We spent the last week of our month-long trip around the USA (I describe the whole day-by-day plan in the 30-day USA itinerary) on the East Coast. After three days in New York we wanted to see the cities that played a key role in the birth of the United States: Philadelphia, Washington and Boston, and for dessert – Salem, the town famous for its witch trials. We had little time, so we gave each city one day.
Table of contents
- By car along the East Coast
- Philadelphia – the cradle of independence
- Washington – the capital in one day
- Boston – the Freedom Trail and Harvard
- Salem – the witch city
- The end of the trip
By car along the East Coast
After New York, where we stayed with a Polish couple we had met earlier in Bryce Canyon, we rented a car – and that’s where we slept, because accommodation in big US cities is very expensive. Within a few days we drove about 1530 km along the coast: from the New York area to Philadelphia, on to Washington, then north to Boston and Salem, and finally back to Newark airport. The biggest problem in the cities was finding a parking space. I write more about how we travelled cheaply – by car, with a tent and without hotels – in the post How to plan a cheap trip around the USA.
Philadelphia – the cradle of independence
On 21 October we explored Philadelphia. Many of the ideas behind the revolution and the independence of the United States were born in this city, so the main sights revolve around that theme. For years Philadelphia was also the largest city in the USA and served as the nation’s capital – until the government moved to Washington in 1800. The most important place is Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution of the United States (1787) were signed; right next to it, in a separate pavilion, the Liberty Bell is on display.
The area around Independence Hall is Old City – brick townhouses, American flags and horse-drawn carriages on the streets. It’s worth stopping at Elfreth’s Alley, one of the oldest continuously inhabited streets in the USA, with narrow 18th-century houses.
A Polish connection: Philadelphia still has the house where Tadeusz Kościuszko lived after returning to America. Today it’s the smallest site managed by the US National Park Service (Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial). The Polish community also has its own neighbourhood in Philadelphia – Port Richmond.
The next stop is the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of the largest art museums in the world, with more than 225,000 works in its collection. Most tourists, however, come here not for the art but for the steps that Rocky Balboa ran up in the film “Rocky” – his statue stands at the bottom, and a photo with your arms in the air is a must.
From the top of the steps there’s a view of the downtown skyscrapers.
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens have a completely different feel – a maze of mosaics made of broken tiles, bottles and mirrors, the work of the artist Isaiah Zagar – as do the colourful buildings on South Street.
Finally we stopped by the walls of Eastern State Penitentiary. Opened in 1829, it was the first prison focused on rehabilitation – self-sufficient and, for its time, of a high standard; among its inmates was Al Capone. Today it’s a museum. It was the end of October, so many houses in the city were already decorated for Halloween.
Washington – the capital in one day
On 22 October we arrived in Washington – or, formally, the District of Columbia. It is above all the nation’s capital and the seat of its government, and the city itself is full of national monuments and museums. All the most important places are close together around the huge National Mall park, so you can see them in one day: the Capitol – the seat of Congress, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial with its enormous statue and the Washington Monument reflected in the long Reflecting Pool.
We didn’t have time for museums – we only made it to the botanic garden by the Capitol. A pity, because most of the Smithsonian Institution museums around the National Mall have free admission, so it’s worth setting aside more than one day for Washington. What we remember most is the walk along the Reflecting Pool at sunset.
Boston – the Freedom Trail and Harvard
From Washington we drove north to Boston – the last city of our trip (24 October). Since the 18th century Boston has been regarded as the cradle of American independence; it was here in 1773 that the famous Boston Tea Party took place, which hastened the outbreak of the revolution. The best way to get to know this history is to follow the Freedom Trail – a route of about 4 km marked by a red line on the pavement, linking 16 key historic sites in the centre, including Park Street Church and the Old State House, in front of which the Boston Massacre took place in 1770.
Boston is a port city – the waterfront with views of the harbour and the Custom House tower makes a pleasant break from the historic sights.
On the other side of the Charles River, in Cambridge, we walked around the campus of Harvard University – according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the best university in the world. In the photo is Memorial Hall, one of the most distinctive buildings on campus.
Salem – the witch city
We kept the evening for nearby Salem, known for the witch trials of 1692. The whole town lives on horror and magic – witch museums, decorations in the streets, esoteric shops and night-time tours for visitors, and not only around Halloween (although October is the busiest month here). The best-known sight is The Witch House – the 17th-century home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, the only surviving building directly connected with the trials.
The end of the trip
At the very end we had one more adventure. On the morning of the last day we were repacking our things in the car, ready for the flight, when two police cars pulled up – someone had called the police because they suspected we were stealing the car (apparently cars often go missing around there). Everything was quickly cleared up, and on 25 October we flew from Newark airport back to Europe, ending four and a half months in the United States.
We saw the East Coast in a rush – each of these cities deserves more than one day. You’ll find all the posts from the trip in the 30-day USA itinerary.
