East Coast Trip - D

Parent Cafe
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<p>Well, in the next coming weeks, my mother and sister will embark on another whirlwind tour of schools. I think Mom is the one enjoying the last solicited inputs, but that should hardly be surprising here. </p>

<p>I have started reading notes from the past - thank you to anyone who contributed to the posts and organization. I also have a few notes regarding Philadelphia. As much as I shake my head, the list of "targets" seems to be borrowed from the latest hits of the USNews, and is meant to "load up" on reaches! Also, please do not be too amused by some poor Texans lost on the 95 or other fancy turnpike i search of the Eastern (US) Shangri-Las. Around here, we've got the I-10 and I-20, and the safeties! :)</p>

<p>Anyhow, considering that the trip will probably start in Philadelphia, and run a few circles along the way to New York and Boston, is there a "better" month to visit? Does it make much difference between mid-June and the end of July, weather-wise and school-feeling wise? </p>

<p>Is there a specific turnpike, highway, or other road to avoid or not miss along the way? Please do not hesitate to point me in the direction of past posts! </p>

<p>Many thanks!</p>

2

<p>No advice, xiggi, but good luck to her. The fact that she is now looking reminds me how quickly time goes by... seems like she was only t-h-i-s high just a few months ago.</p>

<p>btw, maybe good things will happen for her; perhaps she'll become a Democrat! :)</p>

<p>(j/k: when we did a Parent's orientation at my son's school, they warned the parents that their "kids" may come back with different political views. For example, it your daughter started college as a Republican, she might come home as a Democrat. One of the parents raised his hand and asked it his daughter came back home as a Republican, could he get his money back?)</p>

3

<p>"btw, maybe good things will happen for her; perhaps she'll become a Democrat!"</p>

<p>Surprisingly, I would not mind that all. One has to hope that the Democrats and Republicans who will make decision in 20-30 years will be much, much better than the ones we have on both sides of the aisle. Whatever their party is, I just hope they'll keep looking forward, and stop making excuses for change.</p>

<p>PS And she was really "this high" when we started talking. Heck, I am still "this high", except for my height.</p>

4

<p>Don't know if this fits or not, but I rate the drive from Vassar to Williams as one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.</p>

5

<p>A great route would be to follow I-95 (really not that scary!) through CT up to Boston. within 15 minutes of the highway in a wide variety of selectivity, in order of location:</p>

<p>NYC suburb schools
Fairfield U
Yale
Quinnipiac
Wesleyan
Connecticut College
Brown
Providence College</p>

<p>and then the Boston jackpot.</p>

6

<p>Alternative would be to go up the Connecticut River Valley - Yale, Wesleyan, Amherst/Smith/mt. Holyoke, spin over to Williams/(Bennington), back down to Bard/Vassar.</p>

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<p>We did this in six days - no Philadelphia however. It was doable. Flew into Logan, flew out of Newark. Hotel stays were in Williamstown or whatever that little town is called, New Haven, Boston, Princeton, and Chicago. </p>

<p>Williams (bed and breakfast owned by two gay women, v. acceptable)
Yale (New Haven Hotel ...really worn down but great service)
Wesleyan
Brown
Harvard (some overpirced boutique which I don't recommend)
BU
Tufts
NYU
Columbia
Princeton (Nassau Inn)
Northwestern (I know, I know, for us in CA it was kind of on the way back....we were supposed to go to UChicago too but I was knackered and we went to an experimental theater piece and then got massages instead...) The Peninsula Hotel. Yes. Ridiculous splurge, but that was the year I spent all my vacation time squiring a red-head around the East Coast so I indulged....</p>

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<p>to expand on minis post, i'd stop at Trinity on your way from wesleyan to amherst</p>

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<p>I95 is great if:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>you like lots of heavy traffic</p></li>
<li><p>you enjoy jockeying for road space with trucks - more than you can imagine.</p></li>
<li><p>your idea of scenery is strip malls along the road.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>OK, beyond New Haven, it gets a bit better: fewer strip malls.</p>

<p>Seriously, if you do decide to travel through the NYC area, there are better routes up to Boston than I95. Take the Hutchison River Parkway to the Merritt, for example.</p>

<p>Now that spring graduation is over, there's no better or worse time. You Texans may be surprised at how cool it is along the coast, so keep a sweater in the suitcase. Of course, you could hit a heat wave, too Oh, forgot, a heat wave in the northeast is anything over 90. I guess that counts as a cool wave in your neck of the woods?</p>

<p>It sounds like a circle route would work, depending on the timing. You could start in Philly, do Penn, hit Princeton (both in one day is reasonable in the summer!) then overnight either in Princeton or in NYC. Knowing kids, I'd vote for NYC and a day visiting both Columbia and NYC. You can take the subway between the two pretty easily.</p>

<p>Then hit the road for Yale and Brown. If I were doing it, I'd leave the city rather early, take the Hutch to the Merritt, visit Yale late morning, have a late lunch there, then drive to Providence and overnight there before visiting Brown. Why? Because Providence is a much more interesting place to overnight than New Haven, especially in the summer. </p>

<p>From Providence, Boston would be next, of course, then on to the Connecticutt river valley and western Mass. From there, you could swing into New York State, hitting a number of schools along the Hudson river.</p>

<p>Side note: The east bank of the Hudson has a number of charming colonial era towns and places worth visits. I highly recommend taking an extra day as you drive back south to do some exploring.</p>

<p>Have fun...</p>

10

<p>To answer the mid-June vs late July weather question: yes.</p>

<p>After the fourth of July and until Labor Day the weather in Phila-NY sucks. It is hot and about a billion percent humidity. Getting stuck on I-95 with all the vacationers in 105 degrees fahrenheit can kill you, if you don't kill yourself just to get out of the heat.</p>

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<p>I think I might come out of Philly and head up to Vassar, over to Williams (very pretty drive, especially if you go from Vassar over to NY22 up to US 44, across 44 stopping for lunch near Hotchkiss in Lakeville or even spending the night at the White Hart Inn in Salisbury. No colleges but I am prejudiced about this really gorgeous little corner of Connecticut.) From there, up 7 to Williams, maybe a quick up-tick to Bard in Bennington, skip across lower Vermont to I-91 and head south to Amherst etc. Hit the Mass Pike and head east to Boston. Then south on 95 to Brown, onward to Yale, any more NYC schools, then continue south to Princeton and end in Philly.</p>

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<p>DMD77,</p>

<p>These are texans visiting. </p>

<p>And, tell the truth, when was the last time the temp in Phila or NYC broke 100? BTW, here's a clip from USA Today:</p>

<p>
[quote]
What: The Hottest, Most Miserable Summer in New York
When: The summer of '66
The Big Apple was never hotter and drier than it was in the summer of 1966. Only 4.31 inches of rain fell, a record still in the books. The temperatures hit 90 degrees or higher on 35 days. There were four days on which the mercury reached 100 degrees or higher -- a feat not repeated since -- with a peak of 103 degrees on July 3.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Keep in mind that was the ALL TIME record. (40 years ago!)</p>

<p>Yea, the weather gets hot and muggy, compared to the coolness the rest of the year. But not by standards further south.</p>

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<p>Xig - Well the GOOD news is that I95 can be avoided, and I would certainly recommend that! I second NewMassDad's suggestion, even though the Hutchinson/Merritt can ALSO be a bear during rush hour. As for the weather, you'll see a lot of sweating New Englanders -- trust me, it's not a pretty sight! Newport and Cape Cod are worth visiting, as are the offshore islands. Pity you can't spend a month!</p>

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<p>If time allows and you're in Providence, check out WaterFire. It's a unique experience. Here's the schedule:
<a href="http://www.waterfire.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.waterfire.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

15

<p>Second the advice to give 95 a miss between NYC and Boston. Horrible, lots of truck and shore traffic.</p>

<p>If you're considering ducking down to DC - be really, REALLY aware of rush hour. Anytime from 3pm - 8pm you might as well be walking.</p>

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<p>wait, Bard is not in Bennington, Bennington is. Bard is in New York, closer to Vassar. Both are worth a look, but Bennington is the one that is 20 minutes North of Williams.</p>

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<p>If she is looking at Wellesley, don't make the mistake of visiting on a Saturday. Apparently on summer Saturdays the Wellesley campus nearly completely deserted. No tours, no students, no buildings unlocked, no bookstore open, no nothing.</p>

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<p>What a coincidence. Tonight I read this article on AOL/CNN</p>

<p>Beware of Dumb Drivers
By CNNMONEY.COM</p>

<p>The tiny state of Rhode Island still ranks rock bottom in terms of driving knowledge, according to a national test conducted by GMAC Insurance. </p>

<p>These are the rankings and average scores for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the GMAC Insurance driving test.</p>

<ol>
<li>Oregon 90.6</li>
<li>Washington 88.2</li>
<li>Vermont 87.5</li>
<li>Idaho 87.3 (Tie)</li>
<li>South Dakota 87.3 (Tie)
../...</li>
<li>Pennsylvania 82.1</li>
<li>Connecticut 80.9</li>
<li>Maryland 79.5</li>
<li>New York 79.4</li>
<li>New Jersey 78.6 (Tie)</li>
<li>Massachusetts 78.6 (Tie)</li>
<li>Washington, D.C. 76.5</li>
<li>Rhode Island 75.1</li>
</ol>

<p>Where is this trip again? :)</p>

<p>PS Many thanks for the suggestions. This is very helpful.</p>

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<p>New York would be lower if the upstate drivers didn't raise the state's average. Likewise, western MA drivers are better than Bostonians. Hmmm... maybe the sea air has something to do with bad driving. Of the six New England states, all are ranked in the bottom half except the only one without a sea coast - Vermont. Somebody could probably do a bogus study to prove that theory.</p>

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<p>NewMassDad: I lived in the Phila area in '66. The temperature on the city streets was higher than it was at the airport, where the official temp was taken. If you look at this graph:
<a href="http://www.wunderground.com/NORMS/DisplayNORMS.asp?AirportCode=KPNE&SafeCityName=Philadelphia&StateCode=PA&Units=none&IATA=TTN%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wunderground.com/NORMS/DisplayNORMS.asp?AirportCode=KPNE&SafeCityName=Philadelphia&StateCode=PA&Units=none&IATA=TTN&lt;/a>
you'll see that June is considerably cooler than July and August, which is the question that was asked.</p>