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Old 08-17-2007, 03:59 PM
 
3 posts, read 12,247 times
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Hi
I don't know if this is the right forum for posting this type of material.But I guess as I am moving to Chicago I thought let's put it in here.
I am planning to DRIVE DOWN (OUT not DOWNas told by Steve.. ) to Chicago from Providence .
I have never driven before at such a long stretch .I plan to do it on the coming long weekend .I have gone to NEw York and Boston but that is it by the farthest.
Do you guys feel that this is doable for a guy who has never drove for more then 4 hours .
I have a preggie wife and a 7 year old.
What types of precautions should I take ?.
If you know any websites which would provide info on this type of stuff ,I would love to visit them.
Thanks in advance
Yogi

Last edited by tryyogi; 08-17-2007 at 05:02 PM..
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Old 08-17-2007, 04:14 PM
 
Location: Phoenix metro
20,004 posts, read 77,246,033 times
Reputation: 10370
Quote:
Originally Posted by tryyogi View Post
Hi
I don't know if this is the right forum for posting this type of material.But I guess as I am moving to Chicago I thought let's put it in here.
I am planning to DRIVE DOWN to Chicago from Providence .
I have never driven before at such a long stretch .I plan to do it on the coming long weekend .I have gone to NEw York and Boston but that is it by the farthest.
Do you guys feel that this is doable for a guy who has never drove for more then 4 hours .
I have a preggie wife and a 7 year old.
What types of precautions should I take ?.
If you know any websites which would provide info on this type of stuff ,I would love to visit them.
Thanks in advance
Yogi
Well, youll be driving OUT to Chicago, not DOWN.

Itll be a haul, thats for sure. Ive never done the drive myself so I cant tell you how long it would take. Try MapQuest and see how long it calculates. If you stretched the drive out over a weekend, you should be fine. But youre talking to a guy whos driven 16 straight hours before and been fine.
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Old 08-17-2007, 05:04 PM
 
3 posts, read 12,247 times
Reputation: 12
I plan to activate one of those GPS stuff on my Verizon wireless....for maps .They are good at times ..!!!.
and get AAA activated.....

Yes it is around 16 hours by road....

Thanks.
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Old 08-17-2007, 11:20 PM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,951,116 times
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I've done the drive from Chicago to Connecticut. It was a 15-hour drive with a deliberate detour through NYC. I would guess the extra distance of RI versus CT would about cancel out a detour through NYC; so figure 15 hours. It also helps that I have a bladder of steel and I can make that kind of drive with no more than 2 bathroom breaks. Now, I don't know what it's like to do that much driving with a preggo and a 7-year-old... but my instinct tells me that you'll want to bunk up for the night somewhere in between and make it a two-day trip each way.
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Old 08-18-2007, 10:01 AM
 
308 posts, read 1,615,189 times
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I've made a 13-14 hr drive out to Chicago (as well as lengthier trips--up to 26 hrs) with a 6- almost 7-year-old. He was fine--never heard a complaint from him. We make the occasional stop for gas & food. That was it. Dependent upon the pregnant wife (frequent stops for bathroom and/or sickness), however, you might want to stop more frequently than we did. G'luck!
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Old 08-18-2007, 01:11 PM
 
8,425 posts, read 12,154,327 times
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I suggest you try I-84 west from around Waterbury out to Scranton to avoid the jams in NYC. (If you don't want to do that, take I-287 across Westchester and over the Tappan Zee then south in NJ to I-80 to avoid trying to get over the George Washington Bridge.) Then take I-80 all the way out to Chicago. I've done it many times. On I-80 early in the morning the fog in the western PA mountains can be just about impenetrable. Eat the local food off the highway for local color and to eliminate the boredom from the same cuisine. If you stop in the middle of the day, eat outside the car on a park bench and make a picnic out of it. Try not to hit NW Indiana from 6-10 am or 4-7 pm. The jams can bring tears to your eyes.

Speed limits are 65 in PA, 65 in Ohio and 70 in Indiana, recently.
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Old 08-18-2007, 02:03 PM
 
Location: Chicago
2,467 posts, read 12,230,282 times
Reputation: 897
I think the only real precaution is to have your vehicle double checked to make sure everything is up and running correctly.....
I would just take off and see. I just moved from Chicago to Tampa and had a 18 hour drive....turned into almost 30 hours just being in the car (traffic, wrecks, etc). So, I would just say to play it by ear. Stop when you get sick of driving and allow a few extra days so that you aren't stressed that you have to drive XX miles this day.
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Old 08-18-2007, 04:54 PM
 
169 posts, read 454,978 times
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If you've never driven more than 4 hours at a time, 16 straight will be really rough....If you're like me you'll be dozing off and hallucinating after about 10 or 12 hours.

I'd divide it into two 8-hour days with a motel stop in between. If you absolutely have to go straight through, I'd alternate 4-hour shifts with your wife.

As for websites, I've found the driving time estimates on maps.google.com to be surprisingly accurate, more so than mapquest or yahoo maps.

Last edited by valpoguy; 08-18-2007 at 05:03 PM..
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Old 08-18-2007, 05:57 PM
 
Location: Chicago
2,467 posts, read 12,230,282 times
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also, I really recommend getting some books on tape. They make the trip go much faster!
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Old 08-18-2007, 07:20 PM
 
3 posts, read 12,247 times
Reputation: 12
Great stuff members...!!!.
This is exactly the type of info I was looking for .

Thanks for all this great info...

Although one small thing still haunts me ....
For those who have done this route before .....
Is there a long stretch like 200 miles without any motel or anything of that sort.I would probably want take a good hour break before that .
I plan to start on Friday evening (31st) and stop in NJ by the night .Next day probably will drive in the morning for 6 hours and rest for some time then 6 hours with some rest room stops in between......
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