# Best East Coast Destination on the Crescent



## ATLindsay (Apr 7, 2021)

Now that I have the vaccine and daily service is about to come back, I want to travel from my home city Atlanta to one of the big cities on the East Coast. Out of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, which city do you think would be most "normal" or fun to visit? My main goals are just to take pictures of the scenic spots in whatever town, see a baseball game, and experience the culture of the town.


----------



## me_little_me (Apr 8, 2021)

All of them are worth a visit. Baltimore, IMHO,has the least but if you are not staying long, has as much to keep you busy as the others. Unfortunately, it is best to keep to the tourist areas.
Washington has so many public museums and monuments of interest that are free so it's great if you are on a budget.
Philadelphia has the history of America and is walkable to see much of the city.
NY - is, well, New York. A melting pot of cultures and an overwhelming size but a great subway system. Best for culture.


----------



## TrackWalker (Apr 8, 2021)

Welcome to Amtrak Unlimited, ATLindsay! 

Enjoy your trip wherever you decide to go by Amtrak.


----------



## Palmetto (Apr 8, 2021)

I like Boston. Lots of history, the Freedom Trail to walk, great food. Oh--and quite expensive. From there, you could go up to Maine on the Downeaster. Have lunch in Portland, then back to Boston in the afternoon.


----------



## MARC Rider (Apr 8, 2021)

me_little_me said:


> Baltimore, IMHO,has the least . . . Unfortunately, it is best to keep to the tourist areas.



Hey! I resent the implication here 
Baltimore is no more unsafe than any other big city, especially in the daytime. 
If you want to get away from the tourist areas, several MTA bus routes will take you up to Charles Village with John Hopkins Homewood Campus (not the medical school/hospital) and Baltimore Museum of Art. Student type neighborhood, few tourists.
You can take the light rail to Falls road, and then walk up the boardwalk at the north end of the station to Lake Roland Park, for your nature fix; picnic tables and lots of hiking trails.
Walk along the Harbor Promenade to Canton and Patterson Park to get away from the tourists.
The tourist areas are nice, too. You can take the water taxi from the Inner Harbor to Ft. McHenry, which has the history, plus a nice view of the harbor. 
You can take the charm City Circulator bus (free) from the Inner Harbor to the B&O Railroad Museum.

OK, so Baltimore doesn't have quite as much as New York or Washington, but there's a lot of good stuff here. And one can always take the MARC train to Washington or a quick ride up Amtrak to Philly for a day's outing there.


----------



## Rasputin (Apr 8, 2021)

I would vote for Washington, DC with a day trip to Harpers Ferry. However with the various museums, I am not sure what is open and what is not and what the restrictions are. Maybe someone can bring me up to date.


----------



## Exvalley (Apr 8, 2021)

I would normally vote for Washington, DC. However, there are some excellent deals to be had in places that are normally expensive. For example, it is possible to find good hotel rooms in New York City for $125 per night or less. Those opportunities don't come up very often.


----------



## MARC Rider (Apr 8, 2021)

Rasputin said:


> I would vote for Washington, DC with a day trip to Harpers Ferry. However with the various museums, I am not sure what is open and what is not and what the restrictions are. Maybe someone can bring me up to date.


You can't do a day trip to Harpers Ferry without a car. The inbound trains all leave Harpers Ferry in the morning, and the outbound trains all leave Washington in the afternoon.


----------



## Dakota 400 (Apr 8, 2021)

ATLindsay said:


> Now that I have the vaccine and daily service is about to come back, I want to travel from my home city Atlanta to one of the big cities on the East Coast. Out of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, which city do you think would be most "normal" or fun to visit? My main goals are just to take pictures of the scenic spots in whatever town, see a baseball game, and experience the culture of the town.



Welcome to AU!

All of the cities you listed are worthy of a visit for the purposes that you cited. My opinion: Washington and New York are tied for my first choice with Baltimore and Philadelphia being tied for my second choice. 

As another poster mentioned, some research in learning what places, i.e. museums, etc. are actually open and there operating hours would be wise. 

I have been to Baltimore, Washington, and New York several times; Philadelphia only once. Never have I run out of things to do/see in either of those three cities.


----------



## Rasputin (Apr 8, 2021)

MARC Rider said:


> You can't do a day trip to Harpers Ferry without a car. The inbound trains all leave Harpers Ferry in the morning, and the outbound trains all leave Washington in the afternoon.


Thanks for pointing that out.


----------

