East coast of America – 2-week express trip

Although New York is the headline act in this region, there is a lot to see besides the big apple on the east coast. This is how to make the most out of a two weeks trip stateside.

Montreal

So you are probably thinking I have never looked at a map as this is in Canada, and you are right, but with it being only a 1 hour 15 min flight from Boston it made sense for us to start our trip with 3 nights in Quebec’s largest city.

After spending a night out on rue Ste-Catherine, the infamous bar and nightlife district that never seems to sleep and has its fair share of “entertainment” It was time to see some of the more traditional sights. First stop was Dorchester Square and the surrounding buildings, most notably the Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral. We were surprised this was classed as a “minor” basilica (it was huge).

Next, it was time to check out the old port, which is a historic port of Montréal stretched over 2 kilometres along the St Lawrence River. During the summer there are activities going on most weekends, but if not it is still a great place to grab a drink with La Grande Roué de Montreal dominating the landscape (Montreal’s answer to the London Eye). The old town is just a stone’s throw away from here and is a must see with numerous historic architecture on cobbled streets.

However, the shining light is the Notre – Dame Basilica and the surrounding area. After seeing this, we understood why the one we saw the previous day was classed as “minor”. It was hard to take in the sheer size of it. The added bonus is the brilliant views it provides over the city.

Boston

After a delayed flight combined with watching an England World Cup win in the airport, we eventually landed in the Massachusetts capital feeling a bit worse for wear. Due to the astronomic prices of accommodation, we were staying in a hostel. Conveniently, this was located near the public garden that is a fantastic park to have a stroll around with your morning coffee. This is America’s first public garden and if you are into trees, there are 600 varieties of them here. We decided to take a walk from here to Copley Square where the impressive Public Library is situated. I never thought I would find a library enjoyable but it was a great place to have a look round.

If you are a sports fan then a visit to Fenway Park is a must, the home of the Boston Red Sox. We were not there during a game day so settled for the guided tour of the stadium. Boston are mad about their sport and it was great to understand the history of one of the most famous and recognisable sports teams in the world.

Due to being in Boston mid-week, the nightlife wasn’t particularly special. However, we did do a guided pub crawl with “Boston Crawling”. This is a history tour combined with a few local beers. It was good fun with a small group and helpful to learn a bit more about the city and its history. All in all a great city and if I had to choose a place in the US to live this would be up there!

Philadelphia

Philly – the home of the cheesesteak. This city is mad about this famous sandwich and your BMI can increase rapidly in a short space of time. I would advise going to Jim’s steaks on South Street for the authentic experience. The surrounding area is also pretty quirky and worth looking around, I would liken it to the philly version of Shoreditch in comparison to a London area. If you want to burn off some calories after eating these calorific sarnies run up the “Rocky Steps”. The 72 steps that lead up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where the famous scene in the movie was shoot. Although it is cheesy and littered with tourists, It also provides great views at the top. If you are looking for nightlife there is a fair amount on offer, one cool place was in Fishtown called “barcade” as the name would suggest a mix between a bar and an arcade, showcasing lots of old classic arcade machines. Alternatively, there are a number of bars and clubs in the cities “Gayborhood”. Philly has a strong LGBT and caters for a fun night out

Washington DC

In all honesty probably the least favourite of the places we visited. Apart from the obvious political attractions and buildings there did not seem a huge amount to do, especially for a capital city. Regardless, it is quite an impressive walk from the White House all the way down the National Mall and it is well worth doing, we didn’t visit any but there were a number of museums situated along this route. On the plus side, we were there over a weekend so it was lively. If you are looking for bars then U-Street is the place to head to with bar hopping made easy.

New Orleans

By far the highlight city of the trip and by far the most “different” from the stereotypical American city. Although not exactly “east coast” it was only a 2.5 hour flight from Philadelphia and somewhere that has been on the bucket list for some time. NO as it is commonly known is situated in Louisiana on the Mississippi river, it is truly one of the most fascinating cities I have ever visited. There is a strong jazz influence that you will see and hear on most street corners providing a fun filled atmosphere. For differing reasons the renowned “Bourbon Street” is worth a visit at night. However, do be careful as I wouldn’t say it is the safest place is in the world. There are a number of local restaurants providing signature New Orleans dishes including Po’boy and Jambalaya. One thing that is highly recommended is to do an airboat swamp tour. Not only great fun but also you get the chance to see a large number alligators and other wildlife.

Miami

Final stop of the trip and a place you need good amounts of energy for. Miami is renowned for its buzzing nightlife scene and for good reason. We stayed on the famous South Beach and it is always lively with the strip of bars and clubs running all the way down. Regardless of the obvious fun in the evening, the art deco buildings in the city are also very interesting if you are one to appreciate such things. One district that was very cool was “Little Havana”. This is Miami’s famed Cuban neighbourhood with latin American galleries and busy restaurants, if you want a laid back atmosphere this is the place to spend an afternoon with locals smoking cigars and playing dominoes. If I were to give a restaurant, recommendation it would be “Joe’s stone crab”, a brilliant seafood restaurant with service to match. The staff were very helpful with dealing with crab rookies such as ourselves. Just do not forget your credit card as the bill can escalate quickly.

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