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The drive is actually quite boring considering all the urban areas you go through. Between NYC and DC (the Beltway) the only cities you really see are Baltimore and New York. You also see the industrial areas and airport at Newark. North of New York I rarely take I-95 (usually I-84) so I don't remeber what it's like.
As mentioned above you should take Amtrak so you can see the ghettos of Newark, North Philadelphia, and East Baltimore . The last time I took it I remember seeing rows and rows of boarded up rowhomes in both cities.
The drive is actually quite boring considering all the urban areas you go through. Between NYC and DC (the Beltway) the only cities you really see are Baltimore and New York. You also see the industrial areas and airport at Newark. North of New York I rarely take I-95 (usually I-84) so I don't remeber what it's like.
Actually, you see drive through Philadelphia for about 20 miles and you can see the city the whole 20.
I used to take interstate 84 to Interstate 81 then down the 270. Iits a bit longer, but a very nice drive without having to deal with the Jersey Turnpike
But even more so, its not at all a scenic drive. Very ugly in fact.
It's ugly if you think winding roads among mountains or seacoasts are the only drives that are scenic. I find the urban landscapes in the Northeast to be very beautiful, even amazing.
Perhaps my favorite segment is the NJ Turnpike in northern NJ. As you pass 13A going northbound, look to the right and you'll see the largest container terminal (seaport) on the east coast. You'll also see one of the busiest freight rail lines in the country (Chemical Coast Line). To the left, there's Newark Airport, busy with planes landing and taking off right next to the expressway. At night, you see the lights of planes lined up for landing. Beyond the airport is the busiest segment of the busiest passenger rail line in the country, the Northeast Corridor Line. Not to mention the Turnpike itself, at that point 16 lanes wide with truck lanes, HOV lanes and cars-only lanes separated. There are few places in the world where so many modes of transportation come together in such a big way in one place. Beyond the airport and seaport you pass the Pulaski Skyway (IMO, a beautiful structure), and then the most dense (passenger throughput per lane-mile) busway in North America if not the world, the Route 495 Exclusive Bus Lane (XBL), which carries 25,000 commuters per hour into Manhattan.
To me it's just a fascinating place of organized transportation chaos, and far from "ugly."
I've been to Boston, NYC, DC- separately and via plane.
So what is the drive between and within the "BosWash" corridor like?, as it is such a largely urbanized stretch..Is it truly nonstop urban development along just a main interstate or are there pockets of rural areas along the drive? How long is the drive from Boston to DC on the main route?
Is there a noticeable change of pace as you get further north?
There are rural areas in South Jersey that you would pass through.
It's ugly if you think winding roads among mountains or seacoasts are the only drives that are scenic. I find the urban landscapes in the Northeast to be very beautiful, even amazing.
Perhaps my favorite segment is the NJ Turnpike in northern NJ. As you pass 13A going northbound, look to the right and you'll see the largest container terminal (seaport) on the east coast. You'll also see one of the busiest freight rail lines in the country (Chemical Coast Line). To the left, there's Newark Airport, busy with planes landing and taking off right next to the expressway. At night, you see the lights of planes lined up for landing. Beyond the airport is the busiest segment of the busiest passenger rail line in the country, the Northeast Corridor Line. Not to mention the Turnpike itself, at that point 16 lanes wide with truck lanes, HOV lanes and cars-only lanes separated. There are few places in the world where so many modes of transportation come together in such a big way in one place. Beyond the airport and seaport you pass the Pulaski Skyway (IMO, a beautiful structure), and then the most dense (passenger throughput per lane-mile) busway in North America if not the world, the Route 495 Exclusive Bus Lane (XBL), which carries 25,000 commuters per hour into Manhattan.
To me it's just a fascinating place of organized transportation chaos, and far from "ugly."
WOW, I think you're my new best friend. I love driving the Turnpike, and since I work in for a public and commercial transportation agency, I get the fascination. You have good description skills, too!
I hope you like huge citys, aggressive drivers, traffic backups and ugly scenery. Oh and if you get off the highway youll find that wonderful northeast attitude in the people. Dont let anyone kid you, there is NO rural stretch of that road, just city and suburb. Im from out in Michigan though and my definition of rural is very different than east coast definition of rural. Good luck with that trip.
But even more so, its not at all a scenic drive. Very ugly in fact.
Unfortunately most of 1-95 is pretty boring all the way from Florida to Maine. Some of it is ugly urban views, but much of the reast of it is endless flat areas with trees.
There are some nice areas however. Thru northern Virginia and especially northern Maryland you cross over some nice hilly areas of the Piedmont. As someone mentioned there are some interesting urban views here and there.
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. The last time I took it I remember seeing rows and rows of boarded up rowhomes in both cities.
