FYI
I see that you want to fly in the North East of the US. Depending on where you call the NE, some areas are very congested and difficult to fly into or around because of all the controlled airspace. Also, don't forget Washington DC is now a very restricted area, you have to have special training and pass the exam to be allowed to fly in the area. I believe you can do it all online, but I havn't done it yet.
I just did a search for rentals online, lots of place show up so I would suggest doing a google search and then look for one in the area where you want to be anyways.
Goodluck!