New England Road Trip Plan

Maybe I'm jumping the gun with this one because the New Mexico/Texas trip is still a week away but this is an interesting option. This is not set in stone yet and we will see how work plays out but here is the preliminary plan:  I have yet to race in any of the 6 New England states and since it is a small geographic area, I would prefer to knock out those states in 2 or 3 trips rather than a separate one for each state.  Two half marathons on back to back days in neighboring states certainly can be done if I am healthy and take it slow enough in the first one but I would really prefer not to do that.  Thanks to a race series called the New England Challenge, which will be 6 races in all 6 states in 6 consecutive days, I won't have to go back to back. No, I will not take on that devil of a challenge either.   Rather, I can take a more sensible approach of 2 races in 5 days.  Targeted states will be Vermont with the Maple Leaf Half on Wednesday (5/16) and Massachusetts with an outside race called the Horseneck Half on Sunday (5/20).

Weekly Schedule:
Monday- Work all or most of the day then drive to Atlanta that evening.  I can get a smokin' deal on a direct flight from Atlanta to Boston for under $200.

Tuesday- Fly from Atlanta to Boston in the morning (not too early) then drive to the race location in Springfield, Vermont, in the southeast portion near the border of New Hampshire and just about an hour north of Springfield, MA.  The drive is roughly 2.5-3 hours so I'll get there by mid-afternoon and can explore the town a bit.

Wednesday- Race day in Vermont then drive down to New Haven, Connecticut (3 hours).  From there, I will take a train to Grand Central in New York City for the night.  I'll leave my car at the train station in New Haven.  I'm not sure that I'll have time for much sight seeing but do want to visit the bar on 230 5th for excellent views of the skyline.

Thursday- All day in NYC.  I'd like to catch Coney Island and either the Top of the Rock or Empire State Building in the daylight as well as Central Park in full bloom.  I thought about a Yankee game but they are on the road that week. Maybe I can do the stadium tour instead.  I'll be back in Connecticut for the night.

Friday- Drive through Connecticut and Rhode Island with possible stops in Newport and Providence.  If I'm short on cash, I can raise $25 if I sell stuff to Billy in 4C (Inside joke.)  I will also drive up at least part of Cape Cod but assuming I can get an early start, I'll be in Boston by the evening (less than 5 hrs driving).  The Red Sox are home but ticket prices are outrageous.  I could enjoy a game from a sports bar instead.  Hotels downtown are also very pricey. 

Saturday- Tour Boston then head down to the race location about an hour south right on the bay.  Tourism options include the Prudential Center, Freedom Trail and the JFK library.

Sunday- Race day then fly back.

If I can do this, it will take me up to 34 states assuming I finish New Mexico.  The back up option is Ocean City, Maryland which I could make into a cool trip as well.

EDITS:
I've learned that I can take a train all the way from New Haven, Connecticut to Grand Central Station in about 1.5 hours.  In that case, I will most probably arrive in NYC by early-mid afternoon on Wednesday so yes, I will spend the night and I bet I can check out the next morning then come back later to pick up my bag.

On Friday, I am leaning towards going to Cape Cod first.  I probably won't go all the way up because it's just too far.  I'll plan to stay south of Boston around the Quincy area for a more reasonable price.  Forget Uber.  I can just take the T into town.  Word on the street is DON'T drive in Boston.