Flutterby™! : Visiting the Northeast 2009-10-09 01:50:53.03576+00

Visiting the Northeast

2009-10-09 01:50:53.03576+00 by Dan Lyke 10 comments

Charlene's flying into JFK and bussing up to Sheffield Mass. on the 2nd of January, and leaving there the 30th. Current plan is that I'll fly in to somewhere (NYC or Albany?), rent a car, and we'll spend a week bouncing around the northeast.

Problem is it's winter there: Skiing, and... well... We've done the basics in NYC and will probably be avoiding the cities, it'd probably be cool to stop by the two places I used to live in that area (West Lebanon, New York, and Newtown, Connecticut) and the little community where I went to elementary school (Harlemville, New York), but what should we do in the Northeast U.S. in the first week of February. Drive down to D.C. and meet the folks down there? Stay in the Berkshires? I'm guessing western New York isn't exactly hoppin' that time of year.

What say y'all?

In Western NY we have had an incredibly wet and cold spring, summer and now fall. So wet that the majority of my garden rotted even though I have mostly raised beds with great drainage -- just no sun. If this pattern holds it will be a snow filled winter here.

When I think of Western New York I think of Niagara Falls, Corning, and the gliders at Elmira. Niagara is a long-ass way to drive just for that, I'm guessing thermal lift is minimal in the snow, and I've seen quite a bit of glass blowing.

Maybe we should just postpone 'til next summer and not worry about the cost of one leg of that trip.

Of course, it'll be more than just a "frosting". Good weather to stay inside and read a book by the fire. Of course, you can do that in Petaluma.

Other silly Q: Charlene's flights are out of JFK. Where should I train/bus to rent a car so I don't pay the sports tax?

Don't leave out Hartford as a "fly into". Also Newark, bus to Penn Station, Train North rent @ Hudson or Albany, or train to CT, rent @ Bridgeport or other

Southwest flies into Albany, but I've no idea how their "tax the hell out of the tourists" policy is relative to other towns. I'm hoping for something like "hop the bus to outside the county the airports and stadium are in, save $200". Guess I should call some rental places.

And maybe Charlene should just taxi/bus back to NYC and we should grab Amtrak down to DC.

Amtrak is surprisingly expensive -- perhaps interesting, if you've never done it. However, if you have done it and you're just looking for a cheap NYC->DC transport, there are several bus companies competing on offering fairly cheap options -- including stuff like in-transit wireless. Never taken any of them myself, but friends have said "Not bad for what you're paying".

Of course, for skiing, you really should just hop on the California Zephyr and head out my way. Arapahoe Basin opened on Friday. I even have extra skis and boots!

#Comment Re: made: 2009-10-12 02:02:55.033242+00 by: Dan Lyke [edit history]

Yeah, what with Tahoe three and a half hours away, with the probability that I could find some ski cabin floors to crash on, flying out to the Berkshires to ski Brodie or Jiminy Peak seems kinda silly.

Thanks for the heads-up on Amtrak, we've used it out here to get from the Bay Area to Fresno and it's been amazingly cheap. I think the main issue is figuring out where we want to base our visit, because if there are unlimited miles on a car rental that's going to be hard to beat as a transportation option.

(Oh: Also add that Seattle is my definitive "holy shit I didn't realize the local sports team could suck this much money out of the tourist economy" city, as much as I enjoy that town. Definitely take the bus out of town to rent a car next time.)