Exploring the Northeast: A Journey Through Boston, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, and New York

Traveling to Boston, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, and New York in early November offers a distinctive experience with varied weather, making it a tranquil yet delightful period for tourists. Opting for United Airlines from London ensures convenient flight times, and the upgraded Newark lounge enhances travel comfort.

In Boston, choosing a budget-friendly hotel like Hotel 140, conveniently located near key amenities, proves to be a wise decision. The city’s attractions, including Quincy Market, Boston Common, and the ferry ride to view the USS Constitution and the impressive city skyline, are captivating.

Boston’s flat river basin, particularly scenic in the fall, is ideal for jogging enthusiasts. Starting your journey in Boston before heading to New York provides a varied experience of these dynamic yet distinct cities.

The choice of Boston as the starting point is strategic, as visiting New York first might lessen Boston’s impact. Despite this, both cities offer abundant enjoyment.

Hotel 140 in Boston, offering a more budget-conscious stay, was suitable for our needs, given the minimal time spent at the hotel due to jet lag. Its unique connection to the YMCA and proximity to an Avis depot for easy car rental are notable features.

Activities in Boston included exploring Quincy Market, relaxing at Boston Common, and enjoying a Duck Tour for a comprehensive city overview. A ferry trip to see the USS Constitution offered stunning views of the city’s skyline. Experiencing Boston in autumn was particularly striking, as noted by Anna Parker, especially for running enthusiasts due to the area’s flat terrain around the river basin.

On to Cape Cod – an easy drive
We stopped to enjoy the beach and lighthouses in Hull and then to see a bit of Plimoth (CabbyShack was a good priced diner) history.

We often mix up our accommodation a little and avoid hotels for too much of a holiday. A friend had suggested Wellfleet as being a good choice of place to stay and we found Oyster Cove Bed and Breakfast. The room is large and airy and comfortable – it’s all in one room, but it is so big that it feels more like a mini open-plan apartment. Breakfast is lovely and you have your own entrance round the side of the owners house. There is also a microwave and fridge and balcony as well as plenty of sofa space.

It was a good choice between a hotel (far nicer than a hotel as personal service) and self-catering because we had breakfast provided but also had space to cater for ourselves simply (and there’s a little store in the village that makes that easy). Plenty of nice walks nearby to see the sunset from different beaches – our favourite was Duck Harbour.

It felt like a very privileged area and largely undiscovered by tourists so it was very quiet and relaxing. There are some lovely jewellery shops in the village. I think it closes down for the winter, we were there just in time.

Nearby, Cahoon Hollow was a lovely beach – but to be honest the whole area is rather spoilt for lovely beaches! Chatham beach is pretty and the town is quite quaint – lunch at the Impudent Oyster is recommended. Provincetown is certainly an interesting place to visit, and the Pilgrims monument gives a stunning view on a clear day. There are a few vineyards around – we went to Truro, not the best wine but the tasting session is very well delivered and it’s on a lovely spot.

Rhode Island was our next stop
We did this in 2 pieces – first a couple of nights at a little cottage in Bristol right on the waterfront with its own pontoon (just like the Dawson’s Creek setting but not in the Carolina’s!!) This place fits 4 single beds into a very diddy but idyllic wooden hut with a great family story behind it (the proprietor leaves her memoirs for you to enjoy whilst sitting on a rocking chair on the porch). You have to be a bit into quirky accommodation to stay here – but then I did type ‘quirky’ into Google to find it and we loved it! There doesn’t seem to be a great deal to do in Bristol (friends that stayed their recently pointed this out); however if you want to put your nose in a good book and enjoy the view away from the hum drum then this is nice. I wouldn’t call this luxury but neither would I say basic – I’ve never stayed anywhere like it and would love to go back in the height of Summer!

From Bristol we went on to Newport
My husband was given the task of booking one night’s accommodation on the trip and he smashed it here, in terms of just how wonderful it was but also in terms of the budget. We had a wonderful stay at the Vanderbilt Grace. This is our kind of hotel: no front desk but welcoming staff, staff that know your name as they wander round the hotel, fizz on arrival, splendid breakfast, Molton Brown goodies, rooftop terrace, etc. It’s a good base to explore the historic town. We were there during a seafood festival and there was a real buzz to the place.

We had a mooch around ocean drive and looked at the outside of some of the other mansions.

Here a few tips:

• see the view from the Rockefeller and Empire State at different times – i.e. dawn and dusk;
• enjoy the High Line parkway for a nice stroll – quirky and lovely;
• stroll around central park Jackie O lake with a morning coffee then have breakfast on the upper east side (we watched on with interest at how the school run works here – it really does seem to be like gossip girl!!);
• cocktails on the roof terrace of the Met Gallery (I remember my husband yawning at the idea of a gallery until he realised where I was headed in it);
• and take a river cruise – hop-on hop-off ones are good – we didn’t have the energy to walk back into the city over the Brooklyn Bridge but the view is supposed to be worth the effort.