# When's the best time to visit Washington and New York? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 27, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661 "2007-01-27T01:06:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661/1 "2007-01-27T01:06:37Z")
It looks as if work won’t be paying for a trip to America, so I’m going to have to fork out myself. I’m thinking of a week in Washington and a week in New York, and travelling between the two by train. Does this sound reasonable? I’d be travelling with Maxjet, so business-class seats are £400-£500 each way. :eek: Yes, I know that’s not expensive for business class; it’s expensive in absolute terms. And at 6’4", I’m too tall for cattle class. But when’s the best time to travel? I don’t like it too hot, and I’d like to avoid the main tourist season, e.g. when the schools are out. So June? September? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661/2 "2007-01-27T01:15:53Z")
Washington - New York is one of the only corridors in the U.S. that would actually make sense to travel by train so, yes, that will work. Washington, D.C. gets very hot during the summer and New York City can as well. You might have good luck in late March - May. There is a lot of history and things to do outside of D.C. as well like Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon (George Washington’s estate) and much more so you may want to rent a car in D.C. at least. You can get around without one but it wouldn’t always be ideal. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661/3 "2007-01-27T01:16:06Z")
It’s deathly hot in New York City during the summer. I’d definitely go in the spring or fall. Here’s the average monthly high temperature (F/C). January 38 / 3 February 40 / 4 March 48 / 9 April 58 / 15 May 68 / 20 June 77 / 25 July 83 / 28 August 82 / 28 September 75 / 24 October 65 / 18 November 54 / 12 December 43 / 6 The train system on the East Coast between DC and Boston is one of the few spots in the states where it works well. You don’t want to have a car in NYC anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661/4 "2007-01-27T04:42:42Z")
Washington has it’s Cherry Blossom Festival the first two weeks in April. New York will be starting to green up by mid-April too. Last couple of weeks in September is a very nice time of year as well. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661/5 "2007-01-27T04:47:47Z")
I strongly recommend Mid September. Good weather and a chance to go to the [FEAST OF SAN GENNARO](http://www.sangennaro.org/). Nothing says NYC [like its most famous feast](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_San_Gennaro). Be sure to get some fresh Zeppoles, a real NYC Cannoli and find a good corner deli or diner and try the NY special drink. A [Egg Cream](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_Cream). Jim ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661/6 "2007-01-27T06:16:21Z")
I thought at first you meant Washington _State_, and I was a little alarmed that you were flying all the way over here to spend three days on a train. Schools in NY tend to be in session though mid-June, but it’s not the same all over the country so you still have kidlet tourists from other places coming in. There are a lot of tourists in NY and DC all the time anyway. Weather-wise, I like early May. It could be brisk, it could be rainy, but it won’t (probably) be very cold or very hot. April is good as well if you don’t mind more of a chance of very brisk. Personally, I find March in NY very bleak. I am also a big fan of October. If you came at the end of October, you could catch the Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661/7 "2007-01-27T08:41:43Z")
So June or late September, with preference to September, then. Excellent ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661/8 "2007-01-27T14:04:43Z")
The spring is a great time to see the capital, because of the famous cherry trees in bloom all along the Basin, etc. OTOH, if you’re allergic to cherry pollen (as I am), you’ll want to avoid that. [Some fifteen or twenty years ago, when American anxiety about Japanese commercial dominance was reaching its peak, a stand-up comedian said this of the cherry blossoms of D.C.[paraphrasing]: “In the 19th Century, the government of Japan sent a gift to the United States of several hundred cherry trees, which were then planted around Washington, D.C. And do you know _why_ Japan sent all these cherry trees? Because they knew that _some day_, we would want to _photograph_ them…” But the fall is the best time to see New York. I would wait until October or even early November, though. That’s when the performing arts calendar is in full swing, the museums stage a new slate of long-term exhibits, stores are geared up for the holidays (don’t miss the Barney’s window display!) and the city is bustling with its locals and sees fewer tourists. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whens-the-best-time-to-visit-washington-and-new-york/389661/9 "2007-01-27T14:11:36Z")
September in NYC also has Broadway on Broadway and the [Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Flea Market & Grand Auction](http://www.broadwaycares.org/events/auction.cfm). If you’re into theatre.