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Family Vacation: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine... bike trails/rentals?

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Family Vacation: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine... bike trails/rentals?

Old 07-06-15, 10:58 AM
  #26  
Leebo
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Long time Boston worker here. The Fenway tour is great. I would recommend a harbor tour, whale watching or the harbor islands national park. If taking the green line to Fenway park. get off at Kenmore square, not Fenway. The north end/ quincy market area is great for walking around and good food. I, too would recommend the North shore beaches, Gloucester / Rockport, like seafood? If bike renting in Boston, you could take the minute man bike trail and extension all the way to concord. Lots of great museums too. The State house tour is good as well as walking the freedom trail.
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Old 07-07-15, 04:20 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by stratford
…My son is on a very good cross country team at his high school and we have to get up early on most of the days we are gone so he can get his running in…He is going to love running in Boston. We'll probably just have him run down the Charles River if you think that is the best idea.

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
...The P D White (Charles River) Bikepath is a premier running site, and is safe, though probably not a good idea to run in the dark. The runners, cyclists, etc, seem to coexist pretty peacefully.

Of further interest, the Finish Line of the Boston Marathon is pretty close to your accomodations, and I think it is still painted on Boylston Street. You’ll also be near Hereford Street, and there’s a nice little catch phrase that celebrates the finish line after running 25+ miles in a nearly straight line from far-away Hopkinton: “Right on Hereford, left on Boylston.”
Hi Stratford,

FYA, I was looking at some pictures I had taken back in March, and I found this one of that famous homestretch of the Boston Marathon taken from the third floor of the Hynes Auditorium. The streets are gray from all the leftover salt this winter.

The view overlooks Hereford straight ahead, with Boylston crossing from left to right. You have to imagine the deep crowds lining all the sidewalks, and streams of runners coming down, for literally a few hours. The Charles River is about five short blocks away looking down Hereford, and the Marathon Finish line is about three blocks to the right on Boylston.

I hope you post about your New England adventures.

Sincerely,

Jim

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Old 07-07-15, 08:21 AM
  #28  
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Thats great!

I will certainly update about our trip. Its getting closer. Just about three weeks away.
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Old 07-07-15, 08:27 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Leebo
Long time Boston worker here. The Fenway tour is great. I would recommend a harbor tour, whale watching or the harbor islands national park. If taking the green line to Fenway park. get off at Kenmore square, not Fenway. The north end/ quincy market area is great for walking around and good food. I, too would recommend the North shore beaches, Gloucester / Rockport, like seafood? If bike renting in Boston, you could take the minute man bike trail and extension all the way to concord. Lots of great museums too. The State house tour is good as well as walking the freedom trail.
thanks for all of the recommendations! Making a list of everything people suggest. I know we won't be able to do it all, but we will do a lot! This isn't a rest and relaxation type vacation. Its a get out and do/experience stuff vacation.

Cheers
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Old 07-07-15, 12:06 PM
  #30  
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If you are staying in a hotel, the concierge people are great resources.
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Old 07-07-15, 12:34 PM
  #31  
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I'll add that Northstar Sports (across from Skirack on Main Street) also has bike rentals. I recommend New Moon Cafe (across the street from Penny Cluse. You could bike down to Oakledge Park if you want to go swimming. There are other bike paths available but you almost have to be a native to know about them.
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Old 07-22-15, 10:19 PM
  #32  
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Less than a week away.

I never updated where we are staying in Maine.
Two nights in Bar Harbor for access to Acadia National Park.

One night in between Portland and Freeport. Eating and checking out Portland and we have a couple of activities for the kids to do at the LL Bean store.. archery and stand up paddle boarding form my 11 year old daughter and skeet shooting and archery for the 16 year old son. I'm going to try paddle boarding and the wife is going to shoot some skeet!

Again, thanks to everyone who offered local advice. It is always the best way to travel.. with some help from the people that know!
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Old 07-27-15, 01:09 PM
  #33  
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Let us know how it went. Looks like it's going to be hot. Hot for Maine, anyway.
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Old 11-05-15, 10:16 AM
  #34  
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I really thought I updated this thread when we returned but I didn't! I'm so sorry.

First off let me say we loved visiting the northeast. We hit parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Massachusetts... oh yeah and a two day jaunt up into Montreal!

Whew. It was tiring, but awesome.

As for bike riding we didn't do much. We ended up riding in Acadia National Park and that was a blast. Kids loved it. So did I. Would certainly do again. The other two days we were there we hiked and that was lovely also.

In Boston we did lots of running along the Charles. We were staying right at Beacon St. and Massachusetts so it was super easy to get there each morning. So many people running!

We loved hiking in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Beautiful countryside. Burlington was a fun town. I wish we could have done the bike trail there by the water, but we ran out of time.

In Boston we hiked the Freedom Trail. Spent some time at the USS Constitution.. so cool!

Its hard to pick our favorite part of the trip.

I can say I'd love to have a summer home in Vermont or North Hampshire.

Thanks for all the advice here. I wish we could have done it all!
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Old 11-05-15, 10:51 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by stratford
I really thought I updated this thread when we returned but I didn't! I'm so sorry....

In Boston we did lots of running along the Charles. We were staying right at Beacon St. and Massachusetts so it was super easy to get there each morning. So many people running!

In Boston we hiked the Freedom Trail. Spent some time at the USS Constitution.. so cool!

Its hard to pick our favorite part of the trip.

I can say I'd love to have a summer home in Vermont or North Hampshire.

Thanks for all the advice here. I wish we could have done it all!
Hi @stratford,

Thanks for that nice report. I enjoy reading a visitor's impression of The Olde Towne, especially from a place so exotic as Houston. I live about one block from Beacon and Mass. Ave, in Kenmore Square, in turn about two blocks from Fenway Park.

Originally Posted by stratford
…All I know for sure is we are going to hit the Fenway tour one morning. (The Red Sox aren't in town so its the best we can do) Our room is about half a mile from Fenway according to the maps…

I love living close to Houston, but it is an entirely different beast as it is so spread out. Walking and public transportation is limited here. Huge suburbs and driving are the go to modes of getting around, so we always enjoy getting to see a city outside of a vehicle.
I presume that Winter, cycling and otherwise, in Houston is much different than here in New England, so I’m glad you got to see New England at its finest.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 11-05-15 at 11:03 AM.
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Old 11-05-15, 11:14 AM
  #36  
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Jim, thanks for all the info you provided. I wish I would have had time to contact you just to say hello since we were so close!

Boston was really nice. We could have used a couple of more days to really see it all and of course the Red Sox were not in town when we were there. We did the small stadium tour and it was fun.

I'd like to get to visit more of the surrounding neighborhoods to see how they differ.

Biking in Houston in the winter is nice when it isn't raining. Lots of days in the 60's. Cold fronts bring it into the 20-40's at times but generally just for a few days then its back up again. I know being up there in the winter would be a totally different beast. I'd enjoy it for a few days, but I don't think I'd enjoy it for a month at a time, especially if its another winter like last year.

Biking in the summer can be brutal here of course. Its best to ride early or late.
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