Ask Joan: family fun in Boston, parklife in California, Christmas shopping in NYC

We are a family of five hoping to holiday in Boston and Cape Cod next July flying from Dublin. We would stay in Boston for a few days sightseeing, then on to a holiday residence in Cape Cod for about 10 days. BC, Tyrone.

Two flights a day will operate from Dublin to Boston in the summer; when you see the Aer Lingus sale early in the year, be ready to book.

Boston is a beautiful city and it is impossible to ignore the part it played in the development of the US. Embrace the history and take a walking tour or do a self-guided tour; see the freedomtrail.org.

Boston is also a city for sports lovers, with famous teams like the Red Sox, Bruins, New England Patriots and Boston Celtics. A game would be memorable; find tickets at stubhub.com.

Lots of water-based tours leave from Boston Harbor, including whale watching, and racing around the bay on Godzilla; see bostonharborcruises.com. Rent a car when you are leaving the city; see bostonusa.com for tourism information and massholiday.ie.

The Cape has thousands of holiday homes to rent. See vrbo.com, and maybe decide on a town or area to narrow the search. Look at places that are in or near towns and public beaches to save ferrying children around.

My boyfriend would love to visit the northwest of the US and seeing national parks, ranch life and getting in touch with history and culture. We're not sure where to start planning. Can we fly to one airport and out another? We were thinking San Francisco and Seattle. PS, Kildare.

It is easier now to fly into one airport and out of another. Pricing will depend on the time of year. Think about beginning in Seattle and ending on the direct flight back to Dublin from San Francisco. Aer Lingus allows you combine these cities. It is a 1,300km journey extended by zigzagging to see places along the way.

For national parks and places of historical interest, see nps.gov. Next year events will be held to mark 100 years of the National Parks Service. California has a considerable number of places of interest so weight your trip towards there. Visitors can stay overnight in some of the parks.

You can find ranches that take visitors on duderanch.org, listed by state and near national parks. Websites to look at for planning your trip include flydriveusa.ie, discoveramerica.com, visitcalifornia.com, traveloregon.com and experiencewa.com.

We are four girls planning a trip to New York for Christmas shopping. What can we do in four days and any ideas of places to stay? DK, Clare

Christmas arrives in New York the week after Thanksgiving (November 26th this year) when suddenly decorations and trees appear. Up to December 16th is better value. Christmas Fairs pop up at Union Square, Grand Central, Bryant Park and Columbus Circle.

The recently opened One World Trade Observatory is the tallest building for getting the view from downtown. The huge Westfield Shopping centre will have opened by then and luxury shopping at Brookfield Place is already open.

Tavern on the Green has reopened at Central Park and is fabulous at Christmas. The Rainbow Room is back and is great for cocktails. New hotels to consider are the Gregory, Hampton Inn Times Square and Marmara Park Avenue. See nycgo.com for information and opentable.com for restaurant bookings.

Send your queries to jscales@irishtimes.com