7 or 8 days is very short for NYC, Boston, Cape Cod and touring the countryside.

IMHO you need at least 3/4 days in NYC, 2/3 in Boston and a couple in Cape Code - plus getting from place to place.

(Could you see SF, LA, SD and the sights along the coast in 7 days?)

7 days is a little tight.

Let's assume your plan to see FP and YS includes actually going to games (get tix in advance, though scalpers abound at Fenway). That eats up a fair amount of time. Plus, there's lots to see and do in Boston besides Fenway. And you do want to spend time in NYC.

Here's my suggestion: Cut out Cape Cod. Instead, stop in Stockbridge or some other part of western MA on your way to Boston. Lots of nice resorts in the area, and the Berkshires are different from what you're accustomed to in CA -- and you'll get more the "touring the countryside" flavor.

Fly into NYC and out of Boston (or reverse). In your time frame, I would skip the idea of a scenic drive thru RI/CT - while there are places to see, for the most part the route is not all that scenic and time constraints is a limiting factor.

Fly into NYC, Stay 3-4 nights at some Marriott - since you get a discount. Can't help on specific hotel, but assuming you can figure it out.

Take the train/Amtrak to Boston. You will get a little scenery. Stay a couple of night in Boston - several Marriott properties. According to my search, the only Marriott on Cape Cod is a Courtyard in Hyannis. So after your Boston stay, rent a car (your first car of this trip) and drive to Cape Cod. Try to time this drive on a non-Friday, Saturday and preferrably not a rush hour. It should take a couple of hours to Hyannis - and spend the last couple of nights there, taking day trips around Cape Cod (Hyannis is very central), returning car to Logan and flying out of Boston.

Red Sox tickets for the summer went on sale yesterday (1/26) - so once you are ready to commit to dates, buy tickets ASAP if you want to go to a game. (Although availability is easier now that my Red Sox really stink).

While in Boston, walk the Freedom Trail and pick one museum to see - I like the Institute of Contemporary Art but that opinion is not shared by some here. Eat Italian food in the North End. Take a short Harbor Cruise - they range in length from a lunchtime one of an hour or so to a bit longer - they give some interesting history and commentary and the breezes in August will be nice. If you are here on a weekend, there are weekly festivals in the North End. Stroll along the Harbor on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Cape Cod - drive towards Provincetown from Hyannis, stopping to poke around in some of the artist/craft studios or antique shops. Have lunch/dinner in Provincetown - more unique shops there as well. National Seashore beach is nice - usually big waves. We go to Coast Guard Beach - although you must park in a lot and take a shuttle to beach to avoid parking destruction of the dunes. If you are driving to Provincetown there are also some incredible dunes along the road around Truro.

If you decide to change your itinerary at all - agree with above that Berkshires might be a more "touring the countryside" type trip. Tanglewood has outdoor music all summer. Or you could stop in Newport/Jamestown areas of RI. In that case, rent a car out of NYC and drive, returning car in Boston since it is not a driveable city for strangers and parking will cost you a fortune.

I agree exactly with Gail if you want to get to the Cape, but a week is tight for this trip .

Gail has a very nice plan for as short a trip as you plan. If you can't get tickets to the ball games when you go east (check to see when they are on the road), you can do a tour of Fenway in any case. If it is last minute and you want tickets try stubhub.com they are a legitimate reseller of tickets that I have used a couple of times.

You should buy tickets as soon as your dates are fixed - since the ones with decent views at non sky high prices are rare.

I understand the desire to see it all when you're so close to an area, but you can't do justice to all 3 places with only 7 or 8 days. You might have regrets later that you missed some great things (as in "I can't believe I was in NYC and only did such and such, and missed ________). To fully appreciate and experience what these places are like, you need at least a few days in each. As previous posters have suggested, stick with NYC and Boston. Or better yet, maybe you can extend the trip.

In Boston, I recommend the Marriott Long Wharf. It's location is ideal for sightseeing and is convenient to many restaurants, including those in the North End. Plus it's a very nice hotel.

A second vote for the Long Wharf - our fav hotel in Boston - but be glad you have the discount! If you are flying into Logan, you can get to the door by water taxi!

There is a new Marriott Residence Inn scheduled to open this summer in Boston. It is located on Brookline Ave., quite near Fenway Park and convenient to public transportation in Kenmore Square. Staying on the waterfront is obviously more desirable but the new hotel is near some very good restaurants.

I agree that your time is tight to visit the Cape. One alternative might be to get off the train in Providence, rent a car and drive to the Cape for two nights, and return the car to Boston (or Providence and take the train to Boston) where you can finish up your trip.

<<We want to make the trip about 7 or 8 days.>>

Too tight. Need a better timeframe. Others have covered this above.

You also need to check out mlb.com - the RedSux are home the first weekend in August and not again until the third weekend so your dates for dodging the rat infestation in Fenway are limited.

The Yanks are out of NYC until the second weekend of August so your dates for seeing the greatest franchise in North American sports history are also limited.

Don't limit yourself to Stub Hub, there are lots of other seat reselling sites like Vivid Seats and Razor Gator that have the same guarantees and often lower prices (we got concert tickets at the Garden a few years ago for far less on Vivid Seats than what equivalent ones were listed for on Stub Hub).

you can also take the ferry to Provincetown from Boston if you don't want to drive. You can take the shuttle to beaches. No Marriott in Ptown though, its charm is in being adamantly anti chain.

For baseball tickets try the team websites first - but do it NOW - or all good ones will be gone.

Here's an idea. There is a ferry (actually several) from the North Shore of Long Island to the South Shore of Connecticut. You might want to exchange the Cape Cod portion for a few days on either or both sides of Long Island Sound. You could take a Long Island Railroad Train to Orient Point,the North Fork of Long Island, have some time at the beach, go on a winery tour and other less urban activities. Then take the Ferry to New London, explore Mystic Ct and/or the large Native American owned Casinos, even if you don't gamble the museum at Foxwoods is well worth the stop and you would be well on your way to Boston. (Plus there are some reasonably priced motels in the area and you would get your scenic view of Southern New England)

Just so you're aware - you must have a car to tour Long Island and CT - it's not really doable by public transit- which is very few and far between - and has limited scope.

And adding this to a 7 days trip - doesn;t really save you any time. You are still trying to put 10 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag.