Traveling out of NYC on Thanksgiving [need advice] (Holland, Maryland: house, live in)
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Hello,
We're going to be driving to DC this Thanksgiving. We can leave either on Wednesday or Thursday. We live in the upper east side and were thinking of taking the Holland Tunnel out. Any advice on the best day and time to head out?? I'm sure traffic in DC won't be fun either... Any adivce on the return?
Thanks in advance.
Thursday AM should be fine as most travelers will be on the road on Wednesday. I might leave early on Sunday, around 6am, or later, around 8-9pm. You could also leave late Saturday to avoid traffic, but midday on Sunday will have the heaviest traffic.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
In my experience over the past 20 years, trying to get out of NYC on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or trying to get back in on the Sunday after is definitely NOT advisable. We get up early on Thursday morning and have made it to DC in just over 4 hours without breaking speed limits (by more that 5 mph!). As for the return trip, leaving at about 8 pm Saturday night or by 9 am Sunday allowed us to avoid the worst of the traffic back into NYC.
Much, Much more. To miss most of the traffic, you need to be past exit 9 (New Brunswich) on the NJT by 10am. Fill your gas tank before crossing out of NJ and wait until Maryland House to stop and get re-freshed (and something to eat).
Having EZ-Pass will get you faster through all the tolls.
I go to philly every year on thanksgiving and around christmas and I can honestly tell you that there is no perfect time to come and go. It's a total crapshoot. You can either breeze through I95 or sit in traffic for hours. I've left it up to the gods at this point.
The only two things you can be sure that will reduce your time is have an EZPASS like someone else mentioned before. Also I've found that the later (past 10pm or so) the less likely you are to run into traffic. And if possible gas up before heading out...I once sat in a line on the Jersey Turnpike station for about an hour and half.
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