NYC, Philadelphia and DC trip

[eatatmidnight]

I am probably dreaming, but we want to take a trip to these three cities in the next 1 to 1 1/2 years. Here is my general plan

Get to one of the cities and that would be our "hub" (possibly Philly area)

Spend 1 day in NYC going to Ellis Island.
Spend another day in NYC for a Broadway show.
(Taking the train from our hub to NYC each day)


Spend 1-2 days in Philly to see Independence Hall and the historical things there.


Spend 3-4 days commuting from the hub city to DC to see Smithsonian, memorials, etc.

I have never planned a trip like this. We usually drive everywhere we go. But, DH has been to all 3 cities with business and says that driving in any of them is not a good choice.

Does this seem like a good plan? What suggestions do you have that may make this work? If we tried a trip like this in March, would it be too cold. I have heard that the crowds are very heavy from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Is that true? Any opinions would be appreciated, especially ideas that would make it more "budget friendly"

 

[eliza61]

I am probably dreaming, but we want to take a trip to these three cities in the next 1 to 1 1/2 years. Here is my general plan

Get to one of the cities and that would be our "hub" (possibly Philly area)

Spend 1 day in NYC going to Ellis Island.
Spend another day in NYC for a Broadway show.
(Taking the train from our hub to NYC each day)


Spend 1-2 days in Philly to see Independence Hall and the historical things there.


Spend 3-4 days commuting from the hub city to DC to see Smithsonian, memorials, etc.

I have never planned a trip like this. We usually drive everywhere we go. But, DH has been to all 3 cities with business and says that driving in any of them is not a good choice.

Does this seem like a good plan? What suggestions do you have that may make this work? If we tried a trip like this in March, would it be too cold. I have heard that the crowds are very heavy from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Is that true? Any opinions would be appreciated, especially ideas that would make it more "budget friendly"

That's a great trip.
I'm a Native New yorker who married a Philadelphian and now lives in NJ. Here are some tips.

1) Consider staying in South NJ. Some place like Deptford or Cherry Hill. both of these towns are 15 minutes from Philadelphia and right off of the NJ Turnpike so you can get to NYC and Washington DC very very easy.
We have lots of nice Marriot type hotels that will be alot cheaper than center City Philly. Philly will give you the advantage of 4 star hotels though.

Also from Deptford or Cherry Hill, you can take the High speed line (we call it the Patco train) directly into Philly for 5.40 per person. Parking in Philly is about 20 bucks for the day.

You can drive your car up the turnpike and park in Trenton NJ or Secaucus NJ and once again take the train into the city. Not sure of Ellis Island because the last time I was there it was 40 years ago.

I would probably then move my hub to a little closer to Washington DC. You can get some really inexpensive hotels on the outskirts of DC and then take the metro into the city. Probably a little cheaper than taking the train from Philly into DC since that would involve Amtrack.

 

[msmayor]

The 'hub' idea sounds good...but in all honesty it will create a LOT of wasted travel time and probably make you more tired because you'll be up so early to 'travel' away from the hub. Far better to plan to spend a couple of days closer to each city.

Its not that hard to plan a trip like that as long as you give yourself enough time. I planned a five-city trip back in 2004 that took us to Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland and Cincinnati over the course of two weeks. It was a total BLAST and no one minded moving every couple of days. During the mid-part of our trip, I made sure to find a hotel that had a guest laundry so I could spend time washing clothes (cut down on packing).

Make a plan for each city and then find a hotel that is convenient to the areas you want to tour. You'll really appreciate being so much closer to your "home" after a long day in NYC or touring DC and not have to worry about traveling back.

Time to travel between Philly and NY and Philly and DC can be in excess of 2 hours each way, not even considering rush hour traffic. Even taking the train would take time, and restrict you as far as adhering to train schedules. That's a lot of daily time lost.

 

[Dancemom03]

Make a plan for each city and then find a hotel that is convenient to the areas you want to tour. You'll really appreciate being so much closer to your "home" after a long day in NYC or touring DC and not have to worry about traveling back.

Time to travel between Philly and NY and Philly and DC can be in excess of 2 hours each way, not even considering rush hour traffic. Even taking the train would take time, and restrict you as far as adhering to train schedules. That's a lot of daily time lost.

With the money you'll save on trains, you could even stay at a nicer hotel in each city. The day is only so long and you're talking about commute times that'll easily eat up 5-6 hours of it, not to mention leaving you exhausted after a day of walking to see sights with a 2-3 hr return trip looming each night before you can rest.

 

[mjkacmom]

I would just spend a few days in each city! Sure, you don't want a car to be your primary form of transportation, but I've driven to DC, Philly, and NYC (many times), and it's really not that scary! You just want to avoid any time close to rush hour. Start in NYC, and work your way down to DC, or vice versa. You will save yourself hours of commuting time!

 

[ssawka]

I agree with PPs. Travel from city to city and stay a few days. Trains are not all that great on the east coast and they cn be quite expensive. I'm not sure about NYC and Philly, but in DC you can find a hotel in the "burbs" and take the subway in. In fact most hotels will provide a complementary shuttle to the "Metro" (subway).

 

[snowbunny]

The 'hub' idea sounds good...but in all honesty it will create a LOT of wasted travel time

Agree. I used to live in Philly and spent a lot of time on Amtrak for work going to both DC and NYC. They are just not that close. Begging to differ with the previous poster, trains in the northeast corridor are good and that is how most people travel between these three cities.

Spend a few days in NYC, then a few days in Philly, then a few days in DC. Or vice versa. Travelzoo and Priceline for hotels in the central areas...no need to hike out to the burbs when you can get great deals right in the downtown.

 

[amsafko]

I completely agree with those who said to stay a few days in or around each city. Too much driving. We've stayed in NYC and in Secaucus (outside of NY) - Secaucus was easier in terms of travel - we just drove in from the Hampton Inn and parked in the Port Authority garage when you come out of the tunnel and walked to where we needed to go. We stayed at the Michaelangelo Hotel in Times Square once, and while it was beautiful, the traffic was pretty rough.

As for Philly, this is a much easier city to drive in, in my opinion. We do it all the time. So it's a matter of if you want to save some money and stay on the outskirts or in the city.

As for DC, this was okay with the car. Found parking near the museums without a problem on a Sat. in the summer. We stayed on the outskirts here - can't remember where though.

It would make for a great trip but I think trying to do it from one hub would take the fun out of it for me with all the time spent traveling.

 

[eatatmidnight]

Wow..such good ideas. It sounds as if we should stay in 3 different places. I can't imagine wanting to stay more than 1 night in NYC, but 2 or more in the others.

Now, for those familiar with that area, is mid March a good time to go...as far as crowds and weather?

 

[mjkacmom]

Wow..such good ideas. It sounds as if we should stay in 3 different places. I can't imagine wanting to stay more than 1 night in NYC, but 2 or more in the others.

Now, for those familiar with that area, is mid March a good time to go...as far as crowds and weather?

You definitely want to spend more time in NYC than Philly! To me, Philly is small, and lacks the punch of NYC, and the amount of stuff to do in DC. I've been going to NYC my whole life (it's a 15 minute drive for me), and I could spend a week there! Went to DC for 5 days, and didn't get everything done we wanted to (and we went commando!). I could be done with Philly in a day.

The weather will be cold, but crowds should be good.

 

[Planogirl]

If you don't mind a place a bit gruesome and yet beautiful and historic check out Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. DS and I were enthralled with this place.

We found a lot to do in Philly but it was mostly museums. There are tons of places to eat too.

 

[Redwitch]

There is a NY and a Philly "city pass." It might give you an idea of some things to do. You might also consider a day in Baltimore - the Aquarium and Science museum are nice.

http://www.citypass.com/

I agree with moving from HUB to HUB - the distance is close enough to travel, but far enough to be too tiring for daily jaunts. (Given that - I live in Lancaster and people live here and work in all your planned stops. I wouldn't want to make the trip daily.)

 

[Mathfailure]

A few thoughts.

Driving from the Philly area to NYC is not for the timid. The Jersey Turnpike is often a parking lot, and the drivers are insane. Getting into NYC is expensive and parking is outrageous. Park and take public transportation. In the city the buses that take you around all of the sites are expensive but worth the transportation and the ease of seeing most of the highlights easily.

Staying in DC is cheap on the weekends, everyone in govenment goes away! Go to a site like Hotwire and you can get great deals within walking distance of the Mall and 'stuff' you most likely want to see. We try to get a hotel in the Capital area and eat in Union Station, because quick cheap places to eat can be closed on weekends too. We also park at Reagan Airport, really close, and take the metro in to Union Station. Much cheaper, and many hotels want you to park on the street! Not an option.

Mt. Laurel is a location on Hotwire close to Philly and has many hotels. However, I really like Philly and enjoy all the history there. Plus Valley Forge is kinda near by, and all is so worth seeing.

I don't know if you have ever been East, but as someone who is from the east and has moved to south western Ohio, be prepared for a much quicker speed of everything...and much ruder drivers.

Enjoy, and depending on the weather, Cape May is beautiful in Jersey.

 

[micheleq]

Just to agree with all the PPs, I think you'd want to spend time in each city and not commute back and forth.

Fly into NYC and stay there for a few days. Take Amtrak from Penn Station in NY down to Philly maybe early one morning and leave Philly that evening if you only want to spend one day. From Philly, get back on Amtrak to Union Station in DC, and fly home out of Reagan National Airport (which is in VA but totally accessable by Metro).

There are a few threads right now about NYC and DC area hotels that should be useful to you. Good luck planning! If it seems like too much, I'd do either a NYC or DC trip. You could easily spend a week in each city and not see it all.

 

[auroralark]

I totally agree with the PP's - just hop from city to city. I would start in NYC and go south. You'll save a lot of time and sanity by doing things this way. I've been hopping around CA for a week and a half now and the whole moving every few days thing has worked great for us. It's not really a relaxing vacation, but hey - that's what the beach is for. If you want to sight see and really get the most out of each city - stay there, and then move on.

 

[dex08]

I live in South Jersey near Cherry Hill/Mt. Laurel area and travel to NYC and DC for work frequently on day trips. Going back to back to NYC on the train from Philly is exhausting.

Like PP suggest, I would also start in one city and then travel to the others.

EDIT: Let me rephrase that... going on back-to-back day trips to NYC and having a jam packed day running around the city and then back down is exhausting.

 

[RMAMom]

I live in the Mt. Laurel area and I agree that you'll want to move from city to city and not travel from one central hub.

You mentioned March, March is cold and dreary. I would wait until late April or early May. If the weather we've been having keeps up you could find yourself knee deep in snow in March.

 

[Floridagal23]

I would advise against a "hub" for some of the trip. I moved from DC to NYC recently and was commuting back and forth with a long distance relationship with bf since he was in ny while I was in dc. Amtrak is easy, but a big trip - and expensive. You would be better off grabbing a $49 special train (from dc to ny at 9:30 am) or the bolt bus to get up there or back and staying put. The regional trains always take longer than advertised and that's a good 4 hours of your day.

 

[ssawka]

Wow..such good ideas. It sounds as if we should stay in 3 different places. I can't imagine wanting to stay more than 1 night in NYC, but 2 or more in the others.

Now, for those familiar with that area, is mid March a good time to go...as far as crowds and weather?

I posted this yesterday, but I don't think it went through. Anyway, the weather on the East Coast in early March can be pretty "dicey". February and early March tends to be the snowiest time of year in the Mid-Atlantic. Also, late March is pretty crowded and expensive in DC, because that's when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

 

[Ava]

Just to agree with all the PPs, I think you'd want to spend time in each city and not commute back and forth.

Fly into NYC and stay there for a few days. Take Amtrak from Penn Station in NY down to Philly maybe early one morning and leave Philly that evening if you only want to spend one day. From Philly, get back on Amtrak to Union Station in DC, and fly home out of Reagan National Airport (which is in VA but totally accessable by Metro).

This is what I was going to say. Consider flying into NYC or DC, work your way between them via Amtrak, then fly back home from your last stop. Between gas & parking, driving will not be cheap. Not to mention wasted time & frustration sitting in traffic. Amtrak is not perfect, but I much prefer it to driving on the NJ Turnpike/I-95. (I live in NY but am from Maryland, so I take the train between NYC & Baltimore a lot.)

Also agree with those who said you will want more time in NYC & DC than in Philly. One day is enough time to see the major sites in Philly.