I got word a few weeks back that I’ve been accepted to the Odyssey writing workshop, so I’m going to be spending six weeks this summer in New Hampshire studying writing science fiction and fantasy! (And spending lots of very full days at it, apparently: the program curriculum is intense!)
I’ve pretty much decided on driving there in my 2007 Vibe, both so that I’ve got the car available for when I want to go off-campus, and so I can pack more than I’d be able to take on a plane. The registration for student apartments is open until 7pm on Sunday evening, so I figured that I could get an early start from Hamilton, take short hourly rest breaks and a few longer ones once I’m across the border, and make it in one day with plenty of time. Google maps lists it as a little more than eight hours driving with good traffic, Hamilton to Manchester. Of course, to get an early start I’d have to nearly finish packing the night before.
I haven’t done anything like that long a drive by myself; probably the longest would be to the Buffalo-Niagara airport, (about a quarter of the way,) or to Toronto. I’ve already looked into the CAA/AAA Triptic maps, and getting onboard navigation for my iPhone so that I can get emergency directions without needing to pay for roaming data.
Specific question: What are the toll roads in New York State like? If you don’t have EZpass, do you have to drive up to a toll booth and pay in cash when you leave? What about when you get onto the toll road? Do you have to get some sort of receipt to prove where you started?
And any tips about road trips in general or driving through the New York upstate/Massachusetts/New Hampshire area would be much appreciated, thanks.
Do yourself a favor and get an EZ Pass device. My sister once took about an hour to get through a toll near Albany because she didn’t have EZ Pass. You need to tie it to a credit card, but they only fill it with about $25 at a time, so it shouldn’t be a huge financial burden.
I’d suggest taking a small cooler full of beverages, and maybe some snacks. Often easier and cheaper than stopping at gas stations. If memory serves of an 8 hour drive, you will probably only need to stop about every two hours for bathroom break and/or stretching. A roadside stop is usually quickest for this.
I would usually wake up and finish packing. Leave in the early morning. Drive about two hours, and stop for bathroom and stretching. Drive two more hours, stop for lunch. This might be a quick sit down or fast food for eating in the car, depending on how frisky I was feeling. Then drive two more hours, break for bathroom and stretch. Drive last two hours.
Thanks for the tip about EZ Pass. I guess I figured there was some huge initial signup fee, but a $25 starting balance won’t even cover my tolls both ways, so I could put in thirty five or something and be great.
Bringing snacks is definitely good. Is there water available for free at roadside rest stops? I’m not that big on pop; I could bring some juice, or maybe just some bottled water even though I tend to steer clear of those when I can for environmental reasons.
The bathroom/lunch breaks every two hours sounds about right. A friend suggested to stop every hour even if it’s just for a stretch, and I think that’s probably good. It would suck to pass one roadside stop just to realize that I’m getting a cramp in my leg or something and have to decide if I can make it to the next or if I should get off at the next exit and find someplace to park.
The prettiest part of your trip will be as you cross the Berkshire Hills (some call them “mountains,” but they haven’t really been that since about the Devonian geologic period…). If you really have time to stretch your legs, it’s worth a five-minute detour to hang out for an hour, say, in Stockbridge (or another similarly quaint village), and take a stroll, maybe at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens (just off I-90/Mass Pike). (If you’re on a budget you might want to skip the expensive ice cream cones of villages like Stockbridge.)
“Stewart’s” has, for decades, been a chain of upstate-New-York gas stations/convenience stores, with their own (cheaper) ice creams and flavored sodas. I assume they’re still scattered around the area. If you get off the interstate and see one, you might want to check it out – a bit more regionally unique than your typical gas station mart.
Just stay off the toll road. There are plenty of roads, they all have numbers that correspond to those shown on simple road maps, and are well signposted. US-20 across New York is a pretty nice drive, but don’t be afraid of little dink roads. There are actually people living in the towns and country side, and they are normal just like everybody else, and there are gas stations and restaurants and everything and they accept credit cards. Upstate New York is not like driving across the Mohave Desert.
I’m going to disagree on the EZ Pass. I see no real need for it. Whatever delay happened to mcgato’s sister is extremely unusual. Normally, even a five minute delay would be considered unusually long. You’ll usually get through in less than a minute.
The Thruway is a pretty simple system. When you’re getting on, you’ll see the line of booths. Some will have an EZ Pass Only sign - obviously avoid those if you don’t have an EZ Pass. Then watch for a booth that has a green light. You drive through and they hand you a ticket. That ticket shows where you entered the Thruway and lists how much you’ll pay based on where you exit. Don’t lose the card because if you do, they’ll charge you the maximum amount. When you get to your exit, you drive up to another booth and pay there. You’re going to be charged around fourteen dollars for the trip you’re planning.
The advantage of the Thruway is that it’s definitely the fastest drive across New York going east or west. The disadvantage is it’s a boring drive. You’re going to be mostly looking at fields and trees for five hours.
The rest stops along the Thruway are pretty good. There are two types. Some are just parking stops - these have nothing except a place to park your car. The others are full rest stops. These have water to drink, bathrooms, vending machines, maps, gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants.
When you pick up your Thruway ticket, it’ll have a list of all the rest stop locations on it and what mileage marker they’re at. Keep in mind you’ll only be able to stop at the eastbound ones. There will also be signs along the way telling you when there’s an upcoming rest stop.
I have to agree with Little Nemo about getting an EZ Pass. It’s probably not worth it for one round trip. Just carry enough cash to cover the tolls on the NY Thruway and Mass Turnpike. It should be a little less than $20 for the entire distance. Here’s a link to the NY Thruway and Mass Turnpike web sites. They have toll calculators available on each site as well as listings of the travel plazas and parking areas.
It’s been a few years since I was on the NYS Thruway, so they might have changed their paving methods, but what I remember is kachunk kachunk kachunk kachunk kachunk for 200 miles. Lulls you to sleep, it does.
