Q. I will be travelling to the US in March. Do you have any suggestions for how to spend a few days in upstate New York? I will be with my brother and we will likely hire a car. I will also be in London from March 30 and would be grateful for suggestions on what I could do that Easter weekend. - Anita Gihwala
A. Your question arrived while I was staying with friends in Brooklyn, New York. As they spend a lot of time upstate, I asked them for some ideas.
The short answer is that upstate can be pretty bleak at that time of year - what little snow that remains is grey slush and the trees are still bare. If you are undeterred by this, however, one suggestion is to visit the Finger Lakes area - named for its long, thin lakes and famous for its vineyards. It's three to four hours by car from NYC.While very much a scenic destination, Finger Lakes is a beautiful area at any time of the year and is on the way to the city of Rochester, home to Kodak, as well as the women's-rights activist Susan B Anthony, who lived and worked there, and slavery abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who helped many escaped slaves to safety along the "Underground Railroad".
From there, you can head to Niagara Falls, an awe-inspiring sight in all seasons.
London over Easter will be even more busy than usual - whatever you do, book in advance. I recommend a ride on the London Eye for the most excellent views of the city. Then walk across Westminster Bridge to Parliament Square and hop on the No.24 bus to the magnificent - and free - British Museum.
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