By Brita Bevis, UK
  
Destination New England, USA New England was somewhere we had always wanted to visit. But with only one income coming in at the time, it had to be on a tight budget. We had no planned itinerary, and decided it would be more fun to pick out a route on spec' - we were not disappointed! I have listed the costings and some of the most memorable parts of our holiday.
Categories Singles, Over 50's, Families, Couples
When Travelled We travelled in early October as one thing we really wanted to see was New England's spectacular fall. We were lucky, as 2002 had a late autumn. We were advised that normally, it's best to go around the end of September to mid-October, as that's when the colours of the foliage are at their best.
Flight Time 8 hours from UK

Costs For our 10 day holiday we paid:

Two return flights to New York with Virgin: approximately £700.

Travel insurance for 2: £126 (a must when travelling in the USA).

Overnight hotel at Heathrow (when using London airports, we tend to do this as it leaves us fresh for long haul flights and costs little more than just parking the car. We booked this through ABC (Apple Booking Company/Holiday Extra's) who got us one of the best rooms at the Sheraton Skyline, and included up to 15 days free car parking, for just £81).

Car hire: 10 days fully inclusive (£288 with Thrifty).

With these important items purchased, the next thing we needed was money to pay for our 9 motel stays (averaging £60 per night) meals and holiday spending. A quick peek in the kitty revealed we had very little put aside. But a few boot sales and bits and bobs auctioned at Ebay swelled our holiday funds to around £800.

Length of Stay 10 Days

Travelogue Day 1. Arrived at JFK Airport, we met up with our pen-pals and were whisked off to a New York restaurant ‘London Lennie’s’ for an excellent meal (Woodhaven Boulevard, Rego Park, NY – for those of you who pine for proper ‘fish ‘n’ chips’ while in New York. There is an attractive aquarium feature and the restaurant serves several British beers). Our hotel for the night was the Ramada Plaza (£95.00 - our most expensive night - but accommodation near JFK doesn't come cheap!).

Day 2. We set off following the eastern seaboard towards Boston, with no particular plans of where we were going (it’s more fun like that!). With just nine days to fit everything in, we had to drive quite a bit. But travelling through some of the prettiest New England fall scenery made the miles seem short.

Our route took us through Mystic, the seaport made famous in the Julia Robert’s film: Mystic Pizza. We saw the restaurant that was used in the filming - it's not the quaint little place it seemed on screen.

Day 3. At Providence (the Rhode Island's capital), we got very lost and after some hours found a motel in a backwater. As accommodation is in very short supply and prices aren't cheap you are probably better off booking accommodation for this area in advance. The next morning and headed off towards Cape Cod. Once there, we stopped at Sandwich, Cape Cod's oldest village, and spend some time exploring the small lanes and historic buildings - all the time marvelling at its similarity to an English village. We also stopped at the small wooden library to email family and friends back home. (The Internet is usually free in US public libraries).

While in the region, we visited ‘Plimoth Plantation’, a mock pilgrim village with costumed staff speaking in the original ‘English accent’ (oh yeah?). Perhaps we felt the site didn't offer value for money but the replica of the Mayflower moored nearby (a gift from Britain in the early 1950’s) was interesting and well worth seeing.

Day 4. Heading northwards again, we decided to bypass Boston due to enormous road works (check, if you are going there soon – apparently, many roads have been dug up for a new scheme) and we spent the night on the outskirts.

Day 5. Next stop was the state of Vermont and the Green Mountains National Park. The fall foliage was at its very best here with stunning mountain scenery of pristine white churches with needle like steeples and large red barns – real Benny & Jerry country! On rounding a corner, we found ourselves crossing a covered bridge just seconds after I had said I hoped to see one. And there were two more - we crossed them all just for the fun of it. Bennington with its famous monument commemorating the turning point of the war of independence, quaint streets, shops and museums, is a picturesque place to stop and explore.

Day 6. Took us to the great lakes and the Niagara Falls - an experience I’ll never forget. We boarded a ‘Maid of the Mist’ boat, which took us right up to the base of the mighty Horseshoe Falls. We could hardly see for the spray, or hear for the thunder of thousands of gallons of water. And it was cheap at approx. £4 per head (including the souvenir plastic cape!)

Day 7. Brought us to the pretty little town of Ellicottville at the edge of the Allegheny National Forest. Our stop for the night was a motel at nearby Holiday Valley. As it was normally used during the ski season - occupancy was low and we got a good reduction on our large and very comfortable room (always ask… American hoteliers often prefer to lower their rates than have empty rooms!)

Day 8. At Altoona (Pennsylvania), we found a fascinating railway museum and a world famous curved railroad track (the Horseshoe Curve - which had been blasted out of solid rock in Victorian times). We stood and watched in amazement as we were surrounded, simultaneously, by both the front and back end of a very long train with four engines travelling the huge mountain loop - taking a full 10 minutes before passing out of sight... a must-see!

Day 9. Famous Gettysburg of the ‘address’ by Abraham Lincoln is one of the nation’s most historic sites. It was, quite rightly, dignified and atmospheric. Standing by one of the many monuments on the battlefield, you can survey the pretty Pennsylvania countryside for miles. It was also their Halloween carnival night, and we joined hundreds of townsfolk lining the streets to watch the procession of pumpkins; ghouls, ghosts etc. We couldn’t help but notice the size of many of our fellow revellers (and we’re not exactly skinny), and with Fayettville nearby, I remarked that maybe it had originally been: ‘Fatteyville’ and we both had a good giggle! We knew then it was almost time to return home – but not before a trip into Lancaster County (the location of the Harrison Ford film: Witness), to see the unusual and fascinating Amish people.

Passing by a tiny village school on the way to the Amish Farm museum, I was both amazed and delighted to see some small children dressed in black clothes playing in the playground. The girls, in bonnets. The boys, in straw hats. While nearby, a young man ploughed a field with a horse and old-fashioned plough. Another, scooted up to a mailbox to post his letters on a child’s scooter (any form of powered travel is not allowed). A visit to an interesting Amish Farm Museum taught us that these people have no electricity; no music, no ornaments and the women are forbidden to wear make-up and must always cover their hair - yet they are seemingly happy with their lot. Makes you think, ‘eh?

If you are seriously considering New England for a holiday, I can thoroughly recommend it for its beautiful scenery and interesting sights - you will love it - as I did!
Eating Out Strawberry Fair restaurant in Norwell, Massachussetts USA is unique! Not only is the food superb - but the atmosphere is scrumptious too... housed in an old New England farmouse, everywhere you look you'll see strawberries... an unforgettable must-visit venue! Just take a look at this review:

http://www.birchmire.com/Strawberry.html
 
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