North America trip?

catye

PS. Just checked out Amtrak for Toronto to NY journey, husband doesn't fancy a full day on a train so I guess that's out lol!

Hmmm, maybe we'll go to a couple of places from Toronto...

I'm also wondering whether I should just go for it & book the flights I've seen now & worry about accomodation later, so then we have more time to look at places to go/stay but have transport sorted...:idea:

WolfSong2000

To me, the flight prices sound pretty decent, so I would be tempted to book them now! (That's just me, though ).

As for where to visit, NY has never personally appealed (mind you, never been, so my ideas could change!) but I do have a softspot for Washington DC - in the spring, with the Cherry Blossom festival it just can't be beaten. There's lots to do all year round, though, it's easy to get around and just generally very pleasant.

Amtrak is also an excellent way to travel, and I really would recommend the train over flights as you see so much more. I wouldn't worry about it being an entire day - I did 3 solid days on Amtrak without a sleeper carriage. My back has never properly recovered, but it was an amazing way to see the country (I was trying to get from Atlanta to San Diego but had to do a roundabout route via Chicago, Washington DC, New Mexico and LA). The trains are very comfortable for short to medium journeys (for just a day you'll be fine) and it's much nicer than waiting around an airport .

headpin

catye wrote: »

.............

I'm also wondering whether I should just go for it & book the flights I've seen now & worry about accomodation later, so then we have more time to look at places to go/stay but have transport sorted...:idea:

If you see some good flights go for them. Flights are more difficult to source at the right price than accommodation.

Accommodation in the US and Canada is plentiful and you should always find something decent in your price range. Look at Trip Advisor for reviews. Also always check the hotel price comparrison sites before booking. The cost of the same hotel booked through different sites can vary by £$£$£$£$ (often 50% cheaper between different booking agents!!). And always check the hotels own web sites for deals and to check the rate they are charging. Of course you can always try the Holiday Inn codes and offers that are posted elsewhere on the forum too - this cover most Hotels in the Intercontinetal Group not just Holiday Inn.

Hotel Comparrison sites include:

http://www.hotelscomparison.com/
http://www.booking.com/
http://www.laterooms.com/
http://www.alpharooms.com/
http://www.lastminute.com/

There are plenty of other as these are just a flavour.

Good luck and enjoy

catye

Well I decided to just go for it & booked the flights last night. Very excited now!

Wolfsong - NY hadn't really appealed to me before either until my friend went & then couldn't stop talking about how great it was! So we thought we'd give it a try... hopefully it'll be another Vegas - I never thought I'd like it there but absolutely loved it!

Headpin - thanks for the info & links, will definitely be checking those out! :beer:

neilbond007

Enjoy! You'll love it. I've been to NY a couple of times. Love it there! It's very much like London.
10 days in Toronto? It aint that big of a place. Each to their own though. I was there 3 days and enjoyed the place.

I'm still feeling a little disturbed at being accused of being American...

Murphy_The_Cat

neilbond007 wrote: »

I'm still feeling a little disturbed at being accused of being American...

maybe time to change your nick to neilbourne .

BTW, from you very good advice last year, I've managed to book most of my accomodation for my upcoming trip with Homewood/Embassy suites - which suit my requirements perfectly (but struggling for Ocean City, MD )

catye

neilbond007 wrote: »

Enjoy! You'll love it. I've been to NY a couple of times. Love it there! It's very much like London.
10 days in Toronto? It aint that big of a place. Each to their own though. I was there 3 days and enjoyed the place.

I'm still feeling a little disturbed at being accused of being American...

:rotfl:I guess there are worse things to be accused of?!:eek:

I doubt we'll spend 10 days solid in Toronto - definitely planning a couple of days in Niagara & hopefully somewhere else as well, not sure where yet though... maybe somewhere a bit more relaxing than Toronto & NY to break things up a bit.

catye

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

maybe time to change your nick to neilbourne .

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

neilbond007

catye wrote: »

:rotfl:I guess there are worse things to be accused of?!:eek:

I doubt we'll spend 10 days solid in Toronto - definitely planning a couple of days in Niagara & hopefully somewhere else as well, not sure where yet though... maybe somewhere a bit more relaxing than Toronto & NY to break things up a bit.

I found Toronto to be a very relaxing place. Not at all busy like NY.
There's also Niagara on the lake. I've never been, but heard it's beautiful.

headpin

neilbond007 wrote: »

I found Toronto to be a very relaxing place. Not at all busy like NY.
There's also Niagara on the lake. I've never been, but heard it's beautiful.

I can vouch for Niagara on the Lake. If you want somewhere to relax for 2 or 3 days, it's the place to go. Unlike Niagara Falls, which I think is a bit like Blackpool with waterfalls. The Canadian Side is, IMO, better than the US side in terms of the environment. The US side always seems a bit tired and concrete junglish to me. However, the falls are great and you need to go to Goat Island on the US Side and do the Hurricane Deck, etc and stroll around the park taking in the site of the waterfalls and the gorge.