planning two weeks on East Coast

We are in the planning of a trip Oct. 10th to see some of the fall foliage in New England and then a week in the New York City area.

We are thinking of flying in from Portland, Ore. to Portland, Maine and then renting a car for some driving tours staying a few days in places to enjoy the fall colors. Any suggestions as to what direction we should go. Maybe some coast towns as well as some mountain places. We would like to stay at a couple of B%26amp;B%26#39;s and some nice moderate priced motels.

Is it possible to take a train on to New York? What city would we leave from? Our flight home would be from JFK. Thanks for your suggestions. We do have some flexibility as to our time frame so we could be gone longer than two weeks.

planning two weeks on East Coast

Well, welcome to the right coast.

First off, I would recommend a rough loop, beginning in Portland, heading downeast to the Mount Desert Island area, then west to New Hampshire and the White Mountains, then back east to Portland. I don%26#39;t know about trains. It seems to me that there is a train from Portland to Boston, and there should be some from there on to NYC, but someone else with the knowledge will have to provide guidance on this.

I would take a day or two in Portland---not only to recover from the flight, but to explore the area. Stay in the Old Port area---the Portland Regency and the Hilton Garden (on Commercial St.) come to mind. There also are some B%26amp;Bs that have been discussed on the Portland forum. Take the mail boat cruise on Casco Bay---about four hours of wandering around the islands of the bay.

We like Fore St. or Street %26amp; Company for dinner, but again, a scan of the Portland forum will provide many more possibilities. It%26#39;s hard to have a bad meal in Portland.

Take a run over to Cape Elizabeth, Fort Williams, and Portland Head Light.

If you are an LL Bean aficiionado, the flagship store is in Freeport, about 20 minutes from Portland on I-295.

From Freeport, you can either start downeast on the coastal route (Rte 1) or head northeast on the interstate.

If you are interested in art, Rockland has an excellent museum---The Farnsworth---which has an extensive collection of paintings by the Wyeths as well as by those artists who in the late 1800s helped make Maine (and especially the mid-coast and Acadia areas) known.

Camden, just north of Rockland, has a beautiful harbor, lots of shops, and Mt. Battie. If you stay on Rte 1, you%26#39;ll pass through Belfast and across the new Penobscot Narrows bridge, which has a very nice observation tower. After Belfast, there is Ellsworth and the highway (Rte 3) to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor is the largest village on MDI. It has a broad range of hotels, motels, and B%26amp;Bs--all within walking distance of the viallage center. You might want to check at

%26gt;http://www.acadiamagic.com%26gt;

to see what is available. This site also is the best single source of information on Acadia National Park and other things to do in the area.

The Bar Harbor Bed and Breakfast Association has a website:

%26lt;http://www.sleepbarharbor.com%26gt;

that provides descriptions, rates, and availability of most of the village B%26amp;Bs.

A general word about travel times. From Portland to MDI is approximately three hours via the interstate; add an hour for Rte 1--more if you stop often for sight-seeing, picture-taking, etc.

There have been several discussions on the Maine and Bar Harbor forums regarding routes to see the western part of the state and New Hampshire. I%26#39;ll see if I can dredge up the specific references.

planning two weeks on East Coast

The Downeaster has service from Maine to Boston - look at www.thedowneaster.com. You can take the acela or the regular amtrak to NYC - look at www.amtrak.com and plug in boston (south station).