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Hello NYers - I'm hoping you could give me a hand with some directions.
My best friend in the whole world is getting married at Niagara Falls in May 2008. I of course have every intention of being at this wedding, but my DH and I are trying to figure out the most economical way to get there without breaking the bank, especially since he is currently unemployed. (Hopefully he'll be employed by then but right now, while we're planning, we're trying to do this trip on a budget.)
Searching the Internet for flights (expedia, travelocity, kayak, and individual carriers web sites) indicates that prices are all over the board. We can fly direct (preferred method) for anywhere from $300-$600 per person, or we can risk delays and lost luggage with a connection for around $200 per person. The cost of the flight, plus the cost of the hotel, rental car, meals, transportation to the airport and/or parking at the airport, plus the cost of boarding our dog and a nice wedding gift, is causing me a huge headache!
Last night we were entertaining the idea of driving up. My car is very economical on gas and can get almost 400 miles to the tank with highway driving. Google tells me that the drive would be close to 11 hours, but at least we'd have a car when we got there and wouldn't have to rent one.
OK, done rambling with the back story. The questions at hand are (1) what route would you take and (2) are there any toll roads and how much should we expect to pay for the tolls?
Ive been with people on that drive before. While I cant remember the exact route... looking at a map Im pretty sure we took .. well reveresed for you, would be something like 77 north to 79 to the 90 near Erie. The only thing special we did was take rt 19 in WV that connects 79 and 77 east of charleston. I cant remember if that saved much time or not.
As for Tolls, I cant remember if there was any outside of NYS ... you'll definately pay tolls on the 90 from the PA border to whereever you are going. Itll be a couple dollars from the state line to the Lackawanna Toll barrier... after that you want to take the 190 exit and .. depending on where in niagara falls you are going (US/Canada) you can either take the Peace Bridge which is exit 9 off the 190 or continue on the 190 over grand island whcih has tolls, 50c 75 i cant remember then youll take either the rainbow or queenston lewiston bridge. I dont even know what the bridge tolls are anymore.
Also Id watch the info signs on the thruway to see what the wait time is for which bridge, there is so many canadian shoppers taking advantage of our deals and weakening dollar there is big waits on the bridges, and its worth it to drive all the way to a different crossing if its less busy.
Thanks, aka_mouse, for this info. We'll be staying on the US side so hopefully we won't have to worry about crossing the bridge(s) at any particular time.
How long would you say the drive takes? Is it about 11 hours?
You should have very little trouble on that drive (going by aka's directions), as all of the highways you will be taking steer clear of the very populated cities of the East. I can't say I've been to Charlotte, by I have driven from Rochester (60 miles east of Buffalo) to Pittsburgh a number of times, which is about a 4.5 hour trip. So once you get into Pittsburgh, you've got about 3.5 hours of driving before you get into the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area.
Also, if I remember correctly, I think the speed limit on WV Interstates is 70, which could save you a little bit of time as well. With 3 or 4 15-minute stops along the way, I don't imagine the drive could take any more than 12 hours. Tolls will be about $6-$8 round trip in NY, but I'm not sure about the brief toll road in WV.
I've taken to Raleigh to Rochester trip countless times (but no more...now that we are back in Rochester for good). I Can't imagine it being too different from the Charlotte-Buffalo trip. We usually averaged about 12 hours. Actually, if you are coming from Charlotte, which is a little further south than Raleigh, to NF, it might be a little more.
Have you considered asking a tour bus company what route they would take? I am truly serious. If you have a local tour bus company that does trips up here, or if you have a friend who belongs to the Automobile Association, walk in and ask the quickest directions.
(Using Auto Assn. driections, my daughter went to Myrtle beach loast year and she said it took about 11 hours. They also drove in a rainstorm)
as for the time it takes? I think it was 10-11 hours.. but me and my friends drive like maniacs which you might not want to do .. i think we were averaging 85 mph through WV (which a lot of people down there do anyway)
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