Idea's for a week around New Year

[Alba]

Morning,

 

I'm looking for some local knowledge (east coast USA). My wife & I are planning on spending a week in New York (October) with our children (both over 21) we are flying in a week early and thinking of spending the time in the Maine/ white mountain national forest area.  Would you recommend looking in the Maine area to spend a week? Looking to do some hiking and enjoy the true USA. Are there any NY experiences (clubs, restaurants, music venues, comedy clubs, etc) you would recommend?

 

Cheers for any insight.

[wbw6cos]

If you want to do some hiking, you can visit home of The World's Worst Weather.   I took the Auto Road to the summit, but there is also a cog-rail train ride to and from, plus hiking trails galore.   Visiting Maine will not be a disappointment and only a 2 hour ride, or so from the coast.    Around October, though, there will will be a lot of leafers on the roads (predominately from MA) and can clog the roads around popular areas.  That would definitely would encompass the weekends more than the weekdays, so you have that going for you, which is nice.

 

While I was visiting in NY (Manhattan) with my wife,  MIL, and her friend, we took a dinner cruise.  There is always off-Broadway shows to take in.  I can recommend the 9/11 Memorial, which is truly a spritual experience.  We did visit the typical tourist spots, Empire State Bldg, Central Park, Times Square, etc.   The 2014 trip was for the wife's C/E seminars, so it was Thurs through Sunday.   Times may be a bit different these days, especially post pandemic, so I am not aware how enjoyable being a tourist can be.  (Not trying to be political)  A lot of restrictions may limit visits due to places being open with staffing issues, supply shortages, and the like.  Depending on where you stay, you can always ask the locals on where they would recommend  dining, clubs, etc.   Ask hotel workers at a few hotels (yeah, just walk right off the street into a lobby to ask the concierge) to get a good summary of various replies.  If you ask at the hotel you are staying at, you may get their re$pon$e, which can be a little bia$ed.  IFYKWIM.  

 

@TEWKS may post a few ideas about Maine.

 

Cheers.

[TEWKS]

Here's how I'd use the time. Drive up to York Maine and spend a couple nights at the Union Bluff Hotel. It's probably a little more expensive than some places in the area but, no driving to local restaurants and shops. The Nubble Lighthouse is in walking distance also.

 

For your hiking portion, I'd head inland to Thornton NH. and try the Welch and Dickey Loop. It's a little more than four miles but some beautiful scenery along the trail. The Silver Fox Inn is only a mile or two from the trail head parking lot. 

 

After that, head West to Lake Placid NY. I'd go I 93 North to RT 112 W to RT 302 NW to I 89 North to Burlington VT. Take the Ferry across Lake Champlain to Port Kent NY. From there, go to Wilmington and drive up the top of Whiteface Mountain. It's spectacular! From there, drive down into Lake Placid and stay at the Crowne Plaza. Then you can jump on I 87 South back to NY City.

 

Have Fun! 

[wbw6cos]

See?   I told ya!   

 

Sometimes, he also can tell you where to find a good used motorbike.   

[TEWKS]

 

1 hour ago, wbw6cos said:

Sometimes, he also can tell you where to find a good used motorbike.   

Ya, I hear he enjoys bike shopping for other people. Sounds a bit strange to me but to each their own.    Almost as cheap as a rental. 

[TEWKS]

Probably wouldn’t be worth the hassle of paperwork buying a bike. Maybe if you had family or friends that could keep it here for future returns but otherwise, no.

 

But..if you want to ride a bike instead of driving a car, you could Check out EagleRider.

[Alba]

No rooms available in the Union Bluff Hotel between Jun and Nov, must be a very popular hotel in a interesting location.  More research to do thanks for the tips.

[TEWKS]

The Sands is another place we stayed. They have Condo units called the Rosewood Suites. Much nicer than the regular rooms. You’d have  to call and check to see if you can get a nightly rate during your time slot. Busy season they only book those by the week.

[Skywagon]

If you make it to Manhattan, a good family restaurant is Carmines. I haven’t been in years so maybe someone who has been recently could weigh in. 

[Alba]

Hey, my wife has thought about adding in Boston, is this a good option to experience the real USA?

[TEWKS]

I’m only 18 miles from the city but rarely go in. I think you could have fun, and if your wife is requesting, do you really have a choice? 

They’ve got Food.

They’ve got History.

 

They’ve got Duck Boats.

 

They’ve got Baseball.

They’ve got Views.

 

 

 

 

 

[Alba]

Thanks for the insight looks like Boston is on the tour 😃

[TEWKS]

Tour of Boston. 

 

[Alba]

We are firming this holiday up and looking at flying into NY then out to Portland (maine) spend circa 5 days there then train down to Boston spend circa 4 days there then rest of time in NYC.  I was thinking that I could hire a car in Portland and Boston if necessary to explore locally.

 

Portland is new to us, any inside knowledge, is it worth using Portland as a base?

[Alba]

One final bump as we are planning on firming things up this weekend.

 

Any north east US'ers will to pith in their two cent :)

[TEWKS]

A short jaunt from Portland. Well worth a look. 

[MichiganBob]

I grew up in the Bronx and have had more than my share of Italian food in the neighborhood I grew up in. If you can swing it, and it may be too difficult to get to based on where you are staying, try Don Pepe's in South Ozone Park, Queens. I believe it's the best in the city/ The linguine with clam sauce and the peppers and onions are two of my favorites. Last I knew, they were a cash only restaurant. BTW, do not take any photos inside. There may be folks eating there who do not want their picture taken.

 

Here is a review.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/20/dining/don-peppe-review-italian-american-restaurant-queens.html

 

Bon Appetit

[MichiganBob]

Whups, I guess that link requires a subscription. However, there are plenty of reviews of this restaurant on the net.