Flashback Friday Travel 30 – East Coast Road Trip

As you may already have read, we are shortly heading back to see a new piece of the East Coast of the USA – beautiful Maine – I thought it was apt to share memories as part of FBF of the last time we visited the east coast.  You can read my tips and recommendations about this past trip on A Luxury Travel Blog, but I’ve never shared any photos – so here’s a few flashbacks to enjoy.

This was an October visit – travelling in the shoulder season is always my favourite time to see a place peacefully.  Granted it makes packing more of a challenge (prepare for every weather) but prices are lower and availability is always better – so much easier to find what you want!

We flew to Boston – and I still remember how excited we were to see the new fleet of snow ploughs at Heathrow as we headed to board.  This was in 2011, the autumn after the worst winter snow I can remember the south of England having!  My P had flown back from South Africa the day before in first class, so I am not sure how excited he was to get on another plane, even if it was business class!

We had a couple of days in Boston and arrived into a mini-heat wave which was very lucky timing.  Two weeks earlier there had been a terrible hurricane.  Our jet lag was terrible – we were awake at 4am and hunting for Starbucks.  But this gave us a lovely morning walk as the city woke up.  We had arranged a ‘Duck Tour’ later on in the day which was perfect for the weary traveller.  The ‘Duck’ is an amphibious vehicle that takes you past all the key tourist sites.  We covered a lot of ground.  Boston is a pretty city and feels very local compared to many.  We are really looking forward to going back and seeing more!

Our next stop was Cape Cod.  As long time lovers of the north Norfolk coast in the UK, Cape Cod is like a dream – there’s even more of it and in October, even less people than you might find in Norfolk.  Stunning seascapes, gorgeous beaches, lovely local shops and restaurants and really friendly locals.  Happily the warm weather lasted through this part of the trip too and we made the most of sundowners with a view and plenty of time out of doors comparing one beach with the other and eating locally (as many of the tourist traps had actually shut).  Perfect.

As all sailors will know, if in the area, a trip to Newport Rhode Island is necessary – Mr P had the obligatory photo on America’s Cup Avenue taken!  He also had a meeting at the world famous New York Yacht Club outpost which worked well for us both!  We stayed at the stunning Vanderbilt Grace hotel that was a little slice of personal luxury and a real treat.  A great overnight stop while we explored the pretty town and caught up with friends.

The final stop always had to be New York!  Awesome!  We drove as far as the Avis depot in Stamford and got the train the rest of the way – neither of us wanted to drive in the Big Apple.  I’m also glad we visited Boston first as I think that way round it is more enjoyable.

We had two days in New York and saw an awful lot – we had a city pass and so headed to different places on the entrance list as they took our fancy.  Again – blessed with good weather and plenty of energy we walked most of Manhattan! Everything is on a big scale and there is always something new to see.  Personal favourites were the High Line National Park that is a raised walkway through the city full of plants and views.  And dining at the New York Yacht Club – I was sent out to buy some ‘slacks’ to ensure I met the dress code!

We slept well on the way home after a busy but fun 2 week road-trip.  There were about 20 people on our Boeing 777 on the way home, which was bizarre to say the least.  Great service however and a nice quick flying time!!  Looking forward to our up-coming trip.  I have been back to the US more times than I care to remember with work, so it is very exciting to head off and see new places with Mr P again!