Tripping on Independence Day

When cocoagirl says early in the day on the Esplanade, she really means early in the morning. Like 4/5am if you want to be anywhere near where the Pops are playing. It is worth doing once. I don't think I would ever do it again. For things to do:No one here has mentioned Providence, RI---it is a hour Commuter Rail ride from Boston and has the http://www.risdmuseum.org/, http://brown.edu and http://www.waterfire.org/ to mention a few items.If your SO is at MIT, you can see about getting a ride to the White Mountains for hiking, etc with the folks in the http://web.mit.edu/mitoc/www/Check out http://thephoenix.com/ for free shows and lectures, poetry readings, etc. http://thephoenix.com/providence/ also has a version

I don't think the fireworks, et al. in Boston are particularly amazing for the 4th, but I only lived there one summer. I also don't think it's worth an extra fortnight.

The fireworks/celebrations in Boston are pretty good, but they are INSANELY crowded. Chiefthe is not joking with the 4/5 am line there. If you'd rather walk around during the day, MIT roofs or the salt and pepper bridge (the one with the train tracks) is another good spot to see the fireworks from. I'm biased because it's where I'm from, but I think Maine is a wonderful place to visit if you want some typical New Englandy things. Go to Portland, walk around the Old Port, go to Fort Williams or Two Lights beach.

I wouldn't stay an extra two weeks in Boston just for the chance to see the fireworks. But I can't see how traveling to Chicago, D.C., etc. would be any cheaper than staying in place and exploring a bit. So if you're headed to Boston anyway, the cheapest thing might be to bus/train/commuter rail/ferry it around to various parts of New England. See what there is to see in Boston, then check out the Harbor Islands, go to Provincetown by ferry for a day, take the train to Portland VT, drive the Mohawk Trail out to Northampton. The Vineyard and Nantucket are nice in their own way but seeing one is probably enough. If it were me and I could swing a car rental, I'd be more likely to try to see http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=acadia&ss=2 http://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm than MV/Nantucket. For instance, take the train to Portland, spend the day and stay overnight, then rent a car from there for a 3 hour drive to Acadia. If you do stay in Boston just for the 4th, then it's worth your while to try to get a good vantage point. No point in sticking around and then being squoze in some crowd downtown where you're uncomfortable and without a good view. Ideally you line up a beach shade, beach chair, massively stocked cooler, sunscreen, bug spray, and a riveting book or friends with frisbee, and get a spot on the Esplanade early in the day. Then you hang back to enjoy the music and works.

re Bus to Boston from Port Authority Bus Terminal. There are no busses between 3:30 am and 7:00 am so you'll want to make sure you can make it into town before 3:30 if you decide not to spend the night at JFK. If it were me, I'd take the later flight. There's always another occasion for fireworks. re: the rest of your stay, take the train (or Bolt Bus which is cheaper) to DC for a few days. It will be hellishly hot but the Smithsonian is many museums and all free, including the zoo. Take a tour of the White House, visit all the monuments, etc.

Also, if your SO is at MIT, some of the best vantage point to watch the fireworks are on their roofs. When I worked at the Tech we had some amazing parties up on rooftops and didn't have to be near the 250,000+ visitors on the Esplanade. Can't really see the Pops, though. Have her ask around. As far as staying here for extra days just to see the fireworks, I'd bear in mind that it can get ridiculously hot and oppressive in the summer, and jauntily walking about seeing the sights can become nightmarish. The fireworks ain't that great.

I don't think it's worth an extra two weeks just to be in Boston. But I do think the nearby East Coast destinations are very worthwhile, if you just want a good travel experience. There's a http://www.mvol.com/articles/229/ next to South Station that will take you directly to the ferry for Martha's Vineyard for $27 each way. The ferry ticket can be bundled in for another $6, which is $1.50 off the usual fare. I love the Vineyard and you can MeMail me for suggestions if you decide to go. One point - this is super high busy season for the islands. Best bet is to get off the boat and immediately leave the harbor towns, which are rife with tourists and expensive stuff, and get by bike or shuttle bus and out to the gorgeous beaches and quieter up-island locations as quickly as possible. Block Island, RI, is another possibility.

Independence Day Fireworks: The Boston Pop Orch. usually plays, and the finale is a Big Deal. I've never been, as I am not a fan of huge crowds. I wouldn't go through that much hassle for it, though I do love fireworks. Beantown meetups are usually fun.

I don't have much to say about Boston, but if you have the time, you could drive/bus up to Montreal (~6 hrs from Boston). There's plenty to do in Montreal, and you could take in some Vermont Green Mountain scenery on your way.