next september holiday

hi having recently returned from a great california driving holiday, we are gently looking at a two week driving holiday in newyork state,we ( two uk seniors) have enjoyed holidays in florida/virginia/utah/nevada/arizona/newmexico, we enjoy meeting you-exploring-and seeing ';the sights'; we like to mix historic b%26amp;bs with bestwesterns any replies will be most welcome cheers from scarborough uk

next september holiday

Will you spend any time in New York City, and, if so, how much? Also, do you plan to see Niagara Falls?

next september holiday

thanks for your interest and you pose two realy good questions; it seems to make sense to spend time in new york( we were both born in york) where to stay and how to drive away need to be answered, niagrafalls is a must see but having found fishermans wharf far too touristy i am a bit wary your country and people are the big interests again many thanks janet/julian

It would be a shame not to see NYC. Have you considered flying into NYC, staying a couple days and then you could take the train to say....Albany, NY ... to rent a car.

Have you explored

http://www.iloveny.com/home.aspx

Our state is quite diverse with each region having so much to offer (scenery, history %26amp; various activities).

two nights in newyork is good ,we have spent two nights in san francisco and similar in washington but been robbed in barcelona despite taking precautions, we are fit seniors ,would a taxi in and a taxi back to the airport to pick up a rental car be better than a train or am i worrying unesceserialy julian

Hopefully, the locals will respond with some suggestions in regards to your last question.

The last two times I went to England, we (my sisters and myself) flew into Manchester and then picked up a car...just to avoid what we thought would be terrible conjestion around London and we had rented a cottage in Wales. Thus I was thinking of a train out of NYC to a less hectic area. I am unfamilar with the logistics of JFK or the other area airports. I take the bus or train into NYC. I love the train from Albany to NYC because it hugs the Hudson river and I love the view. But, if you were to do the train, you would then have to make arrangements to pick up a car. I do not believe the Amtrak station in Albany has car rentals on site.

You could spend a couple days in NYC and then catch a flight to Albany.

If your concern is regarding picking up a car and driving out of NYC .... you could pose the question in the New York City forum. You will get more responses there.

again our thanks, we will spend the winter thingking about these options our other thoughts are about texas, then using trip advisor we will put together another holiday in your wonderful country janet/julian

If you are going to spend a night or two in NYC and then go upstate to see the sights I suggest taking the train to Albany - which is actually the Rensselaer - Albany, NY (ALB) Train Station served by Amtrak. The train ride is very nice from NYC to Albany area. Also, by the time you get ready to leave NYC, get to an airport - likely Newark or La Guardia - and then wait there for security etc, then board the plane - you could be in Albany train station.

I would not recommend renting a car in NYC and driving out. Traffic there is horrendous. But if you want to get to a rental as soon as possible after leaving NYC you can take the Metro North line to Poughkeepsie and pick up a rental car there - That puts you about midway from NYC to Albany. That is the lower Hudson Valley - also very scenic - you may be interested in Hyde Park NY - where FDR lived and Churchill visited.

From Albany to get to Niagara Falls it is a solid 5+ hours of driving and in my opinion it is not worth it 5+ hours of driving. Maybe I have seen it too many times. Others will surely disagree with me.

If you are coming to the area in late July or August there is a famous racetrack - Saratoga which is little north of Albany. http://www.nyra.com/index_saratoga.html It is a thoroughbred race track that is open for 6 weeks a year and attracts many famous and wealthy people. If you like horses it is worth seeing. It is a very beautiful racetrack and is often described as the nicest in the States.

Continuing north from Saratoga and Albany though you can head to the Adirondacks and be there within an hour. Bolton Landing on Lake George is a particularly nice spot - probably 1.5 hours from the train station. Further north there is Lake Placid (home to two winter Olympics) and still a winter Olympics training site.

I could easily fill your two weeks in the Adirondacks and upstate New York. Below are just a few links to some websites:

NYS Museum in Albany www.nysm.nysed.gov

FDR Library and Museum www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu

Saratoga Auto Museum www.saratogaautomuseum.com

Adirondack Museum www.adkmuseum.org

Lake George www.visitlakegeorge.com/

Saratoga www.discoversaratoga.org/

Lake Placid www.lakeplacid.com/

There is even a bottle museum in Saratoga www.nationalbottlemuseum.org - I have never been to it, but it strikes me as funny. There is a horseracing museum and hall of fame in Sartoga too!

Plenty to do while you are here in New York.

that is a lot of information; if we dont hire a car in the airport how difficult/easy is it to get to a hotel in the city?,i can see that after a couple of days we would be confident enough to take a taxi to the rail station and then as you suggest to albany , and then research your listed sites many thanks julian

To get to a hotel in NYC from an airport is easier by taxi or public transport/airport shuttle. NYC driving is awful. Parking is terribly expensive and traffic congestion is brutal. A Car in NYC is a very inefficient way to travel. NY public transportation is excellent - not always as clean as the Underground or Tube but it is efficient.

Getting to a hotel in the Albany area is very easy by rental car or taxi. Getting around by car in Upstate New York (which is about anything 30 miles north of NYC) is easier by car. Once you get upstate (including the Albany area and north of Albany) public transportation outside of a city is sporadic at best.