Other Places to Go
After going all the way to Rhode Island, why not see some other interesting places in the American Northeast?
Boston
Bostonians
consider their town to be the cradle of Western civilization, which is
partially true.There's
so many places to see in Boston, especially in the summer. Plenty of historical things to see there,
starting with the Old State House where Marieke Van Damme is the
Collections Curator. Here Marieke poses at the State House with
her mom and brother, Jan-Luc.
To
get to Boston from RI by train: www.mbta.com . By train or car, about an hour.
Parking downtown is a nightmare and the streets are a tangle.
Reminds me of old Brussels. Like New York, it's best to ditch the car someplace and take the T.
Recommended sites
in Boston:
The Freedom Trail is a walking tour of downtown Boston's Revolutionary War sites
Harvard Square is where lots of things go on. Best to go there by subway.
The Boston Globe newspaper site lists all
happenings in the area
Salem has a lot of tourist destinations.
Salem has a lot of tourist destinations.
Washington
There's
a lot of museums here, and it would take you a week to see them all.
Air & spacecraft, history, native Americans, Holocaust, art,
everything we have is there. To drive there, maybe 5 or 6 hours depending on the traffic, which can be horrendous.
The capital of Canada has less museums, but is less crowded and cleaner. About 7 hours from Rhode Island (700KM). But the Adirondacks are right on the way, anyhow.
The capital of Canada has less museums, but is less crowded and cleaner. About 7 hours from Rhode Island (700KM). But the Adirondacks are right on the way, anyhow.
New York City
The Big Apple, The City that never sleeps, the Capital of the World! Chinatown, Battery Park, Broadway, Central Park, Garment
District, Macy's, SoHo, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, UN, Ground
Zero, Carnegie Hall, The Bowery, Wall Street, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Times Square.
Get a motel at the end of the subway line. Jan-Luc Van Damme lives here, but he comes back home to Rome to relax.
Get a motel at the end of the subway line. Jan-Luc Van Damme lives here, but he comes back home to Rome to relax.
Niagara Falls
A
whole bunch of water going over a cliff, and a lot of souvenir stores
and wax museums. But it's on the way to Detroit if you're going that
way, and about a day's drive from Rhode Island. The Canadian gardens
are nice, and the hike to the whirlpool rapids is cool. We've gone by it about 100 times, and stopped in a few.
Detroit
Scene of the first Van Hout Reunion in 2002, home of the Gazette van Detroit and the Genealogical Society of Flemish Americans. About 12 hours from Rhode Island if you drive through Ontario (bring your passports!).
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Where
everybody from Boston goes in the summer. It looks a lot like Rhode
Island but has even more traffic. So don't go there, is our advice.
It would take you all summer to climb the 46 "High Peaks" in the Adirondacks. Each is over 1200 m (4000 feet). The highest is 1629 meters. Or, you can just drive through them and see the sights. They're not as high as the Rockies, but still impressive and a lot easier to climb because they've been rounded off by 5 million years of erosion and glaciers, and they are closer to sea level so there's lots of oxygen. There are lots of tourist attractions in NY's "North Country", and trails to all the summits. It takes about 4-6 hours to drive there from Rhode Island. Busy on weekends...well, not like New York City. Life is slow here.
Is this rugged enough for you?
Rome, NY
Headquarters
of the Van Hout Reunion 2008 and home to Jim and Mary Margaret Van
Damme, Rome is also noted for the birthplace of the Erie
Canal, Fort Stanwix National Monument, and little else. Nearby we
have a huge casino to separate you from your money, and a great Belgian style brewery. Driving time to Rhode Island: 4 hours.
Atlantic City, New Jersey
The boring East Coast version of Las Vegas, but with an ocean. Last time we went there, I found a quarter on the sidewalk so I came home ahead.Disney World, Florida
"The happiest place on earth."
Well, in August, it's REALLY HOT down there, the lines are really
long, it's very expensive and tacky, and a 3 day drive.
Adirondack Mountains
It would take you all summer to climb the 46 "High Peaks" in the Adirondacks. Each is over 1200 m (4000 feet). The highest is 1629 meters. Or, you can just drive through them and see the sights. They're not as high as the Rockies, but still impressive and a lot easier to climb because they've been rounded off by 5 million years of erosion and glaciers, and they are closer to sea level so there's lots of oxygen. There are lots of tourist attractions in NY's "North Country", and trails to all the summits. It takes about 4-6 hours to drive there from Rhode Island. Busy on weekends...well, not like New York City. Life is slow here.
Is this rugged enough for you?
The
White Mountains of New Hampshire, and the Green Mountains of Vermont,
are closer to Rhode Island (3 hours or so). This one has a cog railway
to the top. You can also drive to the summits of some of them.
Catskill Mountains
Much
tamer than the high peaks of the Northeast, these are still
pretty, and close to New York City. There are a lot more people here,
too, and resort areas.
Newark, NJ
This isn't a place to visit, it's where one of the airports serving New York City is located.
Mystic Seaport
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Laatst bijgewerkt: 2 November 2007