First Time to East Coast

I'm not sure where to start with planning............

Leaving from LAX
Interested in DC
Nephew in Boston
Williamsburg sounds good

Most likely 10 days at the most.

Any advice?

Thanks

What time of year are you planning to visit?

What are your interests?

Noticed you didn't mention the capital of the world- not interested in the Big Apple?

You could spend the entire 10 days in the DC/ Williamburg alone- depends what type of detail you wish to see.

don

DonM said:

What time of year are you planning to visit?

What are your interests?

Noticed you didn't mention the capital of the world- not interested in the Big Apple?

You could spend the entire 10 days in the DC/ Williamburg alone- depends what type of detail you wish to see.

don

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Maybe NY another trip. Is is a good idea to stay in Williamsburg and go into DC from there, or is this too far, what about parking in DC?

We stayed in Williamsburg at a T/S resort and took a bus trip to Washington, DC from the resort. It was a wonderful trip and the bus took us to all of the highlights in DC then left us off to visit the Smithsonians on our own. We had plenty of time and it made the trip so much more enjoyable not to have to drive or find a place to park. I highly recommend going this way. After touring all day it would be a long drive back to Williamsburg especially when you are exhausted.

post-it said:

Maybe NY another trip. Is is a good idea to stay in Williamsburg and go into DC from there, or is this too far, what about parking in DC?

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It's a 2 1/2 hour trip with no traffic one way. Unless you just want to see the Capitol from a bus, and make a short trip to one of the Smithsonian's, I'd reccommend that you stay in DC at least for a few days.

There is so much to see in DC and it's mostly free. Smithsonian building are terrific. You could spend a week there easily. I would spend 3 days in DC. http://www.washington.org/visiting/experience-dc

Williamsburg you can do in a couple of days. Colonial Willamsburgh is my all time favorite. http://www.history.org/visit/whatToSeeAndDo/

Then if visiting Boston again so much to see. Fanuiel Hall ,the Museums, Theater District,North End and all the places to eat. Boston Duck TOurs are lots of fun and there are Red Trolley Tours. Need 2-3 days here.
You would want two days in Cape Cod and take the ferry to Martha's Vineyard maybe go on a Whale Watch.

http://www.boston.com/thingstodo/

Then there is the Big Apple. Maybe your nephew would want to meet you in NYC.

Bring comfy shoes and also we wear layers as we never know what the weather will bring. I think it's rained for a month or more,very unusual weather even for New England.

Great input from everyone, thanks! I think staying in D.C. a couple of days sounds like a good idea. Can we catch a bus from Williamsburg to stay in DC and then on to Boston? I'm thinking its best not to have a car in DC and rent one for Boston.

I found these possibilities for Mass/Boston stay, any input as to the best location for all sites:

Beachside Village Resort
45 Surf Drive Falmouth

Edgewater Beach Resort
98 Chase Avenue Dennis Port

Cove at Yarmouth
183 Main Street West Yarmouth, Massachusetts

Riverview
37 Neptune Lane South Yarmouth

post-it said:

Great input from everyone, thanks! I think staying in D.C. a couple of days sounds like a good idea. Can we catch a bus from Williamsburg to stay in DC and then on to Boston? I'm thinking its best not to have a car in DC and rent one for Boston.

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Some of the timeshares schedule bus trips, depends on which one you at at.

Greyhound also has bus service to DC. Round trip for one adult is about $60.

There is a train (Amtrak) that goes into DC from Wiliamsburg (and to Boston), you can check it online for times and rates.

Parking in DC - it can be done, depends on time of year, and time of day. But it's not as bad as parking in either NYC or Boston.

DC has a good metro system to get you to most tourist spots, which are all relatively close together anyway. One option is to park on the outskirts (Springfield, VA, other spots in VA or Maryland), and take Metro into the city.

You didn't say what time of year. I would recommmend DC and Willamsburg in spring or fall, summer is hot and humid, and more crowded.

Best way to get from DC to Boston is AMTRAK. Your trip is the high speed NE Corridor. You can stop in Philly and NYC along the way.

Sea Six said:

Best way to get from DC to Boston is AMTRAK. Your trip is the high speed NE Corridor. You can stop in Philly and NYC along the way.

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If you want to get to Boston quickly I would suggest flying. Amtrak will still take all day and the high speed train might not be that much cheaper than air. If in the Williamsburg area, then Air-Tran to Logan from Newport News VA; about 1.5 hr flight. Flights from DC can get pricey, but if you could rent a car then drive to BWI, you can take Southwest to Providence, RI

Maybe a train ride to the nation capital and then I would fly into Boston,Mass.
There should be some good deals flying out of DC to Boston.

side trip

When and if you make it to Williamsburg (which is something you need to do at some point in your life----there's nothing like it, obviously, on the west coast), make plans for a great half-day at Monticello---a short 2-hr drive west of W'burg. You'll never regret it-----fantastic home of Thomas Jefferson. I've been twice in my life, and both times were very very inspiring, not to mention beautiful....you realize why everyone loves Virginia so much!

Along the same lines, when and if you go to Washington, a REAL must, visit Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington. Just talking about these makes me want to go back. enjoy, jme

All of the MA timeshares listed are located on Cape Cod. If you opt to stay there so you can drive in to see your nephew, you're looking at a 1.5 hr drive one-way WITHOUT traffic - this time can easily double or even triple during Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon in warmer months.

I'd go with a timeshare stay in Williamsburg and a few days at a hotel on the metro line to DC (assuming you don't own Wyndham points for a 3-night stay in Alexandria on the metro). Invite your nephew to join you if possible. If you trade through II, you might try for the Marriott in Boston and fly down to DC for a few days afterward. Boston is also full of historic sights, completely different from Williamsburg since the city has continued to develop and modernize around the landmarks. I think you'll need to choose between Boston and Williamsburg for this particular trip though.

Combining a visit to Williamsburg with DC is easy and fun - an excellent combination with far more interesting and fun things to do than you can fit in 10 days, no matter your personal interests. Also, if you rent a car for the Williamsburg leg of the trip (highly recommended), you could drop it off at your DC destination. Parking in DC is expensive and hard to come by and the in-town roads are confusing to new visitors. Public transit is very good so use it there!

Combining visits to NYC and Boston is fun too as these are very, very different kinds of cities, both loaded with character, history, familiar sights and interesting, varied things to do. They're only about 4 hours apart by car, avoiding rush hours. Or, take a quick flight between them, since having a car in either of those cities is definitely more of a liability (high cost parking and aggressive drivers) than asset. Again, the public transit in both of these cities is excellent. HTH.

Alexandria! -- a wonderful option

Combining a few days in the Washington area with a Williamsburg trip is a wonderful idea. If you Priceline a hotel in OLD TOWN Alexandria, you will either be right next to a Metro Station or at a hotel with a shuttle to the Metro. And your hotel will probably cost a lot less than in DC.

You get the best of everything -- almost instant access to DC and the ambiance of George Washington's home town. No matter what hotel you get, you will be within walking distance of marvelous restaurants and historic attractions.

I don't work for the city, I just love living here.

http://visitalexandriava.com/

As for Williamsburg, we are constantly asked why we are going there again. The answer is because there is always something new to do in the historic triangle. And if you get tired of W-burg, Yorktown or Jamestown, you can always cross the York River or the James River to get to more good stuff on the other side. We especially love to take the free ferry over the James to Surry and just explore.

I really think the best bet is to stay in Alexandria a few days before or after your trip and spend a week in Williamsburg. The nephew from Boston can take the Amtrak to join you

Jet Blue and Southwest Air are having pricewars from Logan (Bos) to BWI in Baltimore. You would have to get to BWI from DC. I think there is a shuttle but the cost /time factor may not be a savings.
http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/...s-head-to-head-with-southwest.html?id=2889294

Regan is the closest airport to DC but I find the prices more expensive.

There is a Residence Inn in Old Town Alexandria if you need a suite setup with a kitchen but there are other rates less expensive. http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/...s-head-to-head-with-southwest.html?id=2889294

Another vote for Mt Vernon. It's 6 miles or so to DC from Old Town but just like Boston it can take some time to get there because of commuter traffic. The Metro would be best.

Chinatown buses

Check out Chinatown buses that get you from DC to NYC for under $20 and NYC to Boston for $15. There is no need for advanced purchase. They have plenty of options for all hours too.