New York, Calgary, Quebec, Halifax Nova Scotia, Boston or Toronto? Which is best for teenage boys?

[Teeh]

Could possibly fly in to one and out the other. I have selected these as they all fly from Edinburgh so are easy travel for us. We won’t have a car . Boys are quite outdoorsy and won’t want to be entirely a city break. Somewhere quieter too, maybe a beach or a whale watching trip. Would anyone have any help for me to decide?

Yes. So I now know!

I think people always don’t realise that you can do interesting long haul destinations from many regional airports.

Having said that, our nearest regional airport didn’t have a great range of destinations and airlines hiked up prices for connecting flights to Heathrow and Gatwick.

I adore the White Mountains. We often go for a weekend in the summer. Diana’s Baths, the Kancamagus Highway and all its waterfalls and hikes and views, Flume Gorge. It’s the only place I’ve ever actually met a bear face to face.

new york, too common, id be intrested with Halifax Nova Scotia
but then also the windy city as i like the travel vlogs

Flume Gorge is spectacular (no bears for us though - how close were you and what did you do?) and Kancamagus is certainly a beautiful drive.

We stayed at one of the historic mountain inns, a little bit faded but a wonderful setting and excellent food. The receptionist said that they didn’t have many British people staying (and later had a long discussion with other staff about how many bears had been spotted in their yards lately).

My nearest airport is Heathrow. I’ve not had to consider long haul from elsewhere but I think it’s limited for direct flights.

Steve Marsh was in Nova Scotia earlier this year https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=Steve+marsh+nova+scotia

What time of year are you thinking of travelling? There are tons of activities around Banff and Canmore in both summer and winter. Roam transit connects Canmore and Banff and links to the Hot Springs, Lake Louise, Johnston Canyon etc. Plenty of shuttles from YYC.
Dog sledding, cave tours (all year round as the temperature down there is constant), Via Ferrata (in the summer at Mt Norquay ski resort) etc etc.

It's not on your list but Vancouver would meet your city and outdoorsy wishes and I'd say is probably worth a flight connection.
Or Washington DC is a nicer city then New York IMO.

@TheSandgroper That link is to St Johns in Newfoundland. Hence the Newfoundland and Labrador dogs. Nova Scotia is a different province.

Mine would probably prefer to go to NYC - they have both been before - or Calgary to access the Rockies. They haven’t been there but I know a fair bit about the area as I used to work for a Canadian holiday company. I have been to Nova Scotia but I don’t think it would be my son’s favourite. We did whale watching but only saw a split second glimpse of one whale.

@pinkroses79 I think you have to want a more laid back holiday in Nova Scotia. We were surprised that there were no whales around in the first two weeks of September this year. We saw no whale watching boats going out except from Briar Island. I didn’t check Boston but we saw a lot one year in August. So for the summer holidays, that’s the better place to be for whales.

Don’t go near Calgary without a car. There’s very limited things to do in the city, everyone flies in there and then heads straight out to Banff / north to Jasper (or what’s left of it after the fires) or along the highway towards Whistler. If you hire a car then you will have an epic holiday and there’s loads for outdoorsy teens to do. But train / bus links are pretty much non existent in Canada. It’s just too huge

NY and Boston can be uncomfortably hot in the summer

The NYC subway system is wonderful- you can get around really easily using it, and I don't know why people are saying they avoid it!! Subway or bike is the way to go.

That's my small contribution to the chat...

@Greenfinch7 I definitely would not bike anywhere in NY. The subway in NY is not the easiest to use. DD lived there for a few months and still found it confusing. Certainly I’ve been to stations with no live train info so don’t know where the train is actually going. It’s got very poor old stations and it’s grubby. My other DD found it lary after dark. The subway in NY is far from wonderful.

I live in NY, and agree the subway is often grubby and lacking in live updates, but it is fast, versatile, goes everywhere, simple to pay for, and in 50 years of using it (half of that time as a resident) I have never experienced anything dangerous or frightening, (though there are a lot of people who are not behaving particularly well).

As for biking, yes it can be dangerous, but worth the risk, in my opinion. It's so much fun, lifts my spirits, and I can get everywhere quickly; if you know what you are doing you can bike in a way that is safe enough to be appealing to me, and millions of other people. I have been biking here for years, with much enjoyment and no ill effects.

As a local you might well love to bike. For a visitor unfamiliar with NY and even driving on the “other” side of the road it would be a challenge too far for most. It’s really not a great idea for most visitors unfamiliar with the city. DD2 and her female friend didn’t want to cope with bad behaviour in a confined space on the subway and I don’t blame them. They are London based and pretty streetwise but witnessing poor lary behaviour on holiday is not what they wanted to cope with. As a local you might not be bothered by it but I’ve had similar issues in Chicago. It leaves you looking for escape routes. I’ve been ok with subway travel in NY during the day but it’s far behind the London tube in many ways.

I went to Montreal for work once in July and it was ROASTING but there was almost no AC. A friend who used to live in Toronto said the same. We are used to hearing about NYC summers and this seems to be similar.
It was nice though no idea what it would have that appeals to teen boys. I do remember getting lost walking down from the (castle? Big hill anyway. Mountain possibly!) in the dark.
Boston can be a bit more pleasant as it's near the ocean but be careful of accommodation. They may be renting out their apartment to escape the heat in Ptown!

Re biking: I've biked in London, and a couple of West Coast cities (mostly cycle paths or quiet roads) and would not attempt Manhattan.