BWI to NJ--Thanks, Weirddave! (et al)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Well, I did it. I flew into BWI (Baltimore Airport) and drove to Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, for a family Bar Mitzvah last Friday. Then I drove back and flew home yesterday. Saved around $450 doing it that way, too. (2 tickets)

Weirddave, I took your advice and took the Harbor tunnel. Very interesting. The traffic in B-more was unexpectedly horrendous on Friday at 3:30, so I’m glad I didn’t take the somewhat longer I-95 route through the middle of town. Had stop-n-go for maybe 15-20 miles as it was.

Delaware was pretty. The last bit was pretty, too…pretty smelly. Couldn’t figure out how to shut the vent on the rent-a-car in time. And someone warned me about that in advance, too!

Made OK time, considering the traffic in MD–2 hr 40 minutes, not counting getting lost for 15 minutes trying to get out of BWI aimed in the right direction. NJ Turnpike was freewheeling all the way, which was very pleasant.

Had a good time with the tollbooths, too! My son (8) thought it was pretty funny that we had to “throw money at strangers every twenty minutes.” My mom kept asking, “How much is the next one?” I said, “How the hell should I know? Do I look like a local? Just watch for the signs! If all else fails, I’ll throw in a five and see if I get any change back.”

The road back (same trip in reverse) took 1 hr 45 minutes, in easy Sunday freewheeling traffic. It was sunny, which was too bad (windshield glare), but it seemed to make the locals happy.

So, I have two questions now, and a thank-you.

Question one: On the NJ turnpike, we kept seeing white kite-shaped things in the trees. What are those? Nests? Cocoons? Egg sacs?

Question two: Why was the Sunday afternoon traffic so heavy coming north on the NJ turnpike and up I-95? It seemed almost slow-n-go at times. Luckily not my direction, but what was drawing Baltimoreans up to NJ on a sunny Sunday afternoon?

And a big fat thank-you to all you dopers who gave me directions and/or advice about this drive. The trip was a success, and I never got lost (except inside BWI). Saved a bundle, too!

-Theobroma

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Question 1:
I wanna know what those things are, too! The look like some sort of insect larva dwelling, but I’m not sure.

Question 2:
I think there was a baseball game yesterday.

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Are they gypsy moth cocoons? Two foot by one foot by one foot, (roughly), bag-shaped, out of a material that looks like the fake cobwebs from a cheesy house of horrors.

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Sounds about right, twick.

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Question #2: I didn’t see the license plates on the cars, but my guess is it was the NJ natives returning home from spending the day or weekend down at the shore.

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That would be my guess, Frank.

And what route does I-95 take through the middle of town? I think you could take I-395 into downtown, then sort of weave your way around, but to what purpose I haven’t a clue. There is another bridge/tunnell combo that is a little less through downtown (I-895?) that might have been easier if the traffic was bad through downtown, but I can’t recall now (it’s been years) when is the best time to take that. That may be a better route if you do it again, but I’d check with someone with more recent experience.

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Glad you got through town OK! Yes, Shib is right, I-95 goes through downtown, but off to the side, kinda, 395 is the road right straight downtown. The way you went, 895, is still the best route, however.

Question 1: Meet the Eastern Tent Caterpillar. Nasty things, they’ll defoliate a tree rather quickly. Spring is the time of year when you burn out their tents in your trees.

Question 2: NB traffic is usually Philly/NJ people going home after a weekend away, and Delaware dosen’t help by charging a toll every 50 feet along I-95.

fixed linky loo - ub

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[b} i] [[u Thanks, UB![/] [bi

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Weirddave, that may have been the worst bit of UBB coding I have ever seen. :slight_smile:

You should feel proud.