The Northeast - erBB tips n tricks.

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
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Petak Island
Need erBB recs. Booked some tix for August. 20 days. We like hiking, especially peakbagging, and history. Music too. Flying into Boston, plan to head north into VT, NH, ME.

Are Nova Scotia, Quebec City, Montreal worth the effort/marathon driving? (Looks like the ferry to Nova Scotia would be $600 round trip - not worth it in my book)
 

grapedrink

Duke status
May 21, 2011
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A Beach
I hear good things about Acadia :shrug:

Montreal is a pretty awesome city :beer:QC looks more interesting from a cultural vibe perspective but I’ve never been.
 
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grapedrink

Duke status
May 21, 2011
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A Beach
What are the Acadia crowds like in summer?
dunno, probably shitty? Quick google search shows 4M/year and #5 most visited NP in the US.

Anything cool in upstate NY?
Finger Lakes, Niagara :shrug: Not exactly low traffic but beautiful places. If you want less people you are going to have to work for it in the northeast, more so than you do in the West.

How bout renting small sailboats?
Sure, why not? You mean small like no cabin small? Sunfish and minicats are a friggin blast on lakes :beer:
 
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Subway

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Staff member
Dec 31, 2008
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LBNY
OG Parker house where the ubiquitous Parker house roll was invented like 150 years ago. probably Boston’s single biggest culinary contribution after their attempt at salt-steeping their tea all those years ago

you have to visit Stowe and lake champlain and Burlington (tiny “city” but very well placed on the lake) and then Montreal is not far from there at all.

Update New York Is massive for an eastern state. the Adirondacks are legit and huge region to explore as are the finger lakes region. Saratoga Springs is a gorgeous place. Love the town, love the nature walks/hikes around their famous springs, and if it’s racing season Saratoga is like santa Anita except you get to watch legit mobsters schmooze with bankers financiers and various other sh!t lords.

ive Never been but everyone raves about Arcadia, even friends that have seen plenty of the famous western parks.

I’ve got some more

drive up Mount Washington. Or hike it but, it’s a big hike in one day and if you drive to the top you can proudly sport a bumper sticker ;)
 

surfadelphia

Nep status
Nov 15, 2010
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Montreal is a cool enough city with excellent food and a big ass park in the middle of it. "Old Montreal" isn't going to give you anything that Quebec City cannot at a more charming level. Driving north east from Quebec get's you into the Charlevoix region where the St Larence begins to widen, mountains, fjords. I've only been up there in the winter skiing but want to get back in summer.
 

mundus

Duke status
Feb 26, 2018
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2nd for Mount Washington, North Conway is great town. Also the lakes region In NH. You really cannot got wrong in NE summer, just have to decide whether you want mountains or coast.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
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Petak Island
White Mountains definitely are a stop, want to hit the major summits in that zone. Kinda disappointing you can drive up Mt Washington, I wasn't aware of that.
 
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Apr 18, 2012
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Can't see it all (like everywhere), but Boston to the White Mountains is pretty direct (and you can bag quite a few peaks there on the Presidential Range). It's a pretty easy drive up to Quebec City from the White Mountains. Then head south to Montreal for a cool city that feels a bit like Europe. From there you could quickly head to the Adirondacks (perhaps the Lake Placid area) then (or instead) head accross Lake Champlain via ferry to Burlington (a nice college town with a great view and probably some great lake sailing possibilities). Pretty quick to get back to Boston after that. Maine is great too, but I haven't hit that as often as the above.
 

GromsDad

Duke status
Jan 21, 2014
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West of the Atlantic. East of the ICW.
Gloucester Harbor for a lot of maritime history
The Theodore Kennedy Bridge in Chappaquiddick
Do a striper fishing charter out of Chatham
Go to the tip of Cape Cod
Get a BnB or AirBnB in Otter Creek, Maine and explore Mt Desert Island and be sure to go to the top of Caddilac Mountain for some of the best views you will ever see.
 
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sushipop

Michael Peterson status
Feb 7, 2008
3,317
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The Dagobah System
Boston recs:
Alive and Kicking in Cambridge for Lobster Rolls.
Giacamo’s in the North End for Italian. Get there early and wait in line, opens at 4 I think. If you don’t want that hassle and want casual go to Pizzeria Regina. Their North End location is better than the others. Modern Pastry after (much debate between Modern and Mike’s being better)
Sounds cheesy, but if your time in Boston is short, Duck tours are super fun and a great way to see the city in a shorter amount of time. The drivers are actually really knowledgeable and entertaining. The Freedom Trail walk will also cover a lot of bases and historical sites. Touristy but enjoyable.

Spent time in upstate NY a few summers ago and really enjoyed passing through the area around Hunter Mountain/Tannersville. Kaatersville Falls was a nice hike, but may be a bit dry in August.
Howe’s Cave in Cobleskill was a quirky but really fun stop. There’s an underground waterfall that was neato.
 
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Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
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Jacksonville Beach
I hear good things about Acadia :shrug:
Heard this too. Aroostook zone Northern Maine would be my pick for least crowded.

Montreal is a pretty awesome city :beer:QC looks more interesting from a cultural vibe perspective but I’ve never been.
Montreal is a cool enough city with excellent food and a big ass park in the middle of it.
It isn't a real BFE outdoorsy hike but if you're coming from 95 degree Florida to 75 degree bluebird Montreal, it's a real treat. IMHO it takes a giant dump on Central Park.

20190623_142829.jpg
 
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Mr Doof

Duke status
Jan 23, 2002
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San Francisco, CA
Lovecraft tour for the horror minded?

Link.

Gloucester
The town of Gloucester seems to form the second main inspiration for Lovecraft's Innsmouth. S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz state that "Lovecraft has clearly drawn upon both the topography of the town and some specific features in it for Innsmouth."
After departing the Sleeper-McCann House, I went north on East Main and then followed Main Street into town, passing a factory area associated with the famous fish company Gorton's of Gloucester. I believe there is more than one tourist information center in Gloucester, but the booth I ran into first was at the west corner of Rogers Street and Harbor Loop. (Rogers Street is a street that briefly separates from Main to follow the shoreline more closely.) There, an incredibly tough and weathered-looking old woman scrawled lines on their throwaway map to show me how to get to places.
[ Click on any of the thumbnail pictures below to enlarge them. ]​
Legion Memorial Building
The downtown area has many intriguing old buildings, but Donovan Louck's Web pages mention only a couple of specifically Lovecraftian interest. At Washington Square, I found the Legion Memorial Building. Loucks, along with Joshi and Schultz, cite this as the probable inspiration for the Order of Dagon Hall. Apparently up to a few years ago it was suitably decayed looking, but currently is in beautiful condition, a grand white building with an overhanging roof held up by decorative columns.
Like the Order of Dagon Hall, the Legion Memorial Building sits on a circular concourse. However, the center of this concourse is occupied by a corroded statue of Joan of Arc on a horse, rather than by the green area described in Shadow.​
 
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