Road Trip (ATL-Boston)

Ok, some of my friends and I are planning a road trip up the East coast to visit colleges and hit a few theme parks.

The entire trip will last 15 days, and here is what we have planned so far:

Day 1- Drive from ATL- Baltimore
Day 2- Six Flags America
Day 3- Drive to SFGAdv/ SFGAdv
Day 4- SFGAdv/ visit UPenn
Day 5- Drive to NYC
Day 6- NYC
Day 7- Columbia University
Day 8- SFNE
Day 9- Harvard/Boston
Day 10- MIT/ Drive to Princeton, NJ
Day 11- Princeton/ Drive to Baltimore
Day 12- Washington D.C.
Day 13- Baltimore/ Drive to PKD
Day 14- PKD/Drive to Raleigh, NC
Day 15- Duke/Drive Home

As you can see, we have a lot to accomplish, and I have a few questions:

What is there to do (that doesn't cost a lot of money) around the Ritz Carlton/Central Park area of NYC. (We'll be staying at the Ritz)

Also, what's there to do in downtown Boston (we'll also be staying at the Ritz Carlton, Boston)?

Are there any amazing sites that I should not miss in either of those cities (aside from the usual Statue of Liberty/Empire State Building in NYC)?

I am hitting all of the theme parks on weekdays, so I should not have a problem with crowds (I'm leaving Jun. 1st, so most students will still be in school.)

If you have any tips regarding SFA, SFGAdv, SFNE, or PKD, please post them :)

I've never been further north than Washington, so this should be an interesting trip for me.

Thanks!

I would try to hit Coney Island while in NYC. You won't regret it.

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I hate to see people limit themselves by going to only theme parks.

I've never been to New York, and I'm not sure where the Ritz Carlton is in Boston, but I'm pretty sure you could entertain yourself for hours in either place by just walking around the city from your hotel. I love doing that.

Anyway, if you're into American history, walk the Freedom Trail in Boston. It's a path that takes you by all the historical stuff. I'm sure any passerby could point you in the right direction.

haha, I should know this, but what kind of historical stuff is in Boston?

I am hoping we can get by to ride the Cyclone in NYC... that thing has been on my top "want to ride" list since day 1.

Also, how much are one-day admission prices to PKD? (I looked on the website, and they didn't have anything posted) *** Edited 1/20/2004 12:25:29 AM UTC by SFOG Country***

If interested, Canobie is just over 30 miles from Boston. Also, are you skipping Lake Compounce intentionally?

-Nate *** Edited 1/20/2004 2:00:46 AM UTC by coasterdude318***

Boston Tea Party

Boston Massacre

Basically the center of resistance for the American revolution.

haha, I'm skipping a LOT of parks that we're going to be close to.

The reason being is that we are 4 teenagers who are tight on money, and we just wanted to hit the Six Flags parks (because it is free with our SFOG SP), and we are only hitting one other park (that we have to pay for), and we all decided that PKD was the best one. (although BGW was a close second.)

Big mistake on skipping Lake Compounce. I advise heading to SFNE in the morning, and then taking off early to get twilight admission to Lake Compounce, which is 1/2 price (I think it's after 5pm, but I'm not 100% sure). Boulderdash is a great ride and definately not one to be missed.

I'm curious though, if you're so tight on money, how come you're staying at the Ritz Carlton? That's one of the most expensive hotel chains out there.

haha, I knew someone would ask that question...

My brother works at the Ritz Carlton on Lake Oconnee here in Georgia, so family gets a pretty nice discount at other locations

there's no way we could afford $400 a night rooms ;)

Do not go to the Statue of Liberty. It is a big time stealer, which will cost you over half your day. If you really want to do stuff in NYC, go to the Rockerfellar Plaza, and To the Empire State building. Also, one of the most fun things to do is to just Drive Around. The Traffic there isn't really horrible during the Afternoon. Goodness, there is so much to do there, and I missed TONS of things even in a three day trip. Also, if you really want to do Coney Island, plan on it taking a lot of your time, as it is a time stealer as well.

But just DO NOT go to the Statue of Liberty. Look at it from the pier, but don't go.

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Have Fun.

Compounce is kind of on the "cheap" side when compared to many other parks in the area, so I would get there if at all possible. Boulder Dash will most likely be the best wooden coaster you encounter, although SFA and PKD have some good ones, and you can't knock the CI Cyclone.

Boston is a nice city and there are lots of museums there. There is the New England Aquarium- a very nice place to go if you have a couple of hours to kill. The city played a big role in U.S. history, so expect a lot of the attractions to be of that nature. Very patriotic.

Another tip-when in Boston drive to the nearest T (subway) station and use that to get around there are great deals on vistor passes (unlimited rides for 1, 3, and 7 days) and T stations are everywhere. You do not want to drive the city of Boston.

Also if possible I highly recomend timeing your trip so that you are in Boston for the 4th of July/Boston Pops concert (its free). Just did that last year and allthough you have to stay at a park all day in order to get a good seat the concert and firework show are worth the wait.

Also in or near Boston - Plymouth Rock (where the Pilgrims landed); the Revolutionary War ship U.S.S. Constitution; the church where Paul Revere's lanterns were hung before his midnight ride... and much more.

Re: the Statue of Liberty... as far as I know, you can't even get to Ellis Island anymore, not since 9/11.

/stays in Westins... even with no discount...

In Boston, one of the most fun things is the Duck Boat rides - takes you on a swim in the local sewers, past the wonderful construction site of the "Big Dig" and all kinds of other fun things.
Or - what about the REAL Boston Tourist Experience? Hike the Freedom Trail! Takes you past historic Boston sites for a whole day and ends up among some nice tourist shops.
* just kidding *
Doing Boston and NYC in such a short time is a trip - they're so different - NYC is "the worlds capital" in ways of diversity and things you might want to do there - better not think about it - just do Coney Island. :) (never been to Coney Island, but I guess its fun). Compared to NYC, Boston is more like a nice little "Pligrim Fathers Owned" suburb - its the center for the typical American east coast 19th century classicism - but you can still hang out and have a good time there.
*** Edited 1/20/2004 8:37:07 PM UTC by superman***

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Rob Ascough said:
Boulder Dash will most likely be the best wooden coaster you encounter, although SFA and PKD have some good ones, and you can't knock the CI Cyclone.

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Amen. That's good advice. My top 4 woodies are all included on that list.

As for NYC, I'm not a "touristy" type person. I just love the city. I've been there probably 2 dozen times in the past 7 years or so and I've never been to the Statue Of Liberty. I've walked and driven by the Empire State Building a few times, but never gone in. I prefer to just go 'hang out'. NYC is best if you just kind of go and hang out.

Here are some tips for SFA:first get yourself a map(usually given to you at the entranct to the parking lot) & take note of how to get to gotham city.

Once there head for S:ROS first & get in a couple of laps in the front seat left hand side,next head over to Batwing(you'll probably face a long wait there) & when boarding don't sit on the outer edge of the train if you want as smooth a ride as possible.

On your way out of GC be sure to hit Penguin's blizzard river & JJ & then exit that section,once out of GC head on over to skull island(turn right when you cross under Wild one)& take a couple of spins on Roar(be sure to check out Typhoon seacoaster if it's running as well.

Go back to the skull island entrance area & keep on walking til you get into southwest territory...once there check out Two face,while it's no where near as tall as DV it does have the added feature of face off seating & far fewer break downs...be sure to take Wild one for a spin as well while your in that area as well as sonora speedway(they added new karts in 03 :))as well as Tower of doom.

From there just explore the park at your leisure making sure to ride Iron eagle(if it's running)because it's one of those rare rides that you won't find anywhere else.

Avoid coyote creek for the most part because there's not much to do in the way of rides in that section... that is unless you want to take the hang n bang Mind eraser for a spin or get drenched on renegade rapids...they do have a good food place there though that I highly recomend eating dinner at.

A final note for SFA...the park has a bad habit of colsing rides early in the evening,if you want to ride S:ROS after dark for example I recomend trying to get in line no later than 9:15 PM as they tend to close the line at this time when the park is open til 10 pm,also they don't use Q-bots so if you want to use fastlane you'll be given a paper ticket to give to the attendant at the ride exit & assigned a spot on the train.

I hope this information is useful for you & that you have a safe & enjoyable visit to SFA.

Lord Gonchar has it right w/ NYC, IMHO. Especially for a short, money saving trip, and considering you've never been, I'd say you're better off hanging out in the city rather than trying to catch a show or tourist sight-seeing. With so much there you'll be sight-seeing by default anyway. I spent a good portion of my high school summers in the East Village (and lower, yikes!) and Chelsea, and put more faith in the hidden treasures of the city that you must discover on your own. An inexpensive must stop, if it sounds like your thing, is Bennie's Burritos. I couldn't find a website for the place (which sometimes can be a good thing), but here's a review and location:

http://www.fabuloustravel.com/gourmet/outtolunch/benniesburritos.html

good pizza is everywhere, here is my cheap and delicious rec:

http://www.twoboots.com/HTML/2B_menu.html

It looks like you have enough help w/ the coasters. Bring something to do on the F train to Coney (if coming from Manhattan), it takes awhile, especially with the anticipation factor. Have fun, and feel free to PM me w/ any ?'s.