NYC and surrounding cities during Christmas

[thephoenix]

I might be visiting New York City and a few cities that are relatively close to it during my Christmas break. I'll be with my sister at first in NYC but then she travels on the 21st somewhere so I'll be free to explore the east coast a little bit via Amtrak or something.

 

I'm thinking either Boston, Philadelphia or Washington D.C. if the government mess gets cleaned up before then. Any suggestions on places to visit or perhaps LGBT areas I can explore?

Edited October 13, 2013 by thephoenix

[Former Member]

Provincetown in Massachusetts!

[Kitt]

Gotta hit the Baltimore Aquarium!

[methodwriter85]

    If you're going down I-95, make a pit stop at the Christiana Mall in Delaware. You can get Apple products for no sales tax. That's only if you care about shopping, though.

 

   Rehoboth Beach in Delaware is pretty cool...the town is much slower now that summer is over, but it'd be a nice, quiet, gay-friendly place to explore.

 

   If you're in Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center was pretty cool.

Edited October 14, 2013 by methodwriter85

[Mark Arbour]

Go to either DC or Boston.  

[Arpeggio]

Boston is gorgeous, but I wouldn't recommend Dorchester. Lol

[iSimba]

During Christmas NYC is generally packed and its also when most of the pickpocketing happens.

 

Be sure to keep your wallet and phone in a safe place and check frequently.

 

Enjoy the beautiful sights

[thephoenix]

Thanks for the ideas guys...I won't be driving to New York though (I'm flying there) so I'm limited to public transportation and perhaps just the major surrounding cities. (Having a car in NYC is not really worth it anyway (traffic/parking/etc.))

[iSimba]

Public transport in NY is fantastic!

 

Just...if you get in a taxi, hold the panic bar

[Trebs]

How many days is your trip going to be?  I love DC and you can take Amtrak (train) down there - the Smithsonians, especially the National Archives, are fantastic BUT if you only have a few days (say, a week or less), you may just want to concentrate on NYC itself.  There is SO much to do there, between the usual tourist stops like the Statue of Liberty, UN Building complex, TImes Square, Broadway plays, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center - but also major gay spots like the site of the Stonewall Inn and Greenwich Village.

[thephoenix]

Public transport in NY is fantastic!

 

Just...if you get in a taxi, hold the panic bar

 

Haha! will do!

 

How many days is your trip going to be?  I love DC and you can take Amtrak (train) down there - the Smithsonians, especially the National Archives, are fantastic BUT if you only have a few days (say, a week or less), you may just want to concentrate on NYC itself.  There is SO much to do there, between the usual tourist stops like the Statue of Liberty, UN Building complex, TImes Square, Broadway plays, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center - but also major gay spots like the site of the Stonewall Inn and Greenwich Village.

 

My break is about 2 weeks long. TBH I'm a little concerned about DC now if the government pulls another stunt like it just did. Plus there might be protests and stuff...

[TetRefine]

During Christmas time, there is no place like New York. I go every year and it still amazes me after countless trips. DC is another must just to see all the monuments and buildings. Philadelphia is also another really cool place during the Christmas time. Lots of good shopping on Walnut Street, plus you can visit Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, etc in Old City and get a Cheesesteak at Pat's in South Philly. Boston is neat, but is kind of underwhelming in my opinion compared to NYC, Philly, and DC. 

[thephoenix]

My Christmas trip is finally starting to materialize...

 

What is a reasonable daily budget for New York City and Washington DC? I want the full experience without emptying my savings...

 

I've planned out my transportation costs and I'm thinking I could use the NY CityPass for access to many museums. Does Washington charge anything to visit the monuments or museums such as the Smithsonian?

[W_L]

Aww...Boston ain't that underwhelming

 

To be honest, we're like an old European city in some ways; our streets are not laid out like New York or DC, so you may end up in different areas of the city by accidentally following a curvy road. However, Boston has seen some great growth in recent years, we have an eclectic theatre district, charming waterfront, and a very diverse amount of eats due to the college community. Tourists go to Fanuel Hall, but it is to me one of the worst places to go due to the high priced food and overcrowding, plus a lack of "real" market. If you come by on Friday-Sunday, you should try Haymarket for the cheap produce (We have a lot of greenhouses growing stuff year round) or head towards the Museum of Fine Arts, which is next door to Mass College of Arts and Design.

 

Enjoy your trip

[thephoenix]

Aww...Boston ain't that underwhelming

 

To be honest, we're like an old European city in some ways; our streets are not laid out like New York or DC, so you may end up in different areas of the city by accidentally following a curvy road. However, Boston has seen some great growth in recent years, we have an eclectic theatre district, charming waterfront, and a very diverse amount of eats due to the college community. Tourists go to Fanuel Hall, but it is to me one of the worst places to go due to the high priced food and overcrowding, plus a lack of "real" market. If you come by on Friday-Sunday, you should try Haymarket for the cheap produce (We have a lot of greenhouses growing stuff year round) or head towards the Museum of Fine Arts, which is next door to Mass College of Arts and Design.

 

Enjoy your trip

 

Unfortunately I had to narrow down my trip to just 2 cities so I wouldn't trample all over my budget. Maybe next time

[Ashi]

My Christmas trip is finally starting to materialize...

 

What is a reasonable daily budget for New York City and Washington DC? I want the full experience without emptying my savings...

 

I've planned out my transportation costs and I'm thinking I could use the NY CityPass for access to many museums. Does Washington charge anything to visit the monuments or museums such as the Smithsonian?

 

One thing I like about DC is, museums are free!!!  Absolutely free.  I could live there.  Smithsonian is a complex of museums like a dozen or more museums, all free.  Most fascinating stuff for display, and FREE (did I say free?).  As long as you're not a terrorist, and pass the door gate, go roam in there freely.

 

Don't remember how much NYC trip costs, since mostly my brother paid the bills.  Do reserve some budget to see the city from the top of Empire State Building, take a ferry to see Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  You could go to fancy restaurants near Central Park or be frugal eating at food truck/carts (some are very good, there is a Halal rice bowl/sawarma cart near 6th Avenue or somewhere close, that's very good and you'll see people line up for it).  The price point is similar to San Francisco Bay Area (don't know where you're from so don't know the price level you're comfortable with).  Do expect ~8% sales taxes as part of your budget.  I believe my brother told me there is no sales taxes on clothing as part of economic incentives.  You might want to buy some clothes there, so include that as part of the budget.  Buy a Metro weekly pass or similar for your transportation (I remember my brother told me something about some pass that's cheaper than tourist pass). 

 

Strolling on Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue is free.  Window shopping is free.  Bergdorf Goodman's holiday window display browsing is nice.  Go see the ice rinks and imagine Holden Caulfield was skating in it.  There are two ice rinks I know of.  Beside the famous Rockefeller rink, the other one I went was near the main library (the one Holy Golightly went in Breakfast at Tiffany's).  It had a lot of holiday booths set up there, a great stop for souvenirs and some small foods.  Someone put some origami flowers on John Lennon's "Imagine" memorial plaque on the ground of Central Park the day I went there.  Visit 911 Memorial can be an emotional experience.

 

The day I went to see The Cloisters it was closed, but a little hike in that area and see George Washington Bridge on the hill that museum is situated is nice. 

 

I didn't get to see Guggenheim, but Met was very nice.  They're very close to each other.  And people already mentioned Times Square.  If you happened to visit Grand Central (or transfer your train there), it is nice for some photos. 

 

Lots of great scenes of NYC are at night, so do bring a camera with good high ISO performance and/or a small tripod (so you don't kill your back and pedestrians.  I didn't bring a tripod, but you could use some newspaper dispenser to steady your camera, if you could find one where you want to take a photo.  I highly recommend bringing a camera with image stabilization). 

[Red_A]

I would recommend that you take a bean bag instead or together with a tripod as it can reach places that a tripod cannot!

[blake_logan]

I would recommend that you take a bean bag instead or together with a tripod as it can reach places that a tripod cannot!

Not to mention that I hear the police may want to see a permit if you have a tripod...they assume you're doing a commercial shoot if you have fancy equipment like that.

[comicfan]

If you are in NYC during Christmas you can do the windows in all the major stores. They usually have the list online. Don't forget a trip down to Christopher Street for the Gay part of town. Then it becomes what is it you want to see and do. Boston and DC are both not too far or too expensive, but again it is prime time holiday. If you are in NYC and want to do a day trip you might want to look into seeing things like the Long Island Aircraft museum. Or a trip North to Monticello for Jefferson's home. If you don't mind renting a car you also would only be a few hours from Stockbridge, MA if you are into Art and want to see Norman Rockwell's home. Boston then is just nearly a straight drive from it.