Rikke and I are planning a trip to the Maine and New York in the end of October. If you’ve got some valuable input on where to stay, what to see and what sites to go to for more info, I’d very much like to hear from you. Currently we’re looking at Bar Harbor in Maine. Neither of us have a drivers license, and so we’re stuck with our feet and public transportation, which is of course a major part of our considerations.
PS: What sites are good for booking air travel inside the US?
Travelocity (http:www.travelocity.com/) and Expedia (http://expedia.com/) are good for air travel, as well as hotel/car rental package deals
I can recommend Bar Harbor.. lots of hiking possibilities, especially around Cadillac Mountain and it’s epic scenery (and no people because it’s out of season). The sea food is amazing as well. I went by car, but I can imagine it’s easy to go on a bike as well, since the “island” is pretty small..
New York.. holy.. there’s so much.. But the Apple Store at Fifth Avenue and the one in SoHo is worth a visit. Other than that Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Central Park, Guggenheim, a walk down Broadway from Times Square down to Lower Manhattan, MoMa, a boat-trip round Manhattan gives you a nice look on the city. Hm.. The Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.. it costs 2 dollars as opposed to 20 for a normal tourist-boat.
I could go on for hours. Send me an email or give me a call if you need any advice.
i use kayak.com for just about everything. have fun.
Don’t forget to hit Marvel and DC while you are there! I wonder if you will be in the NY area at the same time I hope to be… if so we must meet!
Do they have shops there?! Uhhhh. And yes, we must. Let me know.
Danny’s reply is good advice; both Travelocity and Expedia are good for air travel plans. Bar Harbor is a wonderful place to visit or live in.
For hotels, I think the Bar Harbor Inn which is located on the most beautiful oceanfront location in town would be my choice. The Inn has exceptional accommodations, fine dining with a choice of two restaurants and a very relaxing new luxury spa. With all of the features the Bar Harbor Inn has to offer, you have the setting for a fantastic vacation. The views are spectacular! Another nice thing here is that you can park your car and walk to shopping, sailing cruises or take a bus tour of beautiful Acadia National Park http://www.nps.gov/acad/ . Check the Bar Harbor Inn website http://www.barharborinn.com for more information. There are other hotels as well in the immediate area, for example the Bar Harbor Grand which is located on Main Street (a short walk and you are on the waterfront). The Bar Harbor Grand is another nice hotel with yesterday’s charm and today’s modern conveniences. Check http://www.barharborgrand.com for info. One other accommodating hotel is the Acadia Inn which is located about one mile from the heart of Bar Harbor. The Acadia Inn is just 500 yards away from the ferry which runs to Nova Scotia – Monday thru Wednesday. Go to the website for further information http://www.acadiainn.com. The Island Explorer buses run pretty consistently throughout the island and are a great way to get around without having a vehicle. To learn more about the bus routes, etc. visit http://www.exploreacadia.com. If you were to fly into Bangor International Airport there are shuttles available to transport you to the Island.
Hopefully all of the information is a help to you. I love the area, recently moved to Maine (not on the island, but very close by). The people here are great; the places to see are wonderful. I don’t think you would be disappointed.
Bundle-up in some warm clothes, and take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. The views are terrific, and it’s a nice romantic stroll.
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Skip the boat trip around Manhattan, and skip the Statue of Liberty. Both take too long, and are underwhelming. The Empire State Building Observation Deck has an awesome view, but the lines are unbearable. Try the Rockefeller Center Observation Deck instead – almost as cool, but much easier to get up there.
The Staten Island Ferry is also a great, inexpensive way to view the harbor & Statue of Liberty.
I have stopped using expedia and travelocity, because kayak.com includes them in their search engine and shows you what their price offers are. It currently is the best travel site in the US.
Sometimes it is worth to check out statravel.com as well. They have special deals for students, yet you can book anything through them as a normal person, too. STA buys up ticket contingents, which is why you tend to get good deals there that otherwise you don’t.
And listen to Khoi – travel direct if you must fly.
Definately go up Rockefeller. Better view than Empire and you can see empire which is just such a big part of the NY skyline. (I’ve been to E.S. aswell)
You can try out priceline.com and their “name your own price” service. I never tried it but I have a friend who uses it all the time and she swears by it. basically you state a price, area you want to stay and hotel stars and they find one suitable to your price.
I was in NY last June for the first time. Hotels are pretty expensive there and they are not clean in European terms, as you will find out eventually. Don’t expect a nice room if you can’t cough up at least 200 bucks a night. Most hotels don’t offer breakfast either.
While in NY just be aware of Brooklyn, the Bronx and don’t go up 100th street later in the day. The higher you go, the more dangerous it gets. Overall NY is a pretty safe place. I was scared before I went there but there was no reason to. It’s a very exciting city.
Good place to grab some food if you’re into organic stuff is the Wholefoods supermarket, over in a Mall in Columbus Square.
For air travel I went with AA, which was fine, really.
I’m with Andreas. http://www.kayak.com is fantastic, as is the well-designed http://farechase.yahoo.com — they both search dozens of sites to get you the best fare.
The Island Explorer bus is a great way to get around Bar Harbor but they do stop running on October 8, so unfortunately it will not be available during your visit. For more information on the Bar Harbor area, feel free to visit the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce’s website, http://www.barharborinfo.com for information on dining, lodging, activities, services and more.
[quote post=“2657”]While in NY just be aware of Brooklyn, the Bronx and don’t go up 100th street later in the day.[/quote]
Pretty wrong.
It is more about to sticking all the way east or all the way west, the upper west side is very nice and very easy to travel [just hop on train 1 and you will be traveling along broadway] tons of great little restaurants between the 90’s all the way up to 113th. Also Seinfield’s “RESTAURANT” is close to 110th and broadway. Next time you watch an rerun, bam you just say “ been there, done that”. Haaaa, haaaa.
I have lived in brooklyn for almost 3 years and if you stick to the right neighborhoods you will be fine. Also if you avoid Brooklyn you will be missing out on Brooklyn’s Museum, Fort Greene Park [free movies at night], Habana Outpost [ecofriendly restaurant/bar], Moe’s Bar [yup], Redhook’s view of manhattan’s skyline at night, D.U.M.B.O.‘s parks and floating pool [right under the bridges] etc.
Also if you plan on going out at night try out the east village or if in a more defying mood the lower east side.
All in all manhattan is a grid and not hard to navigate. But the outer boroughs also offer crazier less “tourist-y” places. It all comes down as to what you are looking for your trip’s overall feel.
Oh yeah, and do not forget to act like you know where you are going and get a nice comprehensive small guide book. Avoid opening your huge subway map in the middle of the street [ do that and hear the beautiful “fucking tourist” remark ].
Good luck and have a safe trip.
P.S. Above suggestions are great for NYC. You must visit the apple store on 5th Ave and use the elevator [does not get more “tourist-y” than that].
Hi Luis:
I meant that Brooklyn overall is a pretty scary place for an European Tourist. I’m aware that there are a lot of neighborhoods in the US that look like that and are safe. But an European tourist is not familiared with this. When I went back to the airport, the Airtrain was jammed and I had to leave Jamaica Station straight into Brooklyn, and believe me, it was scary.
About going up 100th I just meant it later in the day. During the day is mostly fine.
Actually I never heard any “fucking tourist” remark. Once in a while I checked my pocket map and it was fine. And I found New Yorkers to be generally helpful to Tourists, not hostile like some guides say.
Speaking of kayaking (okay, kayak.com isn’t about the boats) I strongly suggest taking a 1/2 day kayak tour of Bar Harbor. Great scenery, a chance to see wildlife and in those big tandem kayaks accompanied by a guide you’re not in any danger. I took my daughter when she was about 12 and we loved it.
Micheal, I strongly recommend you set some time aside to visit these places, they’re just fantastic and you won’t regret it. For food, there’s a great Italian Restaurant which is largely thought of as one of the best in New York. Its on Clinton Hill and is housed in a 130-year-old structure. Here are the details, 129 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn, tel: 1.7186229202
You can also pick up some photography books, something you can never get enough of while owning an dSLR, at Dashwood Books. The owner, David Strettell is a photography junkie and has devoted his store entirely to Photography books, whether its past works or books on technique. He treats his many rare, out-of-print and vintage finds as artworks themselves. This place is a delight, whether you’re buying or browsing. Details: 33 Bond Street, between Lafayette and Bowery, tel: 1.2123878520 (www.dashwoodbooks.com). Hope this is useful and have a blast in New York. Cheers mate!
I can’t say anything about Maine, as I have never been there. But New York, I can only offer one suggestion, Spend at least a day or two with no schedule. Just walk around the city, explore central park, hit up some of the museums if you’re into it (I loved the MOMA and the science museum near central park.)
That’s all I can really suggest, I did all of the touristy things, but really enjoyed just walking around the city more than visiting the tourist sites.