Boston NYC and Washington

[LaFlottes]

We are off to these three cities on the summer with our 15 year old daughter. Can’t wait!
Any “must see” ideas would be very welcome, especially any tours that have been really good!
DD is a Friends/Gossip Girl/Castle addict too so any tours around those shows would be good!
Thank you!

In Boston I would recommend going up the Prudential Tower to get your bearings. The duck tour does the same at ground and water level. The science museum and the aquarium are both worth a visit. My teenage dds enjoyed the Tea Party ship, it’s fun. They also went to the Maparium and loved it. A tour of Fenway Park is interesting even if you’re not into sports. Whale watching is always on our list for Boston. If you have time, a day trip to Newport would be good, to see the mansions. You have to eat lobster in Boston, you can even get a lobster roll in McDonald’s. I really wanted to see Salem but it was tacky and disappointing. Boston is a good wandering round city, reasonably compact, public transport is good, get a Charlie card if you will be using it a lot. Wave to us, we’ll be living in the tower above North Station by then!

The Isabella Gardner Museum is great in Boston (check my spelling!) plus the Freedom Trail to understand the history with the British! We found walking around gave us bearings and duck tours can be expensive. A good map is a must!

NYC where to start. The Empire State or Top of the Rock for the views. Central Park is great but we prefer the High Line. Museums and Art galleries abound. The Met has iconic American Art and is adjacent to Central Park. Twin Towers memorial is moovung but grim! Could upset your teen. Brooklyn Bridge is iconic and more fun. Walking around Greenwich Village is very NY and so is 5th Avenue. Take a peek at Times Square. We swear by the Lonely Planet guides.

Washington has world famous museums in the Mall. The American History one is brilliant as is the Flight one. You can gaze on the White House and visit Congress. Go to Arlington Cemetry and visit the war memorials. Not quite as recent as the Twin Towers. The memorials to presidents are also iconic. Go to Georgetown too. They are all wonderful cities. Transport is easy in all three. Have a great trip.

NY - forgot Staten Island ferry and Ellis Island. So much to see!

Book your Statue of Liberty tickets ASAP

The news museum in Washington is good for teens .

I loved the Newseum in DC, but what I enjoy most is walking round the war memorials (you can't fail to be moved by the Vietnam wall, but the Korea one is very moving imo), and then walking down the mall.
The museums are amazing, and I wish I'd had more time in them on my last trip.

Take really comfortable shoes as you'll want to walk and walk to really see those places

Bear in mind that you need ticket to visit the capitol.
You can book these online. Just do a search on visit to US capitol
The library of Congress and the Supreme Court worth a visit also.
Have lunch in the capitol if you can, the food is really good.
Also visit the new African American Museum on the Mall.
All the of the museums are FREE, except private ones.
You can visit George Washington Estate in Mount Vernon via boat trip on the Potomac, or by train.
You will need a metro pass to use the subway, cost $10, with $8 going towards the ride. Everyone will need to have their own pass.
Must visit the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which is part of Catholic University and The National Cathedral in Georgetown.
You can look these up online.

The MIT museum in Boston is really interesting, and you can have a wander r

Ooops.

... round the campus too.

Arlington Cemetery in Washington is lovely (sounds counter-intuitive, I know!). Old Ebbitts Grill fairly close to the White House is great for breakfast.