8 days in NYC- Split it up? Boston or...?

I%26#39;m in washington DC for a week for training. I booked an extra week, thinking I could go to New York as well. I haven%26#39;t booked flights,but I%26#39;ll likely be there Satu-Saturday. is 8 days too much for New York? I was thinking I could do Boston as well, or go somewhere else.

I%26#39;d like to experience the east coast, as I%26#39;m from Vancouver. Mostly into history...not museums so much, but the town%26#39;s themselves. The cape soudns amazing. Any suggestions? I%26#39;d like to make the most of my stay, but don%26#39;t want to try and do too much.

I%26#39;ll be taking the amtrak from Washington to NY, which is 3.5 hours. I was thinking I could do the same to Boston, and fly home from there.

Also, I%26#39;m open to renting a car (ie to go to Cape Cod). Please, suggestions would be helpful!!

8 days in NYC- Split it up? Boston or...?

I was going to say stick with NY for the 8 days - there is SO much to do here - until I read that you love the history of the cities themselves. I think you%26#39;ll love Boston and all it has to offer, especially the Freedom Trail. I therefore think you should do 4 nights in NY and 3 in Boston.

8 days in NYC- Split it up? Boston or...?

I agree with Kate about the split.

I know you said you%26#39;re not a museum person, but it would be a shame to miss the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere and the single most visited attraction in NYC. It has fantastic Egyptian, Greek/Roman, and Arms and Armor collections that are very appealing to people more interested in history than art. More here:

http://www.metmuseum.org/

When you%26#39;re in New York, be sure to check out the New York Historical Society museum:

https://www.nyhistory.org/web/

The Museum of the City of New York:

http://www.mcny.org/

And the Lower East Side Tenement Museum:

http://www.tenement.org/

All of which sound like they%26#39;d be perfect for you.

My family are coming to the states in the summer. We are staying 4 days DC, 6 days NYC and 6 days Boston. There is loads to do in each city, and although you could easily fill all 8 days in NYC you will find some really great history in and around Boston - it%26#39;s accessible by train or bus. Why not go to the TA pages on Boston (but don%26#39;t get distracted by DC or Philadelphia or you will have just too many choices :))

If you have a car you could spend time in NYC, drive out to the North Fork of Long Island, catch the ferry from Orient Point to New London, drive over to Cape Cod, take the ferry from Provincetown to Boston and spend the rest of your trip there. You%26#39;ll get the best of both cities plus get to see a little bit of what the East Coast and Southern New England is all about.

Or you could do this a little ';backwards';...drive from New York City to Boston, take the ferry from Boston to Provincetown...then back to Boston to fly home.

You won%26#39;t need a car in Ptown for the day to explore this great little town, but you would need a car to venture out from Provincetown.

What time of year were you planning your trip? I am not a fan of Provincetown in the winter months but in-season lodging arrangements for the Cape (if you wanted to stay overnight before heading back to Boston)are expensive enough and need to be secured in advance.

I%26#39;ll be there end of July. That actually sounds great- I like the idea of renting a car, and driving to Boston. The route you painted sounds terrific- taking the ferry off Long Island, stopping in providence... I think i might like to End in Boston, rather than go there first and hit provincetown. That way I can relax at the end of the trip and just take in the city.

The ferries that you take, are they more expensive if I%26#39;m driving a car? Also, end of July- will I have trouble finding a place to stay the night if I leave it last minute? I would LOVE to just wing it and stop wherever I felt like it.

High-Speed Ferry Info from Boston to Provincetown:

bostonharborcruises.com/ptown_featured.html

http://www.baystatecruisecompany.com/

No cars on the ferries to Ptown...(no way the Wharf in Ptown could handle loading/off-loading cars!).

You won%26#39;t need a car in Provincetown. Do visit the Cape Cod forum for information about lodging in Ptown. I promise you, you will have a terribly difficult time finding a room for only One night in season.

The ferry only takes 90 minutes: If you leave Boston early in the a.m. you can then plan to visit Ptown during the day, (you can do the Dune Tours or a whale watch), have dinner at Edwige, and then head back to Boston in the evening.

Also, head over to the Boston Forum on TA for more information or itineraries for day trips to the Cape from Boston. It%26#39;ll be a long, fascinating day!