Travel: Terrific trip is on the right track
FLYING anywhere in America involves endless queuing, full body searches and unexciting views from 30,000 feet.
So we decided to tackle the near 500-mile distance between Washington and Boston (stopping at New York) in just seven hours with Amtrak trains.
It was just another hour in a hire car to reach the breathtaking seaside resorts of Cape Cod.
Most of our tour of the USA rested in the hands of a train company, which will strike fear in the hearts of any UK traveller.
But US trains are nothing like their UK counterparts. They were on time, clean, comfortable and there wasn’t a pre-packed sandwich or overcrowded carriage in sight.
We started our trip in the capital after picking up cheap flights from Heathrow.
Washington is a fantastic city and, unlike other expensive capitals, almost all of the major attractions are completely free.
There are parks everywhere and enough free museums and monuments to fill a two-week holiday.
In our four-day stay we went to the top of the Washington monument, Arlington cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial and even managed a fantastic free tour inside Capitol Hill.
We crammed in an hour in the National Gallery and another couple at the excellent Air and Space section of the enormous Smithsonian museum, which is home to the original Wright brothers plane and the Apollo 11 command module.
The Dupont Hotel was a great base from which to explore and the luxurious rooms were a real haven from the hustle, bustle and heat of the city.
The owners have just spent $58 million on a makeover and it was literally one minute from the nearest underground station.
If you feel more energetic it’s just a one-mile stroll directly down to the White House.
You don’t have to walk anywhere if you don’t want to because The Dupont sits in the most cosmopolitan corner of the capital near to the city’s best cafés and restaurants.
We could have spent longer in Washington, but we took our first Amtrak train on to the big bright lights of New York City, passing through Philadelphia – which is also worth a stop.
There is never enough time in New York and the Meatpacking District is one of the coolest places to stay.
It has become a magnet for stylish restaurants and designer boutiques, which sit inside and alongside former meat warehouses.
The real star appeared to be our hotel, The Ganesvoort, where pretty people queued for hours to get into the rooftop poolside cocktail bar.
Our comfortable room featured a balcony overlooking the Hudson River.
We only had a few days in the Big Apple, so we picked up City Passes (which have useful queue jumping benefits) and went on a Statue of Liberty Cruise and up to the top of the Empire State Building.
We also ate at the superb Meatpacking Buddakan restaurant (apparently it features in Sex and the City) which serves up Szechuan monkfish and lobster fried rice.
On our final day in New York we took a trip to Niagara Falls, which was a worthwhile, but tiring 400-mile each way detour.
We could have booked an expensive excursion up to Buffalo in the UK, but we decided to fly to upstate New York with Jet Blue, a budget carrier, from JFK airport.
At Buffalo we hopped on a cheap bus service and spent a few hours at the breathtaking falls.
When we arrived back in New York we took our final Amtrak
train up to Boston which is far less hectic than New York and smaller than Washington, but is still packed with history, shopping and fantastic restaurants.
The well-signed Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile stroll that takes you past 16 historic sites that tell the story of the American Revolution.
The Ritz Carlton was based in the middle of the city overlooking the 50-acre Boston Common, which is the oldest public park in America and the starting point of the Trail.
As you would expect from any Ritz, the rooms are enormous and crammed with marble and luxurious fittings. You can even have your very own bath butler!
For an extra charge you can upgrade to the Club Level members lounge, which gives you access to a top floor lounge serving drinks and food throughout the day including hors d’oeuvres and desserts.
You can easily sail over to Cape Cod from Boston harbour, but we decided to hire a car instead, which we picked up at Boston airport.
It’s a 70-mile drive to the bottom of the Cape and our first stop was the small, but picture postcard town of Falmouth.
We arrived at the Inn on the Sound, which sits on a cliff above a private beach and were stunned by the sheer beauty, the service and the homemade biscotti!
I don’t think I have ever stayed in such a spotless hotel, where staff neatly roll up your belts, and provide you with Inn branded lip balm.
The biggest asset is the owners who give you the low down on where to drink, eat and even what to order in the restaurants.
We enjoyed the friendly change from the big cities and picked up plenty of recommendations, from Innkeepers Howard and Janet, whilst enjoying our gourmet breakfasts.
We also took a bike ride up the newly built shining sea bike path, which is a former 11-mile rail road route along the beach, through marshes, forests and through the Salt Pond Bird Sanctuary.
We reluctantly left Falmouth (with the offer of a packed lunch) and took our hire car up to Cape Cod’s biggest town for our last few days.
We stopped off on the 70-mile route to see the sea lions at Hyannis and (again by Howard’s suggestion) the breathtaking national seashore.
The spectacular beaches have been protected from any sort of development since 1961 when John F Kennedy gave the shoreline special protection.
When you arrive in Provincetown you will find the Cape’s biggest and busiest town teaming with tourists. The Crowne Pointe Historic Inn is as imposing and as impressive as it sounds.
Sat on a hill overlooking P-Town (as the locals say) it’s a lot like a cosy British Inn with a room that boasts a stove for winter and whirlpool baths.
There is also a spa, outside hot tubs and daily cheese and wine evenings for guests in the courtyard.
If you can drag yourself away from the sauna and mineral soak baths you will find superb lobster serving restaurants and excellent shopping and nightlife.
We enjoyed two excellent day trips during a brief stay, including a must-do dune tour in a 4x4 vehicle. The tour takes you through the enormous old sand dunes along the harsh Atlantic coast and it’s barely £10 each.
Our final day provided the highlight of the entire trip. We sailed out on one of the whale sightseeing tours and I half expected to see nothing.
But the spectacular half day tour, complete with on-board marine biologists, tracked the magnificent animals and we even found them feeding.
* Getting There
Washington DC: The Dupont Hote, Washington DC, www.thedoylecollection.com/washington. Rooms from $199
Cape Cod: The Inn On The Sound Bed and Gourmet Breakfast, Falmouth, www.innonthesound.com. Rooms from $120 to $345
Crowne Pointe Historic Inn, Provincetown: www.crownepointe.com. Rooms from $99 to $627
Whale Watching Tours - www.whalewatch.com
Dune Tours - www.artsdunetours.com
Boston: The Ritz Carlton Boston Common www.ritzcarlton.com. Rooms from $345
New York: The Ganesvoort Hotel, New York City www.hotelgansevoort.com. Rates from $425 for deluxe rooms and $665 for suites.
Amtrak Trains: If you book in advance you can travel between Washington and New York from as little as $49 per person and then from New York to Boston from $49.To book visit www.amtrak.com
Niagra Falls: Jet Blue fly to Buffalo (for Niagra Falls) from JFK International Airport. Flights starts at under £100 return. www.jetblue.com
