A trip to BosWash.

[onodera]

My fiancée and I are planning a trip to the East Coast, going from Boston to Washington. And of course I have to turn to American Apolytoners for help. Comments from non-Americans that have visited this part of the US are even more appreciated.
1. What cities are worth visiting there other than Boston, NYC and Washington? Philly? Baltimore? Is a side trip to Pittsburgh worth it?
2. I've read that this region of the US has an unusually developed railway service. Will it be cheaper to use the train than to rent a car? Do American hotels charge extra for providing a parking space for your car?
3. Is there a travel guide you can recommend that comprehensively covers this part of the US?
4. Are there maps of American cities with no-go zones shown on them?
5. What is the best time of the year for this trip? I've read East Coast is stunningly beautiful in autumn.

[Hauldren Collider]

Washington's a great place for tourists to visit. Tons of museums and a lot of history. If you visit, make sure you see the World War II memorial and the National Air and Space Museum (esp. the Udvar-Hazy center in Northern Virginia). You can get pretty much anywhere in DC on foot or by subway. I don't think hotels in the US generally charge for parking but parking in the city can be a huge pain.

Pittsburgh's interesting but I don't think there's as much to do as in Washington plus it is a lot easier to get around Washington on foot. Too many bridges in Pittsburgh and not as many landmarks.

[self biased]

you may want to hit the Albany/Adirondack/Catskill area if you're going to be here in Autumn.

[Hauldren Collider]

2. I've read that this region of the US has an unusually developed railway service. Will it be cheaper to use the train than to rent a car? Do American hotels charge extra for providing a parking space for your car?

You can take Amtrak up and down the eastern seaboard. I think it might even go to Atlanta, Georgia but I'm not sure. The Acela is the faster train but it costs a lot more. Amtrak connects up with the NYC subway at Penn Station I believe, and it connects to DC's Metro at Union Station.

4. Are there maps of American cities with no-go zones shown on them?

I don't know about NYC but as far as DC goes, all the monuments and tourist attractions are in very safe areas of the city. Residential neighborhoods are, if I understand correctly, the only real no-go areas during the day but there's nothing to do there anyway. Georgetown is the exception, it's quite upscale.

I actually haven't been down in the district in a while, so if someone may want to correct me.

[Kontiki]

Hotels in the core of major cities absolutely charge for parking, and in Boston/NYC/Washington, expect that charge to be in the $30-50 USD a night range. Some may not even offer parking at all, but there's usually a public lot relatively close by if that's the case. If you are staying in a motel in a more suburban or rural area, there probably won't be a charge.

[Elok]

DC in August can be icky, just so you know. Hot, humid, air like tar. I'd recommend autumn instead. But yes, the Smithsonian museums are awesome, especially considering they're free to visit. As a general rule, NW DC is pretty safe, and the area around the center where all the museums are. So are the VA suburbs, AFAIK. Stay the hell out of SE, especially Anacostia, and all the eastern suburbs inside the Beltway.

Baltimore has a very nice, albeit expensive aquarium...if by chance you feel like flying around the world to look at fish. I'm going to guess not. I don't know much else about B'more except that some parts, I think in the east, are pretty vicious. Do we have any natives here?

Manhattan is one of my least favorite places on earth as a rule, but it does have an excellent art museum (the Met) and also a very nice science museum. Been to both, loved them. You could spend days in the Met, assuming you like art.

I haven't been to Philly, so I can't comment. I asked my wife, who used to live in Boston, and she said what there is to see there depends on what you like. She does note that all of the lists of things to see seem to leave off the Fogg museum at Harvard, which she thinks is awesome (the museum, not the leaving off). Then there's the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, but I've been to the latter and came away disappointed. Overpriced, and all the really cool paintings were shoved in dark corners. She also recommends the Red Line Walking Tour to see all the historic stuff--you follow a red line in the ground--or the "duck tours" in amphibious vehicles. I'm typing all this as she tells it to me, and now she says you must take a duck tour. They start off at the museum of science.

[Hauldren Collider]

As a general rule, NW DC is pretty safe, and the area around the center where all the museums are. So are the VA suburbs, AFAIK. Stay the hell out of SE, especially Anacostia, and all the eastern suburbs inside the Beltway.

QFT. Also, the VA suburbs are about the safest places on earth. Virtually no serious crime.

[DanS]

If you have anything less than 2 weeks for your vacation, I would focus it on NYC and Washington. If you have an extra week, I would include Boston. Philly and Baltimore aren't really tourist destinations, so don't go there unless you have a special interest that can only be satisfied in these cities.

Chinatown buses (independent bus companies) are the cheapest way to travel Boston-NYC-Washington. About $25 per person one-way between NYC downtown and Washington downtown. The local train will cost maybe $50 for the same leg. Acela (express train) will cost you maybe $140, but it is the fastest and most comfortable way to travel.

If you are staying or seeing sights outside of the city center, sometimes a car is required. That said, you can amuse yourself plenty in New York City and Washington without a car. If you need a car, the destination is probably not worth it, unless you have a special interest.

[Drake Tungsten]

Chinatown buses are the cheapest way to travel Boston-NYC-Washington. About $25 per person one-way between NYC downtown and Washington downtown.

QFT

That being said, Bolt Bus and DC2NY are nicer than the Chinatown buses and comparably priced. There are other similar bus lines that I have no personal experience with.

Acela (express train) will cost you maybe $140, but it is the fastest and most comfortable way to travel.

I'd rather take the Delta Shuttle from Reagan/La Guardia/Logan if I'm going to splurge on transportation. Amtrak can burn in hell.

[DanS]

I consider Bolt and DC2NY as Chinatown buses (well, Bolt is much less Chinatown-ish). You don't have to stop in either Chinatown to be Chinatown buses, in my estimation. It just has to have that feeling that it is a laundering operation for the Triad.

[Drake Tungsten]

You're just going to confuse the foreigner with that nomenclature. Besides, it's not a real Chinatown bus unless it smells of a Chinese market and has a triad member driving.

It just has to have that feeling that it is a laundering operation for the Triad.

QFT on the DanS.

[DanS]

Yeh, he's going to have to wade through that.

[DanS]

Damn, that was a cross-posted cross-post, both inserting the same information about the Triad. We have evolved to a higher level, Drake.

[Drake Tungsten]

My favorite thing about Apex Bus (one of the Chinatown buses) is that its stop in Baltimore is literally a grassy hill next to some random gas station. I guess there's no Chinatown in Charm City?

[OzzyKP]

If you have anything less than 2 weeks for your vacation, I would focus it on NYC and Washington. If you have an extra week, I would include Boston. Philly and Baltimore aren't really tourist destinations, so don't go there unless you have a special interest that can only be satisfied in these cities.

Chinatown buses (independent bus companies) are the cheapest way to travel Boston-NYC-Washington. About $25 per person one-way between NYC downtown and Washington downtown. The local train will cost maybe $50 for the same leg. Acela (express train) will cost you maybe $140, but it is the fastest and most comfortable way to travel.

If you are staying or seeing sights outside of the city center, sometimes a car is required. That said, you can amuse yourself plenty in New York City and Washington without a car. If you need a car, the destination is probably not worth it, unless you have a special interest.

I agree with all of this.

If you are particularly interested in American history, then there are things worth seeing in Boston & Philly. Otherwise DC & NYC are probably the main things to hit.

You said it'd be nice here in the autumn, are you looking for natural beauty or for touristy things or for museums and such? What are your main goals for the trip? If you wanted to see the fall colors (which I presume wouldn't be all that much different from Russia) then rent a car and check out rural New England and perhaps Virginia. But otherwise just take the bus between DC & NYC and skip the rest.

Again, depending on what you want to see and experience, I do think there is some value in getting outside the cities. You won't need to rent a car for your whole trip, maybe maybe for a day or two to explore around the area. In DC you'll probably want to have a car to see Monticello, Mount Vernon, & the Air & Space Annex. There is a beautiful set of waterfalls (though not impressively big or anything) just north of DC. There are also lots of Civil War battlefields around this area.

If you wanted some less touristy stuff, look up some roadside attractions, or small town antique shops, or garage sales, or stop in for waffles at a small town Denny's at 3 am (or non-chain equivalent).