the states capital. There are many small ski towns along the way whereas you can hike or ride bikes at the mountain or in the area. Bed and breakfasts are your best options. Try and visit the town of Woodstock, Vermont. Great spas, restaurants and I believe a very cool automobile museum. The drive to Burlington is 3-4 hrs. and is northwest of Boston; I would suggest combining Vermont with New Hampshire.
New Hampshire: Lake Winapasaukee is the state’s largest lake. There are some great towns to visit around the lake. The nicest is the town of Meredith. There are a few hotels right on the water. You can rent a boat and spend the day on the lake which looks like a small ocean in size. Lakes usually stay warmer longer in the season so the water should be nice in September. It is a 2 ½ - 3 hr. drive north of Boston. You will see some shopping outlets along the way as well
Newport, Rhode Island: A very upscale, sailing town. It is between Boston and Cape Cod. I would suggest staying there 2 nights; you will love it. Great beaches, food, wine, etc. You also want to take a tour of the mansions where the families like Vanderbilt, Mellons and many of the very, very wealthy Americans had homes in the 1800’s. Almost all the mansions are now open to the public and it is the number one activity to do when in Newport. Newport is 1 ½ hrs. from Boston to the south east. Go to Newport either right before or right after your visit on Cape Cod.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Kittery, Maine; Portland, Maine: This would be a separate trip from the Vermont/New Hampshire itinerary listed above. It is on the coast of New Hampshire and Maine and depending on how much time you have you could continue on Route 1 along the coast all the way to Bar Harbor, Maine, a very famous destination. The town of Portsmouth is traditional New England with many great restaurants. Also Portland, Maine is a nice place to visit. Kittery, Maine has the most shopping outlets so I would visit it but not eat or sleep there. From Boston, I would drive to Portsmouth for lunch (2 hours), go shopping in Kittery, have dinner in the Portland area and time permitting, drive up the coast and go all the way to Bar Harbor (also home to Acadia National Park). Sleep in Bar Harbor. However if you don’t have time, turn around in Portland, Maine and drive back to Boston.
I would suggest skipping Connecticut. If you choose to visit Montreal, you will do that after your visit to Burlington, Vermont. It is a 2 ½ hr. drive each way.

So in summary:
Cape Cod/Nantucket: 7 days
Newport, Rhode Island: 2-3 days
Vermont, Montreal, New Hampshire: 4-5 days
Coast of New Hampshire, Maine: 2-3 days (depending on if you go to Bar Harbour)
Boston: 4-5 days

95 NC 993

Avoid Hyannis unless you like traffic, red lights and the city-type life. Cape Cod, to me, is anything but Hyannis. Even the Cape Cod potato chip factory tour is lame.