DAY 1

We departed on Sunday 14th September and landed on time in Boston where it was warm and sunny. It was a good flight but BA’s inflight entertainment is not that good. The Midtown Hotel was OK, however the beds were very comfortable. Near the hotel is the Prudential Shopping Center where a visit to the ‘Top of the Hub’ in the Skywalk Observatory is a must.

DAY 2

Sunny morning and off on our tour of Boston, with stops including Harvard University and Quincy Market. The afternoon was free time. An included meal this evening at the Legal Sea Food. Most of us chose the boiled lobster which was poor. No taste and little flesh!

DAY 3

A cloudy start and to Cape Cod with a first stop at Plymouth to see the Forefathers Monument and then onto the Mayflower 2. Very small considering the number of passengers on board for that epic voyage. Sandwich next and lunch at Chatham in a great pub. The Cape Cod villages are everything you wanted to see, typical New England. Shops are situated in former weatherboard houses. On the way back to Boston a stop at the JFK Memorial at Hyannis.

DAY 4

A sunny but nippy start for our trip through New Hampshire. Trees everywhere but little change of colour!! Stop at Concord, the state capital. Bit like a ghost town! In the afternoon we went through the Kancamagus Highway from Lincoln to Conway for a number of photo stops. Overnight stay at the Fox Ridge Resort in North Conway was good.

DAY 5

Another sunny but nippy start. The weather deteriorated as we approached Mnt Washington Resort for a photo stop and when we arrived high up at the Cog Railway it was raining. A coffee break at the Brick Store in Bath NH where the owner claims it to be Americas oldest general store. Into Vermont where the sun came out and lunch at the state house in Montpelier. Another ghost town!! In the afternoon we paid a visit to Morse Farm Maple Farm which was interesting. Good gift shop. Overnight at the Commodores Inn at Stowe.

DAY 6

Frost overnight and fog early on. If the countryside is not trees it is full of sweet corn. Once we went over the Canadian border the countryside was flat. Now in the province of Quebec there are some notable changes with road signs in French and distances in kms. Arrived in Montreal at midday and a guided tour in the afternoon. Lot of rebuilding taking place. Two night stay at the Holiday Inn Centre Ville which all of us had a suite!!! Evening meal in old Montreal was only a 10 minute walk.

DAY 7

Cloudy start for our trip to the city of Quebec. Now raining for our guided tour. This city is so so French. The local delicacy is Poutines. This is basically french fries, gravy with extras such as chicken and cheese curd. Ate at the Chez Ashton and it was great! Quebec is a great place to get lost and shop! Everyone wanted more time to wander so perhaps an extra hour should be allowed even if it means getting back to Montreal late. This city is so different to all the others on this tour.

DAY 8

Now Sunday morning and off to Ottawa in the province of Ontario. Again flat countryside and more fields of sweetcorn, must be Kelloggs country! When we arrived in Ottawa their marathon had started so instead of little traffic it was full of cars etc and runners. Just as well as there is no a lot to see except for the Parliament buildings. Early lunch at Byward Market (a mini Boston Quincy Market) and it was raining. Roads now very wet but by the time we arrived at the Big Apple stop it was sunny and warm. Great apple pie here! As we approached Toronto, road signs now in English. The Eaton Chelsea is a very large hotel (Vegas size). Separate lifts for certain floors. Evening meal at the Hard Rock Café in Dunstans Square which is Toronto’s Time Square.

DAY 9

Excellent guided tour of Toronto in the sun, finishing at the CN Tower. This should be on your bucket list. The viewing gallery looks high from the road and it is, but once up there the views are great. The glass floor, is well, you have to walkover it!! The afternoon was free time. A visit to the Eaton Centre shopping mall is only a 5 minute walk from our hotel. Instead of shopping floors going up, the floors go down!!

DAY 10

A sunny morning and a visit to another bucket list place. The first sight of Niagara Falls leaves you speechless. The trip on the Maid of the Mist was everything I wanted it to be. Excellent buffet lunch at the Sheraton Hotel and brilliant views of the Falls. In the afternoon some went on a helicopter flight over the Falls, while the rest of us paid a visit to the Whirlpool Aero Car. Once through US immigration centre, we were off to the Rochester Plaza in Rochester, New York State.

DAY 11

This was a long day on the coach (the trees in the country were now more colourful) and two comfort stops before entering New York city. The first sight of the New York skyline was great. The highlight of our evening tour was of course the Empire State Building. Plenty of marble inside and when up at the 86th floor observatory, another speechless moment. New York at night is a sight to be believed! Excellent gift shop! Our hotel, Doubletree by Hilton was very near to Wall Street and was good.

DAY 12

A wet start to the day. As President Obama was in town at the United Nations there was a high police presence. However, our guided tour was not disrupted. Visits to Grand Central Station (try the cheesecake in the food hall), Central Park (the Dakota Building and Strawberry Fields) and Times Square. The rest of the day was free time which I spent having a good walk around parts of the city including Macy’s and the 9/11 Memorial Gardens which was only 10 minutes from the hotel.

DAY 13

Our last day and the weather was sunny and very warm. In the morning we had a nearly a 3 hour boat cruise around Manhattan. The views were brilliant of the whole skyline especially the Empire State Building, the Freedom Tower and the Statue of Liberty. Plenty of photos taken. After lunch it was to JFK airport for our journey home.

DAY 14

Landed at 7:25am and we departed our separate ways for home.

CONCLUSION

A great tour with so many iconic places to see. Don’t worry if the leaves are not in full autumn colour as the cities will more than compensate. Definitely more time in Quebec as this city is so different.

Finally,a big thank you to our tour manager Yvette Barnett who had a great knowledge of the area and our driver John who managed to drive a large coach around some tight situations in the cities and got us from Boston airport to JFK safely.

Malcolm

QUESTION for you and anyone else who has stayed at the Eaton Chelsea in Toronto please. I am doing 3 nights there in November - I booked the holiday extension because I knew the original hotel and area from last year and then JY changed the hotel to the Eaton Chelsea, which sounds scarily enormous! Any hints and tips appreciated both for the hotel, the local area, eating out, getting out and about and exploring. Many thanks

A great detailed review. I enjoyed reading it. I presume September is a bit early for the leaves to change colour.

Jaya

The Eaton Chelsea is a big hotel but if you have been to Vegas it’s not that big. I think it has some 1500 rooms. Check their website. The breakfasts can be a bit crowded with so many people eating at the same however, there is a good selection either continental or hot on a self-service basis.

However, the hotel is organised. There are 3 hi speed lifts which are colour coded and only stop at certain floors. So when you know which floor your room is on, you will know which lift to get. The hotel is well located in the shopping area of Toronto. As I said in my review the Eaton Center shopping Mall is only a 5 minute walk away. Eating wise there is an excellent food hall on the lowest floor in the Eaton Center. The first night a number of us had a meal in the Hard Rock Café in Dunstans Square which was good. Dunstans Sq is all lit up and is a mini Times Square opposite the Eaton Center.

The paid for guided tour was very good but there are other bus tours to take, even one to Niagara Falls. The CN Tower is about a 45 minute walk away (longer if you go into the many shops there are on the way!). Brilliant views. You can also take a cruise around Toronto Island and the lake front.

Hope this helps and that the sun shines while you are there.

Malcolm

Great review Malcolm. I did this trip last October and have very fond memories - you brought them all back!

QUESTION for you and anyone else who has stayed at the Eaton Chelsea in Toronto please. I am doing 3 nights there in November - I booked the holiday extension because I knew the original hotel and area from last year and then JY changed the hotel to the Eaton Chelsea, which sounds scarily enormous! Any hints and tips appreciated both for the hotel, the local area, eating out, getting out and about and exploring. Many thanks

This might be a repeat not sure if it went through..

I am in the Eaton Chelsea at the moment. It is a huge hotel

I am on floor 11 I think there are 26 floors..

Breakfast good you get a voucher, which you can either have a hot

Breakfast or continental..the hood thing is this hotel is right in the

Action of everything. Our visit to CN tower was cancelled due to

Poor visability weather to misty..huge shopping center close by..

First night went to pub called Elephant and Castle last night went to

Hard rock cafe both very close by. Lovely old theatre close 3 of us went

To see Wicked just got the tickets from the box office. We went for

Good seat at $100 canadian dollers ...any other wuestions just ask

Cindy

A fantastic review, many thanks! This tour is definitely on my must-do list, for a couple of years down the road, it sounds really wonderful and full of action, just what I like!

Cheers,

Bob

Didn't mean to hijack this thread - it's still a great review of a great holiday! Reminded me to dig out the Halloween decorations I bought last year!

You have both (sort of) managed to put my mind at rest (a bit) regarding the size of the hotel. Never having been to Vegas and more a fan of Premier or Holiday Inn style, I was worried about the "biggest hotel in North America"! From what you both say getting around it is manageable and getting breakfast OK - as there are no pre booked trips for me time taken is not so important.

I 'did' the CN Tower last year, but hope to go again at a different time of day. Also hope to visit Casa Loma as we passed it on the tour and I was intrigued. There is also a shoe museum! Good tips about the theatre and the various eating places, thank you. Had the same wonderful experience (with Maid and helicopter) at Niagara so would only consider if the falls were frozen this time! It's going to be cold in mid November!

Many thanks

Wicked closes on November 2nd - well before I arrive - what a shame.

Hope you are having a wonderful time - New York beckons - I :heart: NYC!!!!

PS breakfast was very good.