If you have kids, I recommend the Museum of Science in Boston. We went last summer and my 8-year-old and 11-year-old enjoyed it very much.

Something fun to do at night in Boston is to get tickets to the "Blue Man Group" http://www.blueman.com/ http://www.blueman.com/tickets/boston/ they play drums and it is extremely fun. This is definately something that I would recommend both to visitors and those that live in Boston.

Since you will be with a group do not be scared to go out, just use common sense. This is the same for other countries. Do not wear expensive items, put your wallet in your front pocket ect.

I grew up north of Boston and yes they have their bad people, but this is the same elsewhere. Also Faneuil Hall http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/ is a fun place. Yes there are a bunch of tourists however it is not overwhelming. This place is good for shopping and eating. There are some bars and such surrounding the area as well. A short walk away is the Aquarium.

The Boston Aquarium is neat however it is short and basically only one tank that you walk up and around. I was in and out of there in about 30 minutes and it costs around $15 US (If I remember right)

Have fun!

Part 2

Boston is my favorite city in the US, lived there 10 years, and I live in San Francisco now! Boston is like a very scaled down New York. The subway is great. You can take the subway from the airport. Copley Square is a good central location for tourists. The Back Bay is the name of the neighborhood, shopping, restaurants. The Theater district and Chinatown, you can walk or take the subway a few stops. Two parks. Faneul Hall is very popular but too many tourists for me. You must have Italian food in the North End, and look for expresso cafes and bakeries too. From Copley walk down to the Esplanade by the Charles River, free concerts there. Or walk to the South End for more trendiness. Don't miss Cambridge on the other side of the river - subway to Harvard Square, you can walk around the university, and the 'square' (a neighborhood) has lots of restaurants and shops. MIT and Kendall Square is interesting too. Can you tell that I miss Boston?

You can take Amtrak trains between all three cities, and all 3 train stations are central and beautiful too. I don't know if it is cheaper than flying tho.
ok have fun!

Aw come on James - we like tourists in the US! We are friendly and one of the most multicultural countries in the world, especially these 3 cities! Every city in the world has dangerous places. I will assume Caroline that you are reasonably intelligent and mature and can handle yourself ok, and you speak English, that's great! Ok now some useful advice...!

If you are staying in hotels and don't have reservations yet, these cities are expensive, especially Manhattan which I assume you are going. I recommend 'boutique' hotels, they are smaller, cheaper, but also often trendy and fun. I don't like big chain hotels.

There is lots to see in central DC, the 'mall', (no not shopping mall!) the monuments, Smithsonian, galleries are all walkable. Summer can be hot in all these cities. You need 2 full days or more I think. I don't know what else is in the area, mostly suburbs.

New York is - big. Lots of tourist things to do. You could spend a day in midtown: central park, Metropolitan Museum, Guggenheim on the East side, Lincoln Center on the West, MOMA on the south. Another day in Times Square, 5th Ave, Rockefeller Center, Empire State bldg. A Jewish deli or two is a must. A day downtown: World Trade/Wall St area, Chinatown, Soho, Greenwich Village. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, Dumbo area is trendy. Oh I forgot Chelsea and meat packing districts, halfway back up to Times Square. If you can afford the hotels, spend more days here! There is less traffic on weekends in Manhattan, and traffic can get really bad. I recommend taxis in NY, but you can figure out the subway too. It is not a compact walking city like Boston. Go out at night too - taxis are safe. So many clubs, restaurants, music. Get a New Yorker magazine or look online before you go to make a list of plays, music, dance, maybe your favorite band is playing because every artist plays in NYC sometime. NYC is good place to sample new things in life!

(continued)

Will you be traveling alone or with others? Actually, New York, Boston and Washington DC all have good, generally safe public transportation systems. I have used the subways in both Boston and Washington DC within the last year, and I have friends who work in NY and use public transit there frequently. I would not use them alone, late at night, but in the summer when there are lots of tourists, you need not worry too much. Are you looking for suggestions of places to visit? Do you like history, art, science, theater? There are many things to choose from in all three cities.