Question for New England (Us) /E. Canada simmers/pilots

[Geofa 108]

I am doing preliminary planning for a flying trip this summer to the New England states. One reason is they are the few remaining states of the US I have not logged a landing in-the other being I haven't really been to/explored them. My plan is to go to Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts,Vermont, New Hamshire, Maine, Nova Scotia, perhaps Prince Edward Island, and back to Michigan via Canada.I will be flying with my wife and another couple and are interested in interesting places/sites/history etc. with a balance of scenery/ cities. The trip will probably be 2.5-3 weeks.So far ideas are Newport,RI, Martha's Vineyard,Nantucket Island, Cape Cod, Boston, Concord, Montpelier, White Mountains, Acadia, Halifax, Prince Edward Island, Gaspe Bay, Quebec, Montreal, Thousand Islands, Ottawa, Toronto.I am unfamiliar mostly with this area of the world and would appreciate any advice on sites that are considered must sees in this area to those who are familiar.Thanks for any ideas! :-)A extremely preliminary routing attached.http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/186399.jpg

[Guest Rockcliffe]

There's lots to see in Ottawa -- Parliament Buildings, Rideau Canal, etc. Land at Rockcliffe airport (CYRO) and you can walk over to the Canada Aviation Museum http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/An absolute must-see is Quebec City, though it will be a pretty busy place this summer as it celebrates the 400th anniversary of its founding. It is a truly amazing place.BlairCYOW

[Guest christianholmes]

Well I can certainly provide some insight and suggestions. As you might know, I'm still fairly low hour, so in terms of flying the Northeast I'm not extremely experienced, but I do know the hotspots.You've picked some great destinations. Where were you planning on starting (flying into first)?Certainly one of the things you'll want to do weather permitting is to fly the VFR corridor down the Hudson and by Manhattan. It's absolutely incredible- especially for passengers. You'll be too busy watching for traffic so make sure they all bring cameras. There are some websites that offer tips on doing this. Contrary to popular belief, you can fly it without talking to approach, but you have to stay low- which is rewarding if it's not too busy. You'll be well below some of the taller skyscrapers. If you intend to visit Manhattan, I would suggest the Hudson hotel. It's lesser known, but quite frankly far, far nicer than some of the bigger ones. The courtyard lounge is one of the coolest places I've ever been. Toronto is a great city- lots to do and see. City Centre Airport is supposed to be pretty neat, although I haven't flown in there. The CN tower is a good time-killer, and there are some great restaurants/bars. It's a very progressive and high tech city. I lived in a house there, so I don't know any hotels.Montreal is really neat city too- unique geography. I've only been once with a buddy (we had to drop off a truck at the Army base)- and you might have heard Montreal is known for it's "gentlemens entertainment" so I spent most of the night on a velvet sofa with a watered down scotch and roll of singles- but I hear the city is nice :) I think we stayed at the downtown Marriott. I almost choked when we saw the room we got for $150- it was amazing.I've never been to Nova Scotia, but I hear it's beautiful.You should add a stop on the Maine coast for some lobster too- doesn't get any fresher than that. I'd say go to Freeport. Great shopping and food. It's the quintessential New England town.Boston is one of my favorite cities, but it's a transportation nightmare. You'd be better off flying into one of the smaller airports than into Logan. Try to stay downtown near the harbor. The four seasons is nice, and I think there is a "W" there. Obviously you'll want to see Quincy market and the other big attractions.Newport is the sailing capital of the world, and on any summer day you'll see why. The harbor is littered with 1000's of sailboats- usually including the America's Cup challengers doing their testing. Great food and nightlife- It is a haven for the wealthy, but not at all pretentious. It can be VERY difficult to find any vacancies during summer- As soon as you know the date(s), give the Viking hotel a call and see if they can get you in. It's the nicest hotel in Newport, and walking distance to the entire city. The summer rates are a little pricey, but the convenience and accomodations are worth it. Plus they have a rooftop bar which provides the ultimate experience of sipping a martini at sunset and overlooking the harbor while a salty breeze cools your face... I'm making myself drool... haha... If you can't get a room there, be careful for hotels which say they are "in Newport"- many of them are a 10 minute cab ride which spoils the fun and complicates things. UUU is the closest airport and a short cab ride. I admittedly didn't fly a pattern here as it's dangerously close to PVDs airspace.Of the three Islands off Rhode Island/Nantucket, I'd say Skip Martha's Vineyard- during the summer it's a zoo, and quite frankly not a whole lot to do aside from the beach. Same with Block Island- except it's really small. Nantucket is a much better choice than the other two- that's my favorite of the three. Great restaurants and shopping. Neat history too- lots of whaling stories (um- Moby Dick?). It's basically the "upscale" version of the other two islands- Not too big, not too small, less crowded and more interesting. It's more difficult to get here for the landlubbers, which is why it remains less spoiled, but for us pilots it's a minor inconvienence, not an all-day car trip/ferry ride. If you are heading here after Boston, I might recommend a stop in Provincetown first on the tip of Cape Cod. Just be prepared for some eye-popping sights- you have to be pretty open minded there, but it's a fantastic place, and you'll get to see the "dunes of the cape" from that corny Pina Colada song.You may want to plan a stop at either the Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods Casinos in Connecticut as well. I think the closest airport is Groton, but you can get a cab for $30 or so. They are quite a sight to behold.The White Mountains in New Hampshire are beautiful as well.What else? Hmmmm- It's New England- very pretty in places, but kind of boring in most places. I would honestly say unless you are set on the dates possible doing the trip during the fall when the foliage begins to change.And let me know when you will be in the area for sure- Maybe we could meet up for $100 lobster roll :)

[bic 44]

I think you'll be near Lake District. check out Lake George, Lake Champlain http://www.lakechamplainregion.com/

[Cessnaflyer 56]

A come on you didn't like the Northwest enough to come back? ;)Looks like a great trip I wish I could try flying in a place with no mountains :)Sorry I'm in a very sarcastic mood today.

[Geofa 108]

Thanks for the info. I did spend my honeymoon in Quebec but it was January and I look forward to seeing it at another time of the year. Sounds like lodging may be a problem then-thanks for the heads up!http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[Geofa 108]

Thanks Christian-exactly the kind of info I need to digest/think about. I was planning to do somewhat the routing-e.g. start in Conn. and end up back home thru Canada but that could change.I am looking forward to lots of lobster-will let you know what I end up with!http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[Geofa 108]

Thanks for the link-will check it out!http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[Geofa 108]

I'll be back but I have this crazy obsession to land in all the continental states-this trip should finish that one (except Alaska which will probably be the next!).http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[tf51d 284]

In the Boston area, there is a lot of historical locations on the North Shore! Nearest Airport is Beverly (KBVY) There's Salem, Danver's, Beverly, Gloucester/Rockport. You can get there pretty easy driving from Concord by taking Rt128 (I95) North at the split stay on Rt128, You'll see exits for the towns mentioned. Salem would be the closest, probably about a 20min drive from Concord, with Gloucester being the longest about 40 min.

[Geofa 108]

Sounds interestng. Appreciate the info!Sounds like Concord is a good place to go...http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[Guest DK8290]

If you are visiting Halifax, NS , I'm sure you'll visit Citadel Hill which is essentially why the city was founded http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/index_e.aspIt's still 'the' dominant feature of downtownThe waterfront is nice. There is a building with pics of how badly kept it was before the 70's when it was fixed up. Now with it's walkways and docks, it's a major tourist spot in the summer.Travel to nearby Peggy's Cove is suggested too;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggys_Cove,_Nova_ScotiaIf you fly to Digby , NS , you can visit Canada's oldest continuous settlement by Europeans at Annapolis Royal and the nearby Port Royal (if my history is correct, Port Royal was the original spot which was moved to Annapolis Royal's location which was renamed after Queen Anne later).http://www.municipalities.com/digby/airport/service.htmLike Halifax, this town has another impressive hill-fort with star-shaped hill-works (I lived in Annapolis Royal as a kid and Fort Anne was excellent for sliding down in the winter haha)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapolis_Royal,_Nova_Scotiascroll down a bithttp://www.geocities.com/canmarforts/NovaScotia.html It's quite beautiful in the Annapolis Valley and Annapolis Royal is about a 2 hour drive from Halifax and much less from Digby.--------------------You can visit the Shearwater Avation Museum across the water from Halifax. It's somewhat small but quite nice with some cool aircraft on display.http://www.shearwateraviationmuseum.ns.ca/Th Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum is also neat to check out. It's near the Halifax Stanfield International Airporthttp://acam.ednet.ns.ca/---------------- Other nice nearby towns are Mahone Bay and Lununberg (birthplace of the legedendary Bluenose schooner which won many races in the 1920's and graces the back of the Canadian dime.http://www.town.lunenburg.ns.ca/http://www.mahonebay.com/http://www.bluenose2.ns.ca/

[Geofa 108]

Thanks DK8290!What great info. Maybe 3 weeks won't be enough-looks like lots of neat stuff to see!I really appreciate all the trouble all have taken so far-now I'll just have to wade thru and make some choices.It really is cool to get this info from you all. I really appreciate it!http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[greggerm 312]

Christian hit all the majors for the New England areas. Continuing with the Rhode Island theme...Overnighting in Providence (the city) is always nice if there is a "[a href=http://www.waterfire.org/]Waterfire[/a]" event underway. Imagine a hundred+ bonfires floating on a narrow river with atmospheric music playing and the cityfolk out and about walking, and you have Waterfire. It is a great time, believe it or not. ([a href=http://www.airnav.com/airport/KPVD]KPVD[/a], [a href=http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSFZ]KSFZ[/a]) As Christian mentioned, Newport is also a great summer weekend destination. It does get a little cramped, but that's all part of the buzz. ([a href=http://www.airnav.com/airport/KUUU]KUUU[/a])On a summer weekend, Martha's Vineyard becomes the busiest airport in the northeast. (This from the controllers at PVD, who own the airspace). To keep from the crowds, try Block Island - it doesn't get too terribly crowded as compared to the other islands in the area, especially from the air. If you are looking for a peaceful respite from your journey, this may be the place to take a rest, take a bikeride, and hit the beach. ([a href=http://www.airnav.com/airport/KBID]KBID[/a])Up Further North....If you're looking for mountains, you might be well served to fly to Stowe([a href=http://www.airnav.com/airport/KMVL]KMVL[/a]) then across to Fryeburg, ME ([a href=http://www.airnav.com/airport/KIZG]KIZG[/a]). Stowe is nestled in the Green Mountains with plenty of things to see and do, and the trip to Fryeburg will bring you around the southern side of the White Mountains... on your way to the Maine coast. I am of course recommending primarily VFR destinations - not too many of them have instrument facilities for bad weather work, but hopefully the summer weather will hold nicely for you!Keep us posted on your trip plans! -Greg

[Geofa 108]

Thanks Greg for the additinal info. I really appreciate it!I will probably be planning for runways with ils's and 5000ft. if possible but a vfr jaunt is always possible on a good day.http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/1b5baf...b9f427f694g.jpgMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/