New England
Posted 18/08/2006 - 02:09
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I live in Massachusetts-are you planning to come for the foliage?
My personal suggestion for someone who's not been here before, and wishes to come at that time of year, would be to avoid a motorhome. Rent an economical car and stay at various bed-and-breakfasts, or failing that, more mainstream hotels. Campgrounds with facilities to handle a large RV can be pricey, and fill up quickly.
If camping and such seems best, I'd say a class B camper would be more useful for running around-the big ones can be very difficult to handle, and make trips into scenic places difficult.
States-Vermont is classic, and with New Hampshire provides the best scenery most of the time. Massachusetts and Maine are great for coastal/rural scenery, more built up in Rhode Island and Connecticut. I'll talk more..
My personal suggestion for someone who's not been here before, and wishes to come at that time of year, would be to avoid a motorhome. Rent an economical car and stay at various bed-and-breakfasts, or failing that, more mainstream hotels. Campgrounds with facilities to handle a large RV can be pricey, and fill up quickly.
If camping and such seems best, I'd say a class B camper would be more useful for running around-the big ones can be very difficult to handle, and make trips into scenic places difficult.
States-Vermont is classic, and with New Hampshire provides the best scenery most of the time. Massachusetts and Maine are great for coastal/rural scenery, more built up in Rhode Island and Connecticut. I'll talk more..
Posted 18/08/2006 - 12:03
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Hi,
Some very good friends moved to MA about an hour from Boston about 3 years ago and I went for the first time last year for the fall for two weeks. We planned time wise to hit the fall just nice, but global warming had shifted the time of the fall and it was about 2 weeks later than normal, so we just saw the start of it. So do check the times well.
The scenery was FANTASTIC..but be aware...we travelled from my friends house in Baldwinville to the mountains in New Hampshire and it took about 3 1/2 hours and we hardly ever left the forest! it is HUGE out there and you can travel for hours and hours with hardly seeing anything but trees. New Hampshire mountains are a must.
Also take lots of money..USA is not cheap like it used to be, many meals and drinks worked out pretty much the same price as here, the only real cheap things we found were clothes. Also the food and drink generally was of a poor or only average standard. We found it hard to find anything out of the ordinary and french restaurants were VERY expensive. They tend to smother food with very sugary and 'obvious' coverings or sauces, so be sure to ask exactly what you are getting.
The people we found to be very friendly and helpful though. My abiding memory is the light...it is stunning, so blindingly clear and 'brilliant', I have never seen any light like it, it is even more stunning than in the med.
Overall..well worth going, but be prepared for an awful lot of mileage out there. The amount of driving is the one thing we disliked most.
cheers Steve.
Some very good friends moved to MA about an hour from Boston about 3 years ago and I went for the first time last year for the fall for two weeks. We planned time wise to hit the fall just nice, but global warming had shifted the time of the fall and it was about 2 weeks later than normal, so we just saw the start of it. So do check the times well.
The scenery was FANTASTIC..but be aware...we travelled from my friends house in Baldwinville to the mountains in New Hampshire and it took about 3 1/2 hours and we hardly ever left the forest! it is HUGE out there and you can travel for hours and hours with hardly seeing anything but trees. New Hampshire mountains are a must.
Also take lots of money..USA is not cheap like it used to be, many meals and drinks worked out pretty much the same price as here, the only real cheap things we found were clothes. Also the food and drink generally was of a poor or only average standard. We found it hard to find anything out of the ordinary and french restaurants were VERY expensive. They tend to smother food with very sugary and 'obvious' coverings or sauces, so be sure to ask exactly what you are getting.
The people we found to be very friendly and helpful though. My abiding memory is the light...it is stunning, so blindingly clear and 'brilliant', I have never seen any light like it, it is even more stunning than in the med.
Overall..well worth going, but be prepared for an awful lot of mileage out there. The amount of driving is the one thing we disliked most.
cheers Steve.
Posted 18/08/2006 - 14:22
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Thanks for the input guys
Yes I want the foilage.
OK, so a motorhome is not reccomended , cheap car an B&Bs sound good. dont mind doing the milage as long as the scenery is good and there are plenty of places to pull over if I see a stunning shot. what are the roads like? busy or generally quiet?
My wife only needs to give two weeks notice to book time off work, and I only need a couple of hours to pack my bags, so checking how the onset of "fall" is progressing should allow us a better chance at getting the timing right, assuming we could get the flights. Can you see any need to pre-book accomodation or would you definately advise it? although I understand we will have to have something booked initially for getting into the country.
As for food, as long as I can get a nice steak I'll be happy, and from what we hear about American portions we will only need three meals a week.
Yes I want the foilage.
OK, so a motorhome is not reccomended , cheap car an B&Bs sound good. dont mind doing the milage as long as the scenery is good and there are plenty of places to pull over if I see a stunning shot. what are the roads like? busy or generally quiet?
My wife only needs to give two weeks notice to book time off work, and I only need a couple of hours to pack my bags, so checking how the onset of "fall" is progressing should allow us a better chance at getting the timing right, assuming we could get the flights. Can you see any need to pre-book accomodation or would you definately advise it? although I understand we will have to have something booked initially for getting into the country.
As for food, as long as I can get a nice steak I'll be happy, and from what we hear about American portions we will only need three meals a week.
Posted 18/08/2006 - 23:16
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Let's see-first, ignore the global warming bit-foliage peaks vary hugely year to year. Driving distances are likely to be much longer in terms of mile per scenery change, even here (going out wesst would drive you mad!)
Roads-in New England the surfaces can be challenging, especially on un-numbered routes-but those give the best feel for the area. Interstates are quite good, if boring, and are the key to travel from area to area. Vermont has I-91 and 89, actually pretty scenery, and will take you to the heart of things there. 93 goes through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, which is probably another must see.
Food is a whole lot better if you avoid chains and anything that has a buffet (Indian restaurants excluded). Baldwinville, Massachusetts is devoid of decent restaurants, Northampton is chock-full, as are most Vermont towns.
Easy to find great shots of scenery. Traffic on weekends during "leaf-peeper" season can be horrid, but weekdays are great.
Pre-booking is best for the peak times-our Columbus Day weekend, around the 9th of October, is a madhouse in say, Manchester, VT-a foliage/shopping/dining center, and may have been booked for months. If you're adventurous, it is possible to gypsy a bit and take a chance.
Weather can be anywhere from 80 to 25 degrees F. Sweaters are in high fashion, and you'll be able to buy your fill! Film is widely available, and Northampton has same-day traditional B&W and E6. 1 hour C41 is on every street corner. Oh, I can go on..
Roads-in New England the surfaces can be challenging, especially on un-numbered routes-but those give the best feel for the area. Interstates are quite good, if boring, and are the key to travel from area to area. Vermont has I-91 and 89, actually pretty scenery, and will take you to the heart of things there. 93 goes through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, which is probably another must see.
Food is a whole lot better if you avoid chains and anything that has a buffet (Indian restaurants excluded). Baldwinville, Massachusetts is devoid of decent restaurants, Northampton is chock-full, as are most Vermont towns.
Easy to find great shots of scenery. Traffic on weekends during "leaf-peeper" season can be horrid, but weekdays are great.
Pre-booking is best for the peak times-our Columbus Day weekend, around the 9th of October, is a madhouse in say, Manchester, VT-a foliage/shopping/dining center, and may have been booked for months. If you're adventurous, it is possible to gypsy a bit and take a chance.
Weather can be anywhere from 80 to 25 degrees F. Sweaters are in high fashion, and you'll be able to buy your fill! Film is widely available, and Northampton has same-day traditional B&W and E6. 1 hour C41 is on every street corner. Oh, I can go on..
Posted 21/08/2006 - 19:10
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Hiya,
"Baldwinville, Massachusetts is devoid of decent restaurants"....
.....yes, we knew, so avoided it.. our eating was done all over New England, we did try to avoid chains, just as we would here, but still found food only average..very dissapointing.
But the OP will be happy to hear that the best meal we had was in a grill and the steak was super. Another note about food..many 'hot' meals are served only luke warm and our friends informed us that this was because eating houses are trying to avoid being sued by guests who may burn their mouths...oh dear.
About booking flights....we found if you book late, the flights can get VERY expensive...booking early seems a very good idea.
cheers Steve.
"Baldwinville, Massachusetts is devoid of decent restaurants"....
.....yes, we knew, so avoided it.. our eating was done all over New England, we did try to avoid chains, just as we would here, but still found food only average..very dissapointing.
But the OP will be happy to hear that the best meal we had was in a grill and the steak was super. Another note about food..many 'hot' meals are served only luke warm and our friends informed us that this was because eating houses are trying to avoid being sued by guests who may burn their mouths...oh dear.
About booking flights....we found if you book late, the flights can get VERY expensive...booking early seems a very good idea.
cheers Steve.
Posted 23/08/2006 - 23:16
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More input, great!
thanks steve and redlm.
Mmmmm, a bit dissapointed over late flights being more expensive, looks like we may have to book well in advance after all. but from what your saying it sounds like the fall is a bit unpredictable anyway.
Would it be advisable to arrive a week or two into the "normal fall time" or do American leaves drop off a lot quicker than ours meaning we'd miss it?
And if we did get a less than spectacular display I suppose there is always Boston to explore, (dying to read the American version of the war of independance lol)
As for the weather, no problem. we are English after all.
thanks steve and redlm.
Mmmmm, a bit dissapointed over late flights being more expensive, looks like we may have to book well in advance after all. but from what your saying it sounds like the fall is a bit unpredictable anyway.
Would it be advisable to arrive a week or two into the "normal fall time" or do American leaves drop off a lot quicker than ours meaning we'd miss it?
And if we did get a less than spectacular display I suppose there is always Boston to explore, (dying to read the American version of the war of independance lol)
Quote:
Roads-in New England the surfaces can be challenging
Does this mean they are full of potholes/ stray wildlife/moronic drivers/or badly signed....or all of them?Roads-in New England the surfaces can be challenging
Quote:
Traffic on weekends during "leaf-peeper" season can be horrid
No problem, we could explore a town/cityTraffic on weekends during "leaf-peeper" season can be horrid
Quote:
Film is widely available
Will probably be shooting digital tho' I may be tempted to bring some transparency film along and one of my film bodies. is film/processing cheaper over there?Film is widely available
As for the weather, no problem. we are English after all.
Posted 24/08/2006 - 00:09
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Well, film processing in the right places is very cheap-$5.00 for C41 prints in an hour.
Numbered roads tend to be smoother, some Vermont roads can end in dirt-there are still towns with no pavement. Signs are generally good, drivers are often bad, especially during tourist season. The motto in tonier areas is "Fine Cars Driven Badly". Wildlife-you'll see a lot of signs warning of moose. Not likely you'll see a moose, but a collision with one is very bad. Deer, too.
Foliage season can last pretty well, and you can drive further south as the season progresses to keep with the colors-but a good storm can call "game over". It's nature!
Oh, don't try drinking "tea" here. You will be very disappointed unless you find a private home with ex-pat British, or Canadians. Fish and chips are pretty much as you'll remember!
Numbered roads tend to be smoother, some Vermont roads can end in dirt-there are still towns with no pavement. Signs are generally good, drivers are often bad, especially during tourist season. The motto in tonier areas is "Fine Cars Driven Badly". Wildlife-you'll see a lot of signs warning of moose. Not likely you'll see a moose, but a collision with one is very bad. Deer, too.
Foliage season can last pretty well, and you can drive further south as the season progresses to keep with the colors-but a good storm can call "game over". It's nature!
Oh, don't try drinking "tea" here. You will be very disappointed unless you find a private home with ex-pat British, or Canadians. Fish and chips are pretty much as you'll remember!
Posted 25/08/2006 - 19:09
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Hiya,
I would research flights straight away. When we went, we looked at costs, did not book, then re-checked a week later and the same flights had gone up by £100! they can change daily and not by small amounts either.
There is still inconsistency re what hand luggage is allowed...different airports are letting different items through..so check with the airport you are going to fly from.
The roads we thought were fine..no different to here, pavements seem scarce all over New England..they just drive everywhere..we even saw them driving the 100 yards between stores at shopping malls...no wonder the USA consumes a shocking 40 percent of the whole planets petrol each year.
Best avoid any food or drink which is purported to be 'English style'..mostly awful, I suggest sticking to USA traditional foods. Most consumer goods and products are roughly in dollars what they cost in UK pounds, so given the current xchange of about 1.9, you can see lots of things are about half the UK cost.
Check film storage on flights..hold baggage gets much heavier x-rays and if the film has to go in the hold, it may be in danger.
good flying..cheers Steve.
I would research flights straight away. When we went, we looked at costs, did not book, then re-checked a week later and the same flights had gone up by £100! they can change daily and not by small amounts either.
There is still inconsistency re what hand luggage is allowed...different airports are letting different items through..so check with the airport you are going to fly from.
The roads we thought were fine..no different to here, pavements seem scarce all over New England..they just drive everywhere..we even saw them driving the 100 yards between stores at shopping malls...no wonder the USA consumes a shocking 40 percent of the whole planets petrol each year.
Best avoid any food or drink which is purported to be 'English style'..mostly awful, I suggest sticking to USA traditional foods. Most consumer goods and products are roughly in dollars what they cost in UK pounds, so given the current xchange of about 1.9, you can see lots of things are about half the UK cost.
Check film storage on flights..hold baggage gets much heavier x-rays and if the film has to go in the hold, it may be in danger.
good flying..cheers Steve.
Posted 25/08/2006 - 23:39
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Yes, outside of cities we do seem to drive everywhere. Some places it's understandable, but there is a lot of waste.
Posted 12/09/2006 - 11:06
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Bought the "Rough Guide to New England" yesterday, god that place is HUGE! may have to think about a longer stay LOL.
Yes, flight do seem to vary an awful lot, though currently the last minutes ones seem cheaper, may have something to do with the current situation and time of year tho'.
We may still chance a last minute booking and do everything online.
Once again thanks for the input, and if you can think of anything else......
Yes, flight do seem to vary an awful lot, though currently the last minutes ones seem cheaper, may have something to do with the current situation and time of year tho'.
We may still chance a last minute booking and do everything online.
Once again thanks for the input, and if you can think of anything else......
Posted 12/09/2006 - 15:49
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I recently spent a week in Massachusetts - my OH had to be near New Bedford for a couple of days of meetings. We booked the tickets fairly late - his was business class and paid for, my economy which we paid for. As it was August it was expensive! (1000 euros). Now the summer season is over the prices have dropped dramatically, at least from Holland they have. (5-600 euros)
New England is huge, and it is difficult to cover the same ground as you would in the West there because the roads are so different. Remember some are turnpikes (tolls) too, though the toll is not very high.
We started in Boston, took the T into the city and spent the day just wandering around, which was great, The next day we went to Gloucester for a whale watching trip which was just the best -15 humpbacks! On then to Canterbury, New Hampshire to the Shaker village before dropping back down to Plymouth/ Cape Cod and finally Fairhaven near New Bedford.
We could happily have spent another week or two just in Massachusetts - this was really just a flying "get the feel of the place" trip. We hope to go back again soon, and see even more of New England.
I found driving there really easy, much better than other places in the US, drivers are less agressive it seems than in the west, and plenty of places to walk around. Boston is of course a terriffic walking city, but most other places we went we walked to restaurants etc.
Fall has already arrived in Manitoba btw - a contact sent me stunning fall photos she took yesterday!
New England is huge, and it is difficult to cover the same ground as you would in the West there because the roads are so different. Remember some are turnpikes (tolls) too, though the toll is not very high.
We started in Boston, took the T into the city and spent the day just wandering around, which was great, The next day we went to Gloucester for a whale watching trip which was just the best -15 humpbacks! On then to Canterbury, New Hampshire to the Shaker village before dropping back down to Plymouth/ Cape Cod and finally Fairhaven near New Bedford.
We could happily have spent another week or two just in Massachusetts - this was really just a flying "get the feel of the place" trip. We hope to go back again soon, and see even more of New England.
I found driving there really easy, much better than other places in the US, drivers are less agressive it seems than in the west, and plenty of places to walk around. Boston is of course a terriffic walking city, but most other places we went we walked to restaurants etc.
Fall has already arrived in Manitoba btw - a contact sent me stunning fall photos she took yesterday!
Posted 13/09/2006 - 00:01
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I spend a lot of time near Fairhaven! Some decent restaurants in the area-bad ones, too.
Funny hearing from a Manitoba-ite that New England is huge.
Funny hearing from a Manitoba-ite that New England is huge.
Posted 13/09/2006 - 03:40
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I live in Worcester, Massachusetts, and every fall I drive out Route 2 to the Connecticuit River, there are great shots out that way.
When you arrive, check the news channels for reports on where the colors are peaking, it varies from year to year. you could drive to Vermont if you're early or Connecticuit if you're late.
When you arrive, check the news channels for reports on where the colors are peaking, it varies from year to year. you could drive to Vermont if you're early or Connecticuit if you're late.
42 
Posted 13/09/2006 - 03:54
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Small world- West Brookfield!
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6378 posts
20 years
Leeds,
UK
So heres a request to anyone from the New England area, or anyone who knows it well, not so well, or has just been once!
This is a place I have longed to visit since getting serious about my photography but circumstances (mainly cash) have so far prevented it, but now it looks like a sure possibility, the cash is there, the kids are grown up and gone (still in our pockets tho'...LOL) and we have plenty of holiday time available.
So we are planning ahead for next year (autumn/fall obviously) and would like as much input a possible, ie where to go, where to stay, is it worth considering a motorhome etc etc.
All help greatly appreciated, either post here or email me direct, my address is in my profile)
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