Northeast Trip Help

DavidandDayle wrote:
Acadia -- do you mean Nova Scotia/New Brunswick or some place in Maine? We haven't been there for over 40 years.
Quebec city is very old at the centre. It's across the river from where you'll come in.
Not sure about other places. Ottawa is full of government. Kingston is a small city with lots of stone buildings.
I've been around Toronto most of my life so I don't know what anyone would want to see. :-(
We don't see northern lights here very much.

I assume that the way he has it listed, he is talking about Acadia National Park in Maine, Near Bar Harbor.

We did something similar. As others have suggested, I'd save Canada for another trip. I'd also skip Philly and add DC. Stay at Cherry Hill RV park in Maryland and ride the metro into the city. The bus comes right to the campground. I'd give that three days minimum to see the National Mall museums and maybe a day trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Annex at the airport.

For Boston I'd camp outside the city, we stayed at Wompatuck State Park which is south of the city. But you can take a short drive and catch a ferry to the city at Quincy I think. I'm not saying thats the best place to stay like Cherry hill is but it worked for us. The park was fine except that we had a heck of a time finding it. But I think we came in the back entrance. Unlike Florida which puts up plenty of signs pointing the way to it's parks, Massachusetts makes it harder.

Besides Boston itself you should make a trip to Concord and Lexington to see the National Park there. Thats a one day trip. I don't know anything about the whale tours

Acadia is an odd National Park instead of being mostly concentrated in one location it is scattered along the coastline in small chunks. We stayed at the Bar Harbor KOA which was good. You can get lobster delivered to your RV in the evening. Then take a drive up the coast to see the Schoodic Peninsula unit which is where all those spectacular photos are taken of the rocky wave swept shore are made. It is near Winter Harbor which is worth seeing. I'd give Acadia and the surrounds at least 2 to 3 days. Oh they have ferry boats tour out to the islands there, I don't know what the whale situation is tho. We drove up the coast almost to Canada as a daytrip to see the coastal villages.

One thing, DC and Boston are hotter than Hades in summer. So dress with that in mind and bring water bottles. Wear hats.

jfkmk wrote:
If I was planning this trip, I'd do the US part one year and Canada another. Your'e simply not spending enough time in each city!

X2. There is a LOT to see in the Northeast. Take your time.
Have you ever visited the Flight 93 Memorial?

Have you compensated for the amount of traffic you will probably hit when up here? That is the beginning of peak tourist season, especially the week leading up to the fourth. I would allow for a little more of a breather between stops. We don't talk about distance in terms of miles but in terms of time. You should also seriously consider reservations as many areas book up quickly that time of year. I would also consider just staying in the US and save Canada for another day to give it the time it deserves. 7/1 is Canada Day and is a big holiday there.

You can also whale watch out of Boston, off the north shore of MA and out of Bar Harbor.

If I was planning this trip, I'd do the US part one year and Canada another. Your'e simply not spending enough time in each city!

I would do 2 days in Philly. Historical area, and dont miss East State Pen. Use the PHLASH to get around the area.

NYC...I can take it or leave it, but...1 day for Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty, maybe another 2 days to see the rest you want to see.

Boston...1 day for Freedom Trail then I'd hit Plimith Plantation and head to Cape Cod. See some of the sea shore, light houses, Provincetown. That's about 3 days pushing it. Maybe even see Salem.

I would spend the rest of the time in the White Mountains and/or Acadia.

If you do go through Canada and back through Detroit, stop in the Henry Ford. You won't be disappointed.

You certainly will have no trouble filling your time! There are many places you are missing, and of necessity must be missing for the area you're covering, so there's no need to worry about that. I certainly understand the difficulty in spending lots of time away with family and work schedules, and I myself often cram a lot into trips; but trying to see even all the highlights of the cities you mention in a day or two is questionable. With the time constraints, I would prefer to see just one or two things decently well than have a big checklist scavenger hunt to see how many recognizable things one can somehow get to.

Philly, besides the historic sites, has a lot of other cultural sites, such as the world-class art institute (a huge museum) and the academy of music.

For NYC, it may be worth looking into a packaged tour as you can spend/waste a lot of time trying to figure out how to get from one place to another if you aren't familiar with the area, and more time waiting in line for tickets etc. I might consider catching a Broadway (or off-Broadway) show, besides the things you've mentioned; and, if the weather is clear, go to the observation deck on the Empire State Building. There are an enormous number of museums as well, some well-known and some lesser known.

Whale watching at Cape Cod would be a full day, particularly by the time you get there and back. The New England Aquarium is a good half-day activity in Boston; the Science Museum is also quite good and has a very impressive van de graff generator show. Avoid driving in Boston (even without the camper); driving under the city when it isn't rush hour is not too bad, though propane is not allowed in the tunnels so that would presumably have to be without the camper.

The Cog Railway up Mt Washington is one fun thing to do in the White Mountains. There are some very pretty roads through there, too; I'm partial to the Kancamagus Highway, which has quite a few opportunities for short and not-so-short hikes along it (most of which can accommodate at least a few RVs in the pull-offs).

The chances of seeing the Northern lights where you'll be is quite slim, and longer summer days don't help things any. You really need to get a good bit further north to have much of any reasonable expectation of seeing them, and the middle of the summer has even less light at those latitudes. That's not to say that you might maybe get really lucky...just don't get your hopes up.

Crossing the border into Canada is not generally difficult, and usually in my experience does not involve too much delay, though that can be variable. The officials I've encountered have all been professional. You do of course want to make sure you have the appropriate paperwork (passports or equivalent border documents, or a birth certificate is sufficient for the children last I checked).

Gas and many groceries are a little more expensive in Canada, but it's not a vast difference in the grand scheme of things...maybe something like half again more for gas, if that, once you account for converting volumes and currencies.

If you went to the White Mountains before Acadia (or skipped them altogether, or skipped some other things), you could maybe head up to Quebec City, which is a fascinating place.

Acadia -- do you mean Nova Scotia/New Brunswick or some place in Maine? We haven't been there for over 40 years.
Quebec city is very old at the centre. It's across the river from where you'll come in.
Not sure about other places. Ottawa is full of government. Kingston is a small city with lots of stone buildings.
I've been around Toronto most of my life so I don't know what anyone would want to see. :-(
We don't see northern lights here very much.

Hi.
Canada/US travel is fairly easy; just check for what's not allowed.
Gas is a bit more than US -- lowest in our area is 90 cents/litre (about a quart) but it sells for 20 cents more at some stations.
Find out your rig's size in meters. I put the height in both systems on a tag on the rearview mirror -- you don't want to do conversions at 100 kph. Quick speed conversion: drop the last zero and multiply by 6.
Bring your passports if you want to go home again.
Be careful with Hwy 407/ETR around Toronto. Tolls are excessive and if you don't have a transponder they charge even more.

We found Boston a bit of a bother to get in and out of. Not sure if Cape Code can be done same day.

We use Liberty Harbor for NYC. Again, a pain getting into town but worth it.