I did the trip last summer with my nephew. Upstate NY, VT, NH, ME, MA and back to NY. I made reservations each night just in case. We didn't find it horribly busy except for the Freeport Maine area and of course in Boston.

Do you have places you are hoping to go/see? I can make better recommendations then.

Barbara

I'm doing a fall foilage cruise, September, with seniors from here. Leave from NY for 7 nites.

Have a great trip!

I don't think you will have any problems finding places to stay. Figure out were you want to go and plan ahead. Even here on the Cape you can find good places.

Sounds like fun. Enjoy!

sooey

I grew up in New England. I can't imagine you not being able to find a motel whenever you decide to stop.

Barbara, we are totally open to suggestions. I have been to NJ and to Boston for a conference. other than that, neither of us know anything about that part of the country.

I want to see the USS Intrepid Museum before we move again but that may be for another trip. It is in the NY harbor. It was my granddaddy's ship in WWII.

My aunts took me on a trip like that when I was 12. We went from Ohio through PA, NY and Niagra Falls and up to Maine. The most memorable parts for me Niagra, of course, and Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, the highest point in the northeast. It was October, and I remember wearing short sleeves at the bottom, and gloves and hats and seeing snow by the time we got to the top. There were patches of snow and ice. It was a LONG time ago, and I didn't plan the trip, I had the childhood luxury of just enjoying the ride. So I don't remember the hows and wheres. But I do remember hiking a trail that led to an observation tower. We were the last group, clouds were moving in, and no one else wanted to climb the steps of the ob. tower. The guide waited for me and let me go alone. I went through the incoming clouds, I could not see the bottom anymore, not the people waiting at the bottom. I could see other mountain tops in the distance, and I was alone above the clouds. It was the most amazing feeling I'd ever had that far in life, and one of the top 10 even since then. I will always remember that trip. Go to Mount Washington!

One thing we did after we stopped RV due to health, is we do belong to AAA, and we kind of plot a route. Then using the tour guide book, if we suspect we are going to be in a certain city around 4-6 (we now stop earlier), I will call a motel that sounds good and make a reservation. Sometimes stopping early is good as you usually get a better choice, sometimes cheaper rates and you can look around the area and relax. Are you old enough for AARP? They will give a 15% discount. Also at the rest areas there are usually booklets listing motels with good discounts and phone numbers. Because you still have time to plan some ideas, write to the states you plan to go to and get the vacation planners--you can do this on line also. When you get to a city, sometimes the gas stations will tell you good places to eat. Or go to the food channel and see if you can research Diners, Drive inns and Dives--he is always going to good family places. If you go near Niagara Falls, DO NOT MISS Niagara by the Sea. Small town but really nice. Like you are in England.
Enjoy and have fun.

That's Niagara-on-the-Lake, and it really is a beautiful town.

Does Eric need a passport for Niagara Falls. i know part of it is in the US and part in Canada but i would hate for him to have a problem.

We are not planning to go there this trip but it is "on the list".

Well, the best view is from the Canadian side, and I'm not sure if you need a passport to get into Canada.

It is very important to note that all Americans traveling to the U.S. by air, including from Canada, must present a valid U.S. passport to enter or re-enter the U.S. Effective June 1, 2009, a similar requirement goes into effect for entry into the U.S. via land and sea borders.

The above is from the US State Dept website, which offers country-specific entry/exit requirements by clicking on the country. For complete information, this link goes straight to the page relevent to Americans traveling to Canada (and back). I was curious, too. I'd like to go back one of these days.

Here is a link that might be useful: US State Dept. extry/exit requirements to Canada

I live in southern Maine and during the summer hotels are frequently 100% booked, especially on weekends. This is the southern coast area (York, Ogunquit, Wells, Kennebunkport). Part of it depends on your standards and what you expect. I am sure you can always find *something*, but the better (not just most expensive, but also clean but nice) places book up first.

I don't have the best experience with just playing it by ear on vacation. DH and I still refer to the place we stayed in Lake Placid one time as "the Stephen King Hotel".

Vermont and New Hampshire have many covered bridges. These make wondeful photographs in late summer and particularily when the leaves turn about the first week of October.

In Maine, you will not be able to cruise the coastline because it is riddled with inlets that run 5 to 7 miles inland. The tides affect the water level in these inlets and there isn't many bridges across them. A major east-west road tends to be at the upper end of these inlets. You can visit the many little fishing villages on the coast, but must go back to the main road to make any headway east ot west.

At the eastern end of Maine, there is a pair of cities, one in Maine and the other adjoining in New Bruinswick with a stream between them. This is a most interesting pair because the city fathers have decided to share municipal services even though one city is in Canada and the other in the US. Schools, water, sewer, fire, and police are shared services. This is probably the most highly used border crossing in the US.

I have no idea what has happened to their arrangements since 9/11 and tighter border security. We drove by these towns before 9/11.

Old design lighthouses are dissappearing as these get replaced with more modern beacons and radar targets. At the eastern end of Maine is a much photographed lighthouse. It is sought by folks who make a hobby of light house pictures because many of these hobbyists never get to this one because it so far away from the center of population.

This light house is fully antomated and unattended. Warings are posted to stay away from the fog horn if it starts to operate - It can damage your hearing if you are too close, and the chest compressions may upset a pacemaker.

Bar Harbor is an interesting place because it is the playground of the rich and famous. Just cruise through it to get the flavor - don't plan to stay - expensive. The harbor is filled with boats of all sizes offering photo ops (many are yachts).