Honeymooning on the East Coast... Needs recommendations!

Hey guys,

So it's time for another one of those questions... (yeah I know...)

So me and my soon to be wife will be visiting your fair country of the USA for our honeymoon in July. We have ten days which we will be spending in between Boston and New York. The first few days we are staying in Boston and then we are moving on to Martha's Vinyard for about five days. We plan on visiting New York for a few days after that, but we are thinking that we might visiting somewhere else immediately before or after New York for a couple of days and this is where we are stuck. There seems to be a glut of nice little towns between Martha's Vinyard and New York, but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of a consensus about which are really worth visiting for a couple of days. We will probably rent a car (although we may take the train) so we can be fairly flexible, but we don't want to be taking huge detours either.

Basically, we are looking for somewhere that is going to have a similar balance to Martha's Vinyard in terms of town vs nature. We don't want to be trapped in some tourist trap of a town with faux "Ye Olde Worlde" type tackiness, but equally we would like some genuine history. Also, we don't want to be smack bang in the middle of other summer vacationers, but at the same time don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. What we do want is somewhere picturesque with some places to go walking about, some nice places to eat out and a few bars to have some drinks.

So, do you guys have any suggestions on towns that are worth visiting? We don't want to drive somewhere just for one thing and then to get up and go a couple of hours later, so it has to be somewhere sizeable enough to spend at least a couple of days. Sorry, I know we are asking a lot, but I'm sure there's somewhere out there that meets our expectations!

Cheers

Have you considered Great Barrington and the Berkshires? Pretty touristy (though not awful, kind of like Martha's Vineyard) but also around a lot of spectacular nature and a LOT of culture. You can take in a performance at Tanglewood (not too far away), check out the local arts and theater scene, and enjoy the Berkshires. You're not going to find a ton of history there per se, but there are some museums and such within driving distance.

If you want to go more urban consider Providence. There you will find a lot of history and a less touristy culture/arts scene, but Providence is a real city with tall buildings and such so if you're looking for more rural beauty I would go with Great Barrington.

Great Barrington also has the same initials as Giant Bomb. So there's that.

Lake Placid NY. its a touristy but the beer is good and the lakes and mountains are top notch. But it is pricey.. unless you live here..

@kmfrob: Mazel tov! I can't say I know of much between Boston and New York, but congrats anyway! If you're thinking of detouring a little, Philadelphia is absolutely recommended it if you're a history nerd.

Between Boston and New York you could look into going to Newport, Rhode Island. Its a really nice seaside town; its fairly unique. It's home to the Newport Folk Festival where Bob Dylan famously "went electric" and turned the folk world upside down. That would probably be my first recommendation. The other best place in Rhode Island is Providence, that has more of a tiny Boston feel to it.

It's tough recommending places between Boston and New York for sure but my girlfriend and I also enjoy Greenwich, Connecticut. It's a wealthy area and I do enjoy looking at the houses and shopping around there.

@bigsocrates:Is Martha's Vinyard that bad? We're quite looking forward to it. We're right in the middle of the island away from the main towns, so hopefully we won't be completely overrun with other tourists. The island looks beautiful though!

@boysef: Would Lake Placid be within reasonable driving distance? It's hard to tell on the map. Remember we're coming from Ireland where a five hour drive takes you from one end of the country to the other and seems like a HUGE distance!

@darth_navster Thanks man. Yeah I'd be up for Philadelphia if we weren't doing Boston and New York as well, but I think that's enough city for a honeymoon. We wanna go somewhere that we can go walking, or go the beach and just chill with some nice food and a few drinks. Siobhain was quite keen on Vermont so we could do that, but it's kinda going the opposite direction to New York...

@counterclockwork87: Yeah I was looking at Newport. Seems like a good mix of urban/countryside. Greenwich looks nice too. Is it the sort of place you can easily find an AirBnB or is it more of a day trip from New York?

Also got to watch out for those giant alligators. ;)

Martha's Vinyard is a good time, but is very expensive. If you're looking to hang with affluent soccer moms, or can easily ignore them, you'll be just fine. From what I've seen, just throw a few knock-off purses in the road. Clears 'em right out.

@kmfrob: Greenwich is only 50 minutes from where I live in NY, so I've never had to Air BnB it was always a day trip. I would say there's not enough in Greenwich to make it any more than a day trip, its a nice place to visit for a day but there's not enough there to sustain staying there for multiple days. Newport is definitely a more interesting place. Never been to Martha's Vineyard so can't speak to that, but it has a similar vibe to Newport except more upscale.

EDIT: Also, Lake Placid is WAY too far away from where you'll be, there's no way you'd be able to do it. It's really out of the way. Your entire country could fit inbetween NYC and Lake Placid. Same thing with Vermont...it has some beautiful scenery but it is completely out of the way based on the scope of your trip.

@counterclockwork87: Haha but it all looks so close on the map! But yeah I'll defo look into Newport!

@kmfrob: I love when Europeans (which it seems like you are) come to the U.S. They know in their minds that it's a much bigger country than the one they came from, but to them that translates intuitively to "Oh, it's like Germany but maybe...twice as big." Then they look it up and realize that Texas on its own is basically twice as big as Germany, and it starts to hit home.

The North East is a little more European in its sizing than the West, but New York alone is a bit bigger than England.

As for Martha's Vineyard, it's fine. A good place for a honeymoon. But it's a pure resort area at this point. There's no real authenticity left, except what's been preserved for the tourists.

Would there be any chance we could go watch some sports in the middle of July? I would love to go watch an NBA game, but I guess July is off-season. Is Baseball a summer sport? I guess I could go watch the Red Bulls or New York City, but I'd really rather go watch some American sports!

Moved to Off Topic, remember that General is for topics about games and the site. Thanks.

@kmfrob: Yeah the regular season for baseball runs from basically April through September so you shouldn't have a problem getting tickets to a game at Fenway or Yankee Stadium.

@camelizer: Your anti-Mets bias is showing. Citi Field is often easier to get tickets to than either of the parks you mentioned, and you get to see the reigning National League champs, even if they aren't necessarily showing it this year.

Also consider minor league baseball. It's cheaper and sometimes more authentic. The Brooklyn Cyclones play in a beautiful park right near Coney Island, so you can take in a game and check out the historic boardwalk, as opposed to going to Yankee Stadium (where there is nothing) or Shea Stadium (where there is good Chinese food nearby at least.)

Fenway is in an okay neighborhood but isn't necessarily the best place to see a game because it's an old park. It is historic, though, so it has that going for it.

@kmfrob: Between the two, Providence or Newport are good choices in Rhode Island. I would also recommend Mystic in Connecticut, there's a fair bit of history and the area is nice, and the aquarium is good, if a little overrated. There may not be enough to support a few days' stay though. As someone that lives 15 minutes from Greenwich I would say that there isn't much there in the way of sightseeing or anything special, but if you're more interested in relaxing and maybe a little shopping it will probably fit the bill.

If you're willing to go a little bit further, Saratoga Springs, New York is in a very beautiful region and there's various activities in the area. That may be outside where you're looking though.

Well, I hear that there New York City is a real hidden gem!

@bigsocrates: You got me. I actually thought to myself "Should I mention the Mets? Ah screw it".

@bigsocrates: @camelizer: As baseball wouldn't be something I have a major interest in, I would be more interested in going somewhere that has an atmosphere than going for the quality of the baseball (though I guess they are linked). With that in mind I guess Fenway would be the better option?What's the deal though? Does every game last four hours, or are they generally over quicker than that? I could probably get down with a couple of hours one evening, but if the game is going to take all night then I don't know if it's worth it given our limited time.

@locovoco: Yeah I think Newport is a likely destination, but it seems like to get from New York to Newport via bus or train then we may have to stop off and transfer in Providence. So rather than waste a whole day traveling, we might stop in Providence for a night. What would be some stuff you would recommend we do? Are there a good selection of places to eat out? Any good theatres? As for Greenwich, I think we might give it a miss. We're not swimming in money and have little interest in shopping, so I think our time would be better spent elsewhere. I'll look into Saratoga Springs, but it looks like it might be a bit far off our route. Thanks for the suggestion though.

@betaband: Never heard of it mate... Any craic?

@kmfrob: big league games take about three hours. Minor league games can be quicker because they don't have TV breaks (but you're still going to be close to 3 hours if you stay for the whole thing, which you don't have to, especially if the tickets are cheap) Big league will have more pageantry and flash but minor league games have a friendlier atmosphere and often have fun traditions. Not to pitch too hard for minor league, but you can probably go for cheap, get some food, stay until the 7th inning stretch and leave if you aren't feeling it.

Providence is a city and has lots of restaurants and things to do (maybe not compared to Boston or, of course, New York, but more than enough for one night.)

@kmfrob: Providence is a nice enough small city, so it has your typical assortment of places to go and things to eat. I can't think of anything off the top of my head that is extremely standout in terms of food , so you may do best looking on yelp, or asking at your hotel or AirBnB.

The Providence Performing Arts Center is a nice theater and I would certainly recommend going if there is something showing that interests you. My personal favorite was the John Brown House Museum, but I have a soft spot for learning local history when I'm visiting places. Other than that, I would just say to look at tripadvisor or yelp and pick out some stuff that looks good to you.

@kmfrob: Providence has a ton of stuff to do, its pretty hip. Like BigSocrates said, It doesn't at all compare to New York and to a lesser degree Boston but its still a fun city for young people. You could literally spend 2 weeks in Manhattan alone (not counting the other boroughs) traveling everyday and not come close to seeing most of the cool places there.

@kmfrob:I'll also throw out some Providence stuff although it depends on what you're into - I've never gone to much historical stuff there.

AS220 is a cool arty local theater space / concert venue / bar - they might have something good going on. Cable Car is a really nice art cinema. Federal Hill is known for its Italian food, looks neat/historic (incidentally if you like metal/punk/noise type music there's a great record store Armageddon Shop around there too). The College Hill area is historic/cool looking - Benefit street there is pretty nice to walk on. Edit: If you're coming by bus you might be around Kennedy Plaza / City Hall when the ridiculous food truck (Haven Bros.) is there.

Also they might be doing their WaterFire thing (lighting up the riverfront area with torches).

The fireworks are usually spectacular on the 4th in Boston, if you're into them things. Also, walking around Boston is really nice. I suggest walking parts of the Emerald Necklace, which is a big chain of parks that wraps around the city.

For food, Neptune Oyster has the best lobster rolls in town, and JP Licks has the best ice-cream. Top of the Hub is the best for getting a view, it's on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center.

Catch a ball game. You'll enjoy it regardless. Its three hours, and if it's looking like a blow out, leave early and beat the rush you've still been to a game and tickets aren't expensive (usually anyway, somewhere around 20 bucks and really compared to cricket there really are no 'bad' seats mate).

@warpig87: @kendallgibson: @newhuman: Thanks for the suggestions guys. I appreciate them. I'll be sure to keep all that stuff in mind. I'll see about the baseball too. I've obviously gotta convince Siobhain as well that it's a worthy use of our time! :)

Ok so I have another request... to all those familiar with New York City, can you recommend any good Japanese restaurants? We're starved of good, authentic Japanese over here in Dublin, and given the larger population of Japanese people in the States I was hoping that you may have a bigger variety in terms of places to eat. I'm not talking about Sushi though... I want Izakaya style fair, or perhaps some Okonomiyaki or Ramen. And also any Korean food suggestions would be great. Otherwise, for want of a better term, Jewish food. We'll be staying in Brooklyn so it doesn't have to be Manhattan-centric either!

@kmfrob: For Japanese Izakaya type food I'd suggest the Lower East Side / St. Marks place zone as theres a lot of choices there + it's a great area. KENKA is my favorite of that type there (aside: there's a cool small Sake specialty shop in that area - Sakaya). Nearby, close to the Williamsburg bridge Cocoron is pretty great.

FYI: I live on Nantucket and I have uncles and cousins on Martha's Vineyard. My family lives on Cape Cod now, but we used to live in Connecticut.

CAPE COD/Islands

On Martha's Vineyard Edgartown, MA is lovely and Oak Bluffs is old-tyme touristy. (Is ist touristy? Yes, but it is the right sort of crazy you want on MV.) When in Oak Bluff go to the Flying Horses and right across the street are [Best Fried Clams] Giordano’s Family Restaurant. If you like sweets there are tons of shops, but Murdick's Fudge is good if you like fudge. The best bar for lively atmosphere on Martha's Vineyard is still the The Ritz Cafe which is authentic seedy.

You will get your fill of Cape Cod on the Vineyard, but if you have another day on Cape Cod Chatham, MA is nice. It has a nice main street that is walk-able and Chatham Lighthouse Beach has a parking lot and is an ever changing ever shifting beach where you often see seals, dolphins, and at least hear about the Great White sharks....especially in July.

'The Clam Shack' of Falmouth overlooks Falmouth Harbor, The Clam Shack is the authentic Cape Cod clam shack. All the classics must haves are present - fried seafood, picnic tables and water views. (If you don't have time now see Abbots on CT below)

I live on Nantucket. It a small island, but if you have seen Edgartown, MA on MV then you have seen much of what Nantucket town is about. Nantucket is expensive and crowded in July...but if you find yourself here come to the Nantucket Atheneum (big white Greek looking building, say hello. My name is Lincoln.)

Between Cape Cod and New York is mostly Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Newport, RI

I think a nice day trip is to Newport Rhode Island. Newport in the 19th century was a get away for the ultra rich, and they left amazing mansions that can be toured. At this time of year The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer, The Elms, and Kingscote & Marble House are all open for tours starting at 9m. Just touring two or three of those will take half a day if not 3/4 of a day. Newport is nice so a hotel/motel nearby would be nice enough but pricey in July Since you have a car stay at a hotel outside of Newport and drive-in. Newport has a decent bar scene, but is a bit touristy. Everyone should tour the homes of Newport Rhode Island once in their lives!

New London/Mystic, CT

If you like lobsters (seafood) than a stop at Abbots in the Rough is well worth it. Get there early because Abbot's is famous in New England and the lines can be long. An early much or a very late lunch might be better than trying for a peak hours. Submarine Force Library and Museum is great if you are a geek about military equipment the submarine museum is neat. The USS NAUTILUS is neat and historic, but very cramped....its a 50s sub so what do you expect. Moreover, Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium are nice places to spend a day! In fact the tiny, modern town of Mystic Connecticut is nice as well. Its so tiny that it isn't a tourist trap as much as a functional seaside town.

Milford, CT and Greenwich, CT Are both nice, historic, and rich town;, but I think Mystic has more day-trip stuff to do.

New Have/Yale CT [DANGER ZONE]
Yale is a dump...because it is in a dangerous dump of a city. Don't go to New Haven and don't go to Yale unless you want to get stabbed. (When in Boston go to Harvard and MIT, they are a better choice because you will not get stabbed.) I'm telling you this because some people think Ivy League schools are nice, some are, but Yale is a dump.

@newhuman: Cool man, thanks for the suggestions.KENKA seems about right menu wise, but looks like we might have to get there early if we don't want to be waiting for hours.

@monkeyking1969: That's awesome man, thanks so much for taking so much time there. I think the itinerary is going to be Boston>Martha's Vinyard>New York>Providence>Newport>?>Boston, but there's plenty of room there for day trips etc. We don't really want to drive around New York or Boston so I think we will take buses and trains between stops and then rent a car when we stop off, so that's always going to be a factor. As for the food.... I'm on a big of a crab cake thing at the moment... any idea where the best crab cakes on Martha's Vinyard can be found?

@kmfrob: True enough - weekdays help too of course. Lots of alternatives in that area to bail to if needed though - Village Yokocho is great too IMO, just less crazy. Also I remembered that Katz's exists around there as a deli thing - insanely tourist trap but the food is good.

You could come visit me but it would not be exciting. RI is pretty boring. You will drive through it though.

The Hudson Valley on the way down to NYC is beautiful and underrated. There's a walkway across the Hudson, some historical sites, hiking trails. I know there's a bunch of micro breweries coming up in that area too. I don't have too many specifics as I've lived in the NYC/New Jersey area for the past 11 years but every time I visit family in the area it's a beautiful area that's not too touristy or old timey.

@kmfrob: So I work in Newport, RI, so if you need any detailed suggestions about what to do there, let me know. I'll provide some general info here, and you can always PM me if you want more. As others have mentioned, the mansions are the thing to do here if you're only here for a day. The beaches are fine and all that, but they're not particularly unique beaches if you're only going to be in the city for a day. You can also do the Cliff Walk while you're here, which is a pretty good path from First Beach to the outskirts of Salve Regina University and down toward the Breakers. It goes even further if you want to walk over the rocks.

Newport is a bit of a travel issue getting in and out of. There are only three ways in and out of Aquidneck Island, so they can get pretty clogged up during summer travel season.

There are some pretty unique hotels in the city if you want to splurge on something like Castle Hill, but some of those places get up to like $800/night and up and are already starting to fill up. I'd stay outside the city (at least in Portsmouth or Middletown) if you want to save money. Once you're on the island itself, travel isn't too bad.

There is no shortage of good places to eat. Castle Hill is a pretty unique experience (also the above mentioned Inn). The Mooring is probably the seafood restaurant to go to on the wharf (22 Bowen's IMO is way too pricey). Pour Judgement is pretty great if you want a good watering hole with some good solid food. Newport also has a couple of local coffee roasters you can check out if you're really into coffee (Custom House and Empire Tea and Coffee, though Custom House is probably the better for coffee and Empire the better for everything else).

The one iffy tourist destination IMO is Newport Vineyard. Their whites and blushes are pretty good, but their reds are overpriced dreck. They do have a tasting room though. Fatulli's Bakery & Deli is located in there, and is one of the most popular lunch destinations for locals as it's just outside the city (thus away from tourists) and is pretty fantastic for the price.

I can also give you a whole mess of Boston and/or Providence suggestions depending what you're looking to do there.

If you're only there for 10 days and you're in Boston for 2, Martha's Vineyard (I don't actually know what this is) for 5, and NYC for 2 do you really have enough time to go any where else? Everywhere is such a long drive away, and I don't think the US really has much in the way of high speed rail.

@cav829:Cool man. I don't suppose you know where I can get some awesome crab cakes on Martha's Vinyard? That's my thing at the moment.

@alexw00d: It's actually 12 days we're there for, but I think we'll have enough time. Amtrak and the intercity coaches seem decent enough to do any one journey within half a day. I mean we're not planning on venturing further north than Boston or further south than New York (is that the right way round??) so the actual space in between is manageable.

@jpon87: I hadn't actually considered the Hudson Valley, but it might be worth a look. My only fear with the U.S. is just ending up in one of those (no offence) nothing towns that are just a small strip and then houses and fields. Like we're not coming to just experience European style quaintness, but we want to visit places that have a bit of activity around them and a decent amount of young people.

@daveyo520: I'm sure it's nicer than you give it credit for!

@kmfrob: Martha's Vineyard I know less about, but I'll try. The Martha's Vineyard Chowder Company is pretty highly regarded. Maybe someone else can chime in if they know a better place.

I drove from Chicago to LA, and back (going through Yellowstone and the Dakotas) in 12 days, with 3 of those days spent in Vegas and Venice Beach. It's plenty of time if you have a car and a plan!

@kmfrob: gotta come further south for some good crab cakes mate. You're in lobster country.

Also, your idea of a small nothing town and a small town here (Especially in the area you're traveling in) will be worlds appart. Don't be afraid to just look for shit.

@warpig87: haha ah shit! I always thought lobster was overrated too!

@kmfrob: Go to Frankels Deli in NYC. Get the Brisket and a bagel with some kind of cured fish and cream cheese on it.

@kmfrob: If you don't like lobster, there's still plenty of great seafood dishes to go around. I'd agree, crab cakes are more a Mid-Atlantic specialty, though I know there's a MV-style crab cake some places serve and you can certainly find them in these parts. I tend to go for the local swordfish, clams, quahogs, etc. Then again like 1/3 of my diet is fish since it's so good, plentiful, and relatively affordable around these parts.

@kmfrob: There's definitely a good amount of younger people in the hudson valley. A lot of good night spots and scattered college towns. Also a good amount of breweries and restaurants. One of the more recent things is a Dr. Who themed restaurant in Beacon in a decent night life area. The waterfront on both sides of the river can be good with younger people but a bit overpriced and douchey. Either way look up the area! There's definitely interspersed parts that are a bit too country but the more urban areas are great!

Pretty touristy (though not awful, kind of like Martha's Vineyard) but also around a lot of spectacular nature and a LOT of culture like mexican food near me https://nicelocal.com/new-york-city/restaurants/type/mexican/. You can take in a performance at Tanglewood (not too far away), check out the local arts and theater scene, and enjoy the Berkshires. You're not going to find a ton of history there per se, but there are some museums and such within driving distance.