THE ENTIRE EAST COAST IN LESS THAN A WEEK?

 

  

2 PM – Lunch must’ve been great. OK, time to walk off the MSG. Take the subway uptown, and get off at Penn Station. When you exit, look up … it’s the Empire State Building! If you don’t see it, then turn around and walk another block, and look up again. At this point you have a choice to go to the top of it. If you do that, you will have great shots of the city, and you’ll see just how non-impressive New Jersey looks from the sky. If you don’t want to go to the top, find 5th Avenue, and walk North. At 42nd Street, you will probably hear the commotion … that’s Time Square. Veer off of 5th Avenue, and walk down 42nd Street. Hold onto your wallet. Check out all of the Broadway Show theaters in the area. Get back on 5th Avenue, and continue to walk North. There are plenty of shops that you can get some touristy items, and some much nicer places like Saks 5th Avenue, and Macys. If it’s not so nice out, take a cab ride (an experience in and of itself) to Central Park. Here you have your choice of one museum – The Met, or the Museum of Natural History. It’s hard to make choices, but we have to be at the White House in 14 hours, so pick something. Check museum hours, as they do fluctuate. The Met is closed on Mondays, and both museums may have Holiday Hours.  

4 PM – Experience the Museum … either Museum is great, so relax, and take an honest 1.5 hours. 

5:30 PM – Time to head back to your car in New Jersey. Go to Penn Station, and head back to New Jersey.  

6:15 – Fill up your car with gas in New Jersey (where it is cheapest) and begin the drive to Washington DC. 

10 PM – Pass out in Hotel Room. We are sleeping in tomorrow – wake up call is at 8 AM. 

Day 3 – Washington DC – sleep in Richmond 

Were we in NY Yesterday? Were we on Old Ironsides two days ago? Wow. DC is great because mostly everything is free. We can do the entire Mall today, and then drive to Richmond where it is cheaper to get a hotel. Plus, if you stay in DC proper, you may have to pay for a hotel parking space. We don't want to do that. But, what we do want to do is park somewhere close to the National Mall. You can find free parking a short walk from the FDR Memorial. But if you get here on a weekend in the morning, you might find parking right near the White House, It's hit or miss. For peace of mind, pay for a garage. But, since we are trying to travel on a dime here, let's go for the free parking. Since we have all day, we should hit the Lincoln Memorial, White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, Washington Monument, FDR Memorial, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam Memorials. That should take about 2 hours. They are all close to each other. If you want a Capitol or White House tour, be sure to call in advance. I would recommend the Holocaust Museum and the Smithsonian before you head out on your drive. Be warned though, since every minute counts on our crammed itinerary, the Holocaust Museum recommends getting tickets early, or you could get shut out. If there's time in the afternoon, drive to Arlington National Cemetery, before heading to Richmond.  

  Click here for next day's activities 

CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS