My sister is getting married on July 6 and her rehearsal dinner is on the 5th at 7 pm. We need to be there for the dinner. We live in central MA.
My mom and stepdad were planning on leaving the 4th (because they think driving on a holiday will reduce the traffic getting through NY)
I have to work on the 4th. I don’t know what hours though. The latest I’d be there is 8:30 pm.
I think driving either overnight (leaving when I get out of work) or leaving at 3 or 4 am would make for the easiest drive but my stepdad thinks we’ll hit NY traffic right at morning rush hour.
So, what I want to know is, if you were driving from Worcester on either July 4 or July 5, what time would be the latest you’d leave in order to avoid horrible traffic in NY (at any time of day), while still being able to arrive in Water View VA for the rehearsal dinner.
I always go around NYC via the Tappan Zee Bridge and the Garden State Parkway, never closer than that. The backups, when they happen, are due to construction, but still never as bad as dealing with the GW Bridge or the Cross-Bronx. Take the Merritt Parkway in CT instead of I-95, too. Time of day won’t matter anyway on that route. Besides, there won’t be the usual rush hour delays on those dates.
There’s an end run around 95, I’m on my phone right now but you take I84 to I81. Empty, gorgeous drive. Even with the extra distance it ends up faster by cutting out Philly & the beltway. I’ve used the route to go from central VA to NYC many times, 84 goes up to MA thereby cutting out NYC. To get back east use I64 from Stanton to state rte 360 near Richmond
I just mapquested your suggestion Hello Again and I like how it looks. My stepdad is notorious for refusing to go against what he has always done so I don’t know if he’ll be willing to change his usual route of going through NYC (he’s never driven to my sister’s house but we used to go to Maryland in the summer). I am so glad I’m taking the train back. I love my family but road trips with them drive me nuts.
I always take I-84 and I-81 going down to Maryland from Maine. Some number of miles longer but I don’t have to worry about traffic. Very nice drive, very nice road.
Looks like you could follow 81 all the way to I-64 and then cut over to Richmond. You avoid NYC, you avoid Baltimore and you avoid Washington beltway nightmares.
[strikethrough]If Water View is where I seem to have found it on the coast of Virginia, that’s many hours out of the way. [/strikethrough] (on reread, I see that you were talking about at the Massachusetts end of things, not 81 in Virginia itself - d’oh!).
I pulled in directions from Amherst, MA to Water View, VA (just grabbed the first semi-central town in MA that I spotted on Google): http://goo.gl/maps/Ol4EL
You could definitely avoid the main part of NYC by swinging further west in MA before heading south - then go down through central or eastern Pennsylvania. By default, the map wants you to avoid Washington DC (almost totally - you cut through between Baltimore and DC) by taking US 301 south. I actually highly recommend doing that, vs. going to DC and trying to go south on 95. 95 for the first 45 miles or so is a nightmare, and we’ve done that often enough to know whereof we speak. 301 can be slow - you go south on the eastern side of the Potomac, and there are lots and lots and lots and quite a few traffic lights. But once you get onto the Virginia side it can be quite pretty.
Mama Zappa That seems to be what everyone else is suggesting (not the heading further west in MA part, the avoiding 95 part).
We’re actually in Southbridge and I work in Sturbridge so no matter whether they pick me up at work or home, we’ll be about 5 minutes from the start of 84.
It’s definitely longer to head toward 81 instead of 95 but the idea of skipping NYC, Baltimore, Philly, and DC really appeals to me and my mom. My stepdad is another story. When I explained the possibility of avoiding all the cities my mom was thrilled. I hope she can convince him. I don’t get him. He hates cities and hates getting stuck in city traffic but he’s so stubborn about considering another route.
(to give an example of what he thinks is rational: my stepbrother lives in DC. they both think it’s a wonderful idea for him to take a bus to Worcester and then drive to VA with us instead of just taking the bus to Williamsburg:smack: My mom and I think that it’s totally moronic, especially since she and my stepdad are staying down there for at least a week and will be able to visit him plenty down there)
I am talking about 1-81 in virginia, and yes, it is many miles - about a hundred and fifty - out of the way. But 95 requires you to pass through the guaranteed shitshows of NYC and DC with a good chance of additional problems on the NJ turnpike and around Philly and Baltimore; the 84/81/64 route passes no major cities and is lightly traveled, so it’s actually faster, as well as far more pleasant and scenic. You will complete your trip in equal or less time, despite the extra miles.
Of the nations 50 most congested highway locations, 8 are on I-95 between Boston and DC. Most of the average speeds are in the 35-45 mph range. You will rarely drop below 65 mph on the alternate route. (erm, the limit is 60…). Once I drove my husband’s stick on I-81 and didn’t have to shift for 6 hours.
I was doubtful too but the I-95 drive was so consistently crappy I thought I’d give it a chance… I’m a believer.
Morning rush hour on July 5 in any city is going to be unbelievably mild IMHO. I know at least half my company is taking the day off to give themselves a 4 day weekend, and I can’t imagine that’s unusual. I wouldn’t drive 150 miles out of my way to avoid the cities on that morning.
If you take 81 to virginia, don’t take 64, take 66 and then 17 to Fredricksburg. It should save you an hour while still allowing you to miss all the traffic.
My experiences with I-81 have been that it was Damnation Alley with speeding semis. The featureless greenery around the highway may be attractive, but it was hard to look up very often from the white-knuckling. It may still be the best option for you, but it may not be calm and bucolic.
