A trip to the East Coast. Day trip ideas?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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I am going back East this week. I am visiting family and friends. There are two weddings, back to back, that I get to go to. So, that is the reason for my visit. But, while I am there, I thought it would be nice to be a tourist in the area in which I grew up. I will be spending a majority of my time in the Philadelphia area. (I will also be in the Baltimore and Washington DC areas.) One place I am going to go for sure is the Reading Terminal. I hear it has great cheesesteaks. (thanks JeffB!) It is a spot I have never been to. And it is a fun outing I can make with my Mom. Any other neat ideas?

All ideas are welcome. Ideas that lead me to secret gardens filled with beautiful women whom all think I am a piece of hunk dropped dwon from the moon. Are really really welcome.

pat

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Hmmm…

Lancaster County makes for a great day trip…

The Franklin Institute at 20th and The Parkway will burn most of a day…

The Museum of Natural Science is good too…

Reading Terminal? Great for so many things…

Wow…if you’ve been landlocked, head to the shore and drive up or down the coast via Ocean Drive. Beautiful time of the year…when there is a chill in the air, the shore can be great. Start in Ocean City and drive down to Cape May. There are many businesses open and you can get a nice meal mid trip.

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Baltimore and DC both have loads of fun things to do. What kinds of things do you enjoy, and how much time do you have to kill?

The most touristy area in Baltimore is the Inner Harbor. There you can go to the Science Center (with IMAX movies), the Aquarium (has a neat rain-forest section and dolphin shows, as well as endless tanks of fish and other aquatic life), the Constellation (old wooden Navy ship), boat trips to Fort McHenry, plenty of shopping and restaurants (esp. Little Italy), that submarine that’s painted like a shark (I forgot its name…), and don’t forget the nearby historic neighborhood of Fells Point. Baltimore also has plenty of great museums (the BMA, Walters Art Gallery), and I think there’s a new and unusual modern art museum down near the harbor (I’ve never been there; I’m not sure it was open before I moved).

DC – well The Smithsonian is a must. You can spend a week in DC and not see all of it. Pick a favourite area of interest and see it. I’d recommend the gemstone section. The Air and Space museum is great too, but always very crowded. Probably the best thing to do is to just go to the Mall (it’s within walking distance of Union Station) and see whatever takes your fancy. It’s lined with plenty of museums and hot dog vendors.

If you mention more specific areas of interest I may be able to give you some ideas beyond the normal tourist stuff. For example, if your idea of fun is tasting the best pizza in Baltimore, well, that’d be Milano’s in Parkville. (How I miss it!) :slight_smile:

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I love the Franklin Institute.

Constitution hall and the Liberty Bell and all that are historically interesting, but really kinda boring.

The Mint is pretty cool.

Atlantic City is a quick jaunt down the AC Expressway, but you don’t seem like the gambling type, pat.

Whatever you do, stay out of Camden.

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If you’re in the Philly region, take Route 1 south, just past Rt 202 and go the Brandywine River Museum. There is an excellent display of N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth’s artwork. After that, continue south on Rt 1 about 15 miles to Longwood Gardens. They’re both worth it and its on the way to Baltimore.

Dave

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The shark-painted sub in the Inner Harbor is the Torsk…

And my sister tends bar in a pub in Fells Point - she’s certainly not to be missed…

I second the recommendation for the Aquarium - it’s a wonderful way to pass a few hours!

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Oh, yeah, Longwood Gardens is fantastic! I went there one fine summer day a few years ago and loved it. Spent about 4 hours there before the people I was with dragged me away; I could’ve happily stayed all day. Not sure it would be as good this time of year, but it does have some fabulous indoor sections.

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I have been to the Newseum one time and it was great. Check out the website at http://www.newseum.org/
This is in the DC area and worth the trip.

Also, George Mason’s house Gunston Hall is great to visit, near DC also. http://www.gunstonhall.org/ The website is pretty good too if you just want to look at that.

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I have been to the Newseum one time and it was great. Check out the website at http://www.newseum.org/
This is in the DC area and worth the trip.

Also, George Mason’s house Gunston Hall is great to visit, I forget how close to DC it is.http://www.gunstonhall.org/ The website is pretty good too if you just want to look at that.

Also George Washington’s house, Mount Vernono is cool. http://www.mountvernon.org/

All of these do take a day, but they are very worth the money and walking to see them.

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I have been to the Newseum one time and it was great. Check out the website at http://www.newseum.org/
This is in the DC area and worth the trip.

Also, George Mason’s house Gunston Hall is great to visit, I forget how close to DC it is.http://www.gunstonhall.org/ The website is pretty good too if you just want to look at that.

Also George Washington’s house, Mount Vernono is cool. http://www.mountvernon.org/

All of these do take a day, but they are very worth the money and walking to see them.

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Didn’t mean to post 3 times, please just read the last one of those! My apologies.

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And why are you not coming on a day trip to see ME, hmm? :slight_smile:

Nimue covered most of the best stuff around here…

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Sorry, that would be Italian Gardens in the Kennilworth Mall in Towson. The rest of the stuff about Baltimoe is good however.

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You mean you’re not a hunk from the moon? You looked like green cheese to me… :wink:

Go visit my parents and Eutychus in Rhode Island. That’s my $.02.

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remember that the art museum in philly is free, yes FREE on sundays until 1pm. also the flower show is in town march 4th-11th. at the convention center, just next door to the reading terminal.

i was just in dc to see the pandas. just a quick hop on the metro to see two cute black and white bears. the zoo tends to be less crowded during the winter.

i third the aquarium in balt.

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No way, man! Have you tasted Milano’s pizza? There is just no beating that crust. I was even teethed on Milano’s pizza crusts when I was an infant. :slight_smile:

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Philster! Thanks. I would have never thought of going to the ocean. I am not landlocked, I live real close to the beach. But, I haven’t seen the Atlantic ocean in a number of years. I asked my brother if he was interested in going. So, it is something that we might do.

I don’t know if I am going to go to the aqaurium. But, I am definitley going to meet up with an old college friend in Baltimore. Probably, the inner harbor. Any suggestions for restaruants we can have lunch at? Is that famous pizza place you mentioned near the inner harbor, Nimue? (Sorry, WeirdDave, I don’t think meeting in Towson is going to work out for my friend and I)

Sue, I have been meaning to go to the Mutter Museum for years. I doubt it will work out this trip. Any museum trips will be spent with the nieces and nephews. They aren’t quite old enough to see the Mutter as anything but a horrible nightmare experience that Uncle Patrick forced them to go on. Scarred for life. Wait a minute, sounds like a good idea.

From the looks of my time. I don’t think I am going to make it into DC. That is ok. I have been to all of the Smithsonians. After living there for five years. I know it is impossible to get the most out of any of the museums in just one day. Well, not impossible. But, after living there, I am spoiled.

Falcon, much like the Smithsonian. A day trip isn’t enough time to enjoy the many facets of Falconry. :smiley:

I actually went to Atlantic City the last time I was back, psy. I don’t really gamble at the highstakes games. But, I dearly love nickel slots. (Well, when I go with my Dad, I gamble a lot. He stakes me. What a nice guy. We usually just go to the racetrack.)

Thanks for all of the ideas, everyone. Wish me luck in surviving two weddings. I haven’t gotten presents for either, yet. I guess I should think about doing that, or something.

pat “Green Cheese makeup. It picks up all the chicks.”

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Good suggestions so far. I was going to say Longwood Gardens as well. There is always something going on.

If you’re doing the museum type thing, the Rodin Museum is one of my favorite museums in Philly. It’s within walking distance of the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Franklin Institute, and the Please Touch Museum. The last two are better with kids. Another nice museum, and one of my favorite buildings in Philly, is the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The building was designed by Frank Furness.

There’s also the Philadelphia Zoo, which is interesting to visit in a different time of year than most people visit. You may also want to visit the Independence National Historic Park and see the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, etc. A City Hall tour could be fun depending on how renovations are going.

And in case anyone is wondering, no, I don’t work for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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Unfortunately no, but there are plenty of good restaurants in the harbor area. One of the pavilions is packed with them (you can’t miss it). Also very nearby is Little Italy, which needless to say is overflowing with Italian restaurants. Unfortunately I can’t recommend one, never having eaten at any of them. (My grandmother has lived her entire life in Little Italy and it would be blasphemous to choose a restaurant’s cooking over hers. :))