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Anyone driven up to NYC from here? My family needs to go to NYC this Friday, but since it is a last minute trip, the airfare is very expensive for 2 adults. I have a baby, but she is free since only 9 months old.
Just wondering if anyone has driven all the way up there? Is the drive reasonable? Thank you.
My friend's family goes down to Raleigh from Manhattan each year and back and they say it's not too bad. Be thankful that you don't have to go to upstate NY; I hear driving through Pennsylvania is a terror.
It all depends on which way you want to go & where in the NYC area you're headed.
I-85 to I-95 offers more places to stop for gas, food & lodging (if necessary). You'll also have about $25 each way in tolls. It's more heavily traveled & can be a traffic nightmare around DC as well.
You can also go I-77 to I-81 & then it depends on where in the NYC area you're going to. Meaning, you can go through PA & NJ & Staten Island if you're headed to Bklyn, Queens & LI. Or PA & NJ to go over either the GW Bridge or Tappan Zee Bridge for Manhattan, the Bronx or Rockland Cty & Westchester Cty. Further up, like Putnam Cty, you can take I-84 from I-81. The hinkiest part of the trip is the mountain pass on I-77 to I-81 and some roads through PA if the weather is snowy/icy.
I've made the trip several times in the last 6 yrs. It all depends on when in NY I was headed as the the route I took, but we've done them all. It can take 12 hrs. depending on how many times you stop, traffic, etc...
Mapquest it! It will give you a choice of 3 different routes to take with est. time & milage. Safe travels!!
Last edited by BxRosie; 02-27-2012 at 12:19 PM..
Reason: typo
I make the trip every summer. We always take I-77 to 81. 95 has too much traffic and too many tolls. It's a boring ride but it's really not that bad. Get a book on tape. Pennsylvania is the worst part of the trip. It's just kind of depressing out there. Every once in a while we fly. With delays, waiting for baggage, waiting to be picked up, inconveniencing family up there, just not worth it. better to drive. We leave our car outside of the city with family and take the train in.
Just got back to NY from Charlotte yesterday. I-77 to 81 is the easier route....seems like a longer distance but you'll save time. Lots of areas to stop to rest & eat. You will probably only hit traffic once you get close to Jersey City and the tunnel<<<<welcome to NY. All traffic, all the time
Just got back to NY from Charlotte yesterday. I-77 to 81 is the easier route....seems like a longer distance but you'll save time. Lots of areas to stop to rest & eat. You will probably only hit traffic once you get close to Jersey City and the tunnel<<<<welcome to NY. All traffic, all the time
This is definitely the route to take And I find it very scenic actually
Haven driven it both ways (i85-I95) & (77-81-78) I know both ways pretty well...I would say hands down 77-81....
Its a much more scenic route, less opportunity for traffic, zero tolls..
The only pitfall is driving through the mountains..especially near the 77/81 interchange....visibility is awful on the wyndy roads due to fog/rain....
The Shenendoah Valley is extremely beautiful country. JMU area is very pretty.
You can do Charlotte-NYC in under 10hrs if you don't make too many long pit stops...
X2.. I did it from Exit 58 on L.I. to Concord in about 12 hours,thats stopping to eat once and gas as necessary.That interchange got me a bit nervous, we got caught in a heavy down pour but other than that its not too bad.I am not a fan of 95.
The interchange is the worst part of it and not a problem if the weather is good. We used to go up every Christmas too. Have to say, those mountains and farms are BLEAK in the winter. It used to depress me so much to see those isolated, dilapidated houses out in the middle of nowhere and see a light on. In the summer, when it's green and pretty, it's quite a lovely ride. There are stretches of road that remind me of Ireland. The last time we drove up, we went right to the Jersey shore instead of the city. That last half hour on the Jersey Turnpike was awful. Every Guido (I'm allowed, I'm a Guida) in North Jersey was speeding down to the shore on Friday night. I was in the slow lane doing 80 and cars were coming right up behind me and beeping. I was shaking when I got to LBI!
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And I find it very scenic actually 
