New England Trip - Summer 2023

Links to all photos and videos from the trip 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XqbL45Cf6DTUyyLq5

Planning

I asked my son Malhar where he wanted to go for vacation during the summer school holidays and being a history fan, he mentioned Boston. I had also planned a trip to New England states a year back, but it had not happened. So, this seemed like a good opportunity for us to do both as a road trip.

Day 1 – Jun 26 - Niagara

Though I had visited I Niagara 2-3 times before, Malhar had not so we decided to start the trip by visiting Niagara first. We started early (from Novi, MI) and arrived at Buffalo, NY in the afternoon. After checking into our hotel, we went to Niagara Falls and decided to do the Cave of the Winds self-tour first. This is a good way to explore the falls closely, walking on the boardwalk and even getting soaked (thankfully they provide plastic covers, so you are not fully drenched). We explored the area a bit after the tour and then took the Maid of the Mist boat tour. This is a thrilling experience going on the water right up to the falls and feeling the thunder and the mist on yourself. The rainbows created due to the play of mist and sunlight is another great visual treat. 

We then went for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant ‘ La Galera’ and had some delicious fajitas. Then it was time to go back to the falls to see the colors at night and to watch the fireworks. Walking on the pathway along the flowing water at night, all lit with bright colored lights and seeing the falls themselves in changing multicolor is a wonderful experience.  The fireworks were something new for me as I had not seen them in my past visits. It was quite crowded, this being close to the July 4th holiday, but we were able to view and enjoy the fireworks clearly. Then it was time to go back to the hotel and rest. 

Day 2 – Jun 27 – Drive to Boston, MA

This was an uneventful day as we spent the entire day driving from Niagara to Boston. It was raining heavily for part of the drive which slowed us down and by the time we reached the hotel it was almost past 4 pm. 

We were staying south of Boston in Quincy area and nearby there was a nature reservation area named Blue Hills. We decided to go there and had a short hike through a nature trail and then had a middle eastern dinner at a Falafel place. 

Day 3 – Jun 28 – Explore Boston

Knowing the hassles of parking and driving in Boston downtown we had decided to use the MBTA subway system, so we drove and parked in the Quincy station and took the subway metro to Boston Commons. This is the start of the Boston Freedom trail, so we took a brochure and map from the information booth and started walking the trail.

Exploring the Freedom Trail is a unique experience following the trail marked with pavers on the sidewalk and walking all over Boston downtown. We explored and visited Boston Commons, Legislative house, Granary Burial Ground, King’s Chapel, Old State House, Boston Market, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, The Old North Church, and  Bunker Hill Monument. My son had read about some of these events in his history lessons and probably had more information than me. At each place we stopped and explored, reading plaques and information boards, and viewing things around. Going up the stairs at Bunker Hills Monument and looking at the surroundings from top was a nice experience. It was hot and we had walked miles, so we took a ferry back to Boston Harbor and explored the area and visited the USS Constitution Ship. 

We then went to the Boston Tea Party Museum and show. This was something Malhar was very interested in. Initially they gave us all cards with names of historical characters that we were supposed to be (I was Thomas Chase, a distiller and Malhar was Benjamin Edes, a co-publisher of the Boston Gazette!). Then there was a historical speech by a person dressed in historical costume which was a prelude to the tea party event. Then they took us to an actual replica boat where children could dump tea (just some floating resin bags tied with rope 😊). But it was enough excitement for kids and adults alike. 

Since we had all day metro pass we next went to Harvard. We walked around, exploring the area and had dinner at one busy restaurant. It was full of Harvard crowd, had a good vibe and the food was awesome. Then we made it back to our hotel, tired but satisfied.

Day 4 – Jun 29 – Plymouth, Cape Cod

Today we were visiting Cape Cod and I had booked a Whale Watching Excursion with Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises. On the way we wanted to stop by Plymouth Rock, given its historical significance. We arrived at Plymouth rock around 9.30 am. There is a monument type structure over the rock along the shore and the year 1620 is carved on the rock. We were also pleasantly surprised to see a life-size replica of the Mayflower historic ship, which carried the Pilgrims across the Atlantic, sitting along the seashore,. It is called Mayflower II and was built in England and sailed to US in 1957. 

Then we were on our way to Cape Cod. We went straight to the cruise, checked in and got our seats on the large cruiser boat. Once started, they took us at fast speed at least 60-70 miles in the waters closer to Provincetown. There were many other boats/ cruisers where we stopped, and I guessed there is some sort of communication between all of them as to where the Whales are hanging out on any particular day. There were many whales in the water in different sizes and a lot of activity all around. There was person on the speaker giving out information and they seem to have names for most whales based on the tags and some physical features such as clipped fins. It was quite thrilling for both me and Malhar, this being our first-time watching whales so up and close. We must have been in there for more than an hour and then it was time for us to return. Once on shore we went to a nearby beach and walked on it but the tide was low and water far out. 

We then started our long 6 hrs. drive towards Bangor in ME to visit Acadia National Park next day. We arrived at our hotel around 9 pm, had a pizza for dinner and slept. 

Day 5 – Jun 30 – Acadia National Park, ME

We got in the morning and drove more than an hour’s drive to Acadia National Park. It was a bit confusing at first to get our bearings but eventually we landed at the Hulls Cove Visitor Center. The parking lot was almost full and the ranger at the visitor center advised us to take the free park shuttle instead of driving on our own, as it was very busy, and we may have had parking problems in most places. We decided to take up on it which was a wise decision. The shuttle took us to our initial stop at Sand Beach. We went on the beach first to explore. Unlike open beaches I have seen most elsewhere here it is different with a sandy beach surrounded by hills and cliffs rising on the sides. It was foggy out in the sea and the water was cold. We took a few photos then decide to come back here later after exploring other places. 

Next to Sand Beach is the Beehive Trailhead so we decided to hike the trail. My initial thought was to do part of trail then return as Malhar is not that used to hiking. However, I was surprised as he wanted to keep going even though it looked quiet challenging and steep up the mountain. The trail was very busy and there were areas near the rock scrambles where we had to wait for some slow hikers. In time though we made it to the Beehive Summit, and I was really impressed by Malhar doing it so easily (at home he is even averse to hiking flat trails at nearby State Parks). We completed the whole loop and arrived back at Sand Beach. We then walked along a pathway or flat trail going parallel to the cliffs dropping to the ocean, towards Thunder Hole. This is a natural small rocky cove where sea water rushes in with the waves and makes thundering noise while emptying out. You can view it from a platform above. From there we took the shuttle but did not stop at any stops (Otter Cliff, Jordan Pond) as we had a reservation for Cadillac Summit Road. 

After arriving at the visitor center, we drove just at our reservation time to the Cadillac Summit Road and drove up to the summit. This is a 3-mile scenic drive, and the summit is highest point in Acadia and a popular place to view Sunrise or Sunset. I hadn’t got either reservation but still wanted to go there. The views are fine but it was foggy so we really could not see much far out. We just hiked and walked around on the summit, took some photos, and turned back driving to Sand Beach again. We wanted to enjoy the beach waters, but it was cold. We still played a bit in water and Malhar had a great time. This too was a surprise as he isn’t fond of swimming or water either. We then left Acadia having had a great day altogether. 

Day 6 /7– Jul 1 – Mt. Washington, NH/ Vermont 

It was time from our journey back home, but we still had one more destination and state in mind. White Mountains in New Hampshire. We drove the 4-hr. journey from Bangor, ME to Mt. Washington Cog Railway Base Station in New Hampshire. The Cog is the first mountain-climbing cog railway in the world and the second steepest. The Cog goes up to Mt. Washington summit in the White Mountains which is the highest peak in the Northeast US. It is part of the Appalachian trail and due its unpredictive weather considered the trickiest section of the trail. 

Taking the Cog railway up to the summit is a cool and easy way than hiking up the mountain. We got our tickets and boarded one of the two railcars. The ascent up is quite steep and slow. As you progress you can observe the change in topography, with tall pine trees giving way to smaller, dwarf trees and almost no vegetation near the summit. This is due to the cold weather and the winds. Once we reached the summit we explored around in all directions. There was a long line to take photos at the Summit sign but we did that. We could see may AT hikers walking along on the trail. There is a weather station and observatory at the summit, but I don’t think we can visit it from inside.

After a stay of about an hour we did the return journey descending down. Then it was time for our long return drive home. We drove across Vermont, through the Green Mountains but we did not stop at any place. It does look scenic with lots of forested areas and trees and I am sure there are wonderful places to visit and do nature activities. But there wasn’t anything exceptional that I thought we had to visit based on what I looked up online. We drove till Utica, NY, stayed there overnight and then next day drove back home.