Ava
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Post by Ava on Jul 13, 2019 10:21:32 GMT -5
I am planning for a road trip for the first week of September. The place I would really like to visit is South Carolina. It's approx. 900 miles and, according to Google, a 13-hour car ride. I'm afraid that is too much for me. I also dread going through NYC traffic, which happens every time I drive somewhere south.
We would like to go south rather than north because we love the beach and, by early September, places like MA, NH, VT, ME are already too cold for that, specially since I love to swim.
Other options I'm considering are Virginia Beach in VA or Rehoboth Beach in DE. We've already been to Ocean City in NJ and I'm afraid these two towns will be too similar since they are close by.
Any ideas or suggestions?
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plugginaway22
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Post by plugginaway22 on Jul 13, 2019 10:47:42 GMT -5
I can highly recommend Rehoboth or Dewey Beaches in September. Crowds gone, shops still open, ocean water warm enough for swimming, we love it at that time of year. Drive to the ferry in Cape May and take your car over to Lewes, a fun experience.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Jul 13, 2019 13:20:19 GMT -5
I love Rehoboth and Fenwick Island. I don't go to the Delaware beaches enough, always OCNJ or Avalon, NJ. Last year did a trip to Ocean City, MD with friends and took the Cape May ferry to Ocean City, NJ for hubby's family vacation. The ferry was fantastic. Cape May is also a really cute shore town. It's lovely in September.
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geenamercile
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Post by geenamercile on Jul 13, 2019 13:48:24 GMT -5
We go to Virginia Beach at the end September for ODD's birthday. There is normally the Neptune festival around that time which is a lot of fun. Water is still great too.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Jul 13, 2019 15:52:47 GMT -5
We live in Virginia Beach and September is a great time to visit. The Neptune Festival will be held the end of September so beachfront hotel rooms may be hard to get although you may be able to get one if you book soon. Try one of the booking sites online instead of calling the hotels separately. The best weekend for the Festival is 9/27 through 9/29. That weekend will have a boardwalk art show, sand sculpture exhibition, music venues and lots of food.
If you decide to go south, try going The Merritt Parkway to the Tappan Zee Bridge, then Garden State Parkway, to the Jersey Turnpike to Route 13 near Wilmington, DE, down the Eastern Shore to the Bay Bridge Tunnel to Virginia Beach.
Our weather in September is similar to CT weather in mid summer, although more humid than you’re used to.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Jul 13, 2019 17:10:25 GMT -5
We live in Virginia Beach and September is a great time to visit. The Neptune Festival will be held the end of September so beachfront hotel rooms may be hard to get although you may be able to get one if you book soon. Try one of the booking sites online instead of calling the hotels separately. The best weekend for the Festival is 9/27 through 9/29. That weekend will have a boardwalk art show, sand sculpture exhibition, music venues and lots of food. If you decide to go south, try going The Merritt Parkway to the Tappan Zee Bridge, then Garden State Parkway, to the Jersey Turnpike to Route 13 near Wilmington, DE, down the Eastern Shore to the Bay Bridge Tunnel to Virginia Beach. Our weather in September is similar to CT weather in mid summer, although more humid than you’re used to. It's the first week of September. CT weather in mid summer is heavenly to me. I don't mind the humidity at all. If it's hot and I can go to the beach and swim I'm happy. Thanks on the driving recommendation.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Jul 13, 2019 17:12:15 GMT -5
Looks like Rehoboth Beach or Virginia Beach are both great options.
I can drive there, so we'll save time, money and aggravation. I have to travel by plane when I visit home, so I am trying to avoid more flights. It's not a pleasant experience.
Probably will have to put South Carolina in the back burner for now, it's too far.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Jul 13, 2019 17:13:19 GMT -5
And I don't need to be in a beach-front hotel. I'll be at the beach every day and I'll have my car with me. Staying a few blocks from the beach is ok for me.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Jul 13, 2019 17:26:51 GMT -5
And I don't need to be in a beach-front hotel. I'll be at the beach every day and I'll have my car with me. Staying a few blocks from the beach is ok for me. Traffic at the oceanfront can be awful and you’ll pay quite a bit for daily parking. Early Sept is still considered in season and rates don’t typically go down until after the end of Sept. You may do better getting aroom within 2 or 3 blocks of the ocean and walking down to the beach. Depending on where you are in CT, plan on it taking about 10 hours driving. My family live in Colchester and it’s about 9 or so hours to my brothers house.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 13, 2019 17:55:54 GMT -5
I am planning for a road trip for the first week of September. The place I would really like to visit is South Carolina. It's approx. 900 miles and, according to Google, a 13-hour car ride. I'm afraid that is too much for me. I also dread going through NYC traffic, which happens every time I drive somewhere south. We would like to go south rather than north because we love the beach and, by early September, places like MA, NH, VT, ME are already too cold for that, specially since I love to swim. Other options I'm considering are Virginia Beach in VA or Rehoboth Beach in DE. We've already been to Ocean City in NJ and I'm afraid these two towns will be too similar since they are close by. Any ideas or suggestions? Easy to avoid driving through NYC head south using the Tappan Zee bridge. You will skirt NYC. I used to drive that route south from Connecticut to New Jersey all the time.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 13, 2019 18:07:30 GMT -5
I am planning for a road trip for the first week of September. The place I would really like to visit is South Carolina. It's approx. 900 miles and, according to Google, a 13-hour car ride. I'm afraid that is too much for me. I also dread going through NYC traffic, which happens every time I drive somewhere south. We would like to go south rather than north because we love the beach and, by early September, places like MA, NH, VT, ME are already too cold for that, specially since I love to swim. Other options I'm considering are Virginia Beach in VA or Rehoboth Beach in DE. We've already been to Ocean City in NJ and I'm afraid these two towns will be too similar since they are close by. Any ideas or suggestions? Ava-Cape Cod is warm, the water still warm, in September. Plus all the family tourists have gone home. Check with chiver78 about the Cape in September. Best time of year to go there.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Jul 13, 2019 18:07:31 GMT -5
And I don't need to be in a beach-front hotel. I'll be at the beach every day and I'll have my car with me. Staying a few blocks from the beach is ok for me. Traffic at the oceanfront can be awful and you’ll pay quite a bit for daily parking. Early Sept is still considered in season and rates don’t typically go down until after the end of Sept. You may do better getting aroom within 2 or 3 blocks of the ocean and walking down to the beach. Depending on where you are in CT, plan on it taking about 10 hours driving. My family live in Colchester and it’s about 9 or so hours to my brothers house. Oh, that's longer than I thought. Not sure I want such a long trip.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Jul 13, 2019 18:11:20 GMT -5
We generally stop every couple of hours to stretch and use the restroom. We also plan on stopping for lunch along the way. If you pack a lunch and drinks then you won’t need to stop as often and it may only take about 8 hours or so.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Jul 13, 2019 18:14:56 GMT -5
I am planning for a road trip for the first week of September. The place I would really like to visit is South Carolina. It's approx. 900 miles and, according to Google, a 13-hour car ride. I'm afraid that is too much for me. I also dread going through NYC traffic, which happens every time I drive somewhere south. We would like to go south rather than north because we love the beach and, by early September, places like MA, NH, VT, ME are already too cold for that, specially since I love to swim. Other options I'm considering are Virginia Beach in VA or Rehoboth Beach in DE. We've already been to Ocean City in NJ and I'm afraid these two towns will be too similar since they are close by. Any ideas or suggestions? Ava-Cape Cod is warm, the water still warm, in September. Plus all the family tourists have gone home. Check with chiver78 about the Cape in September. Best time of year to go there. I've already gone to Cape Cod. I try to visit different places. Maybe it was an off year but it was too cold to go to the beach, let alone swim.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Jul 13, 2019 18:15:44 GMT -5
We generally stop every couple of hours to stretch and use the restroom. We also plan on stopping for lunch along the way. If you pack a lunch and drinks then you won’t need to stop as often and it may only take about 8 hours or so. If I go to Virginia Beach I'll probably do quite a few stops. So if I leave early on a Saturday I may arrive towards the end of the day.
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simser
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Post by simser on Jul 13, 2019 21:54:51 GMT -5
I guess my questions are why south carolina (other than it's warm) and why driving? You're only one person, right? Flying may rival driving cost, and then you could rent a car there. VA beach would be right by Norfolk airport which is big (plus i love Colonial Williamsburg, so I'm quite biased).
But if you've always wanted to go to south carolina, they have airports there that would save the drive time.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 14, 2019 10:39:07 GMT -5
I am planning for a road trip for the first week of September. The place I would really like to visit is South Carolina. It's approx. 900 miles and, according to Google, a 13-hour car ride. I'm afraid that is too much for me. I also dread going through NYC traffic, which happens every time I drive somewhere south. We would like to go south rather than north because we love the beach and, by early September, places like MA, NH, VT, ME are already too cold for that, specially since I love to swim. Other options I'm considering are Virginia Beach in VA or Rehoboth Beach in DE. We've already been to Ocean City in NJ and I'm afraid these two towns will be too similar since they are close by. Any ideas or suggestions? Easy to avoid driving through NYC head south using the Tappan Zee bridge. You will skirt NYC. I used to drive that route south from Connecticut to New Jersey all the time. I FREQUENTLY drive from the Boston area to Baltimore. Through much trial and error and the loss of precious hours of my life stuck in 95 traffic anywhere from Stamford to the Delaware side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and every exit in New Jersey, I have found the fastest most reliable route to points south. It sounds wrong, but trust me, aside from an occasional work zone (which are also all along 95!!), you will keep moving and arrive faster than you ever could on 95 and your only toll will be the little Newburgh bridge and a short stretch in Virginia until you get on to 95: Take 84 west through Connecticut, into New York, across the adorable Newburgh Bridge, through a tiny slice of northern New Jersey, into Pennsylania to Scranton. In Scranton, take I-81 South to Harrisburg. In Harrisburg, take Exit 70 on to 83 South. In Gettysburg, take Exit 5B onto 15 South which will take you into Maryland. In 70 miles or so, bear left onto 270 South which will take you into Virginia. In 30 miles, merge onto 495 South. Take Exit 57A onto VA-644 South which will put you right onto 95 South AFTER all of the NYC/Jersey/Delaware/Baltimore/DC traffic. I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but if you trace it on a map a few times you will see how straightforward it is. You can break the trip up and stay in Gettysburg, PA or Fredericksburg or Gaithersburg, MD if you want — all safe areas to stay. Remember: Connecticut parkway traffic stresses you out. Traffic on 95 can be worse, especially on a warm September weekend heading south (95 is the main access to all shore routes along the Atlantic coast). Do yourself a favor and start less stressed and head south via Scranton. The Poconos offer gorgeous scenery, Wilkes-Barre has EVERY thing a traveler could need, Gettysburg is an adorable little town with immense historical significance, and you will miss ALL of the 95 insanity. If you’re a AAA member, go talk to them. They can give you a Trip Tik for my route. Whichever route you take, have fun!!!
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 14, 2019 11:29:44 GMT -5
Easy to avoid driving through NYC head south using the Tappan Zee bridge. You will skirt NYC. I used to drive that route south from Connecticut to New Jersey all the time. I FREQUENTLY drive from the Boston area to Baltimore. Through much trial and error and the loss of precious hours of my life stuck in 95 traffic anywhere from Stamford to the Delaware side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and every exit in New Jersey, I have found the fastest most reliable route to points south. It sounds wrong, but trust me, aside from an occasional work zone (which are also all along 95!!), you will keep moving and arrive faster than you ever could on 95 and your only toll will be the little Newburgh bridge and a short stretch in Virginia until you get on to 95: Take 84 west through Connecticut, into New York, across the adorable Newburgh Bridge, through a tiny slice of northern New Jersey, into Pennsylania to Scranton. In Scranton, take I-81 South to Harrisburg. In Harrisburg, take Exit 70 on to 83 South. In Gettysburg, take Exit 5B onto 15 South which will take you into Maryland. In 70 miles or so, bear left onto 270 South which will take you into Virginia. In 30 miles, merge onto 495 South. Take Exit 57A onto VA-644 South which will put you right onto 95 South AFTER all of the NYC/Jersey/Delaware/Baltimore/DC traffic. I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but if you trace it on a map a few times you will see how straightforward it is. You can break the trip up and stay in Gettysburg, PA or Fredericksburg or Gaithersburg, MD if you want — all safe areas to stay. Remember: Connecticut parkway traffic stresses you out. Traffic on 95 can be worse, especially on a warm September weekend heading south (95 is the main access to all shore routes along the Atlantic coast). Do yourself a favor and start less stressed and head south via Scranton. The Poconos offer gorgeous scenery, Wilkes-Barre has EVERY thing a traveler could need, Gettysburg is an adorable little town with immense historical significance, and you will miss ALL of the 95 insanity. If you’re a AAA member, go talk to them. They can give you a Trip Tik for my route. Whichever route you take, have fun!!! Stamford. Worked in Stamford for a while. Took me 7 hours one winter storm afternoon in the late 80s to get home to New Haven. Didn't matter if I was on I-95 or the Merritt Parkway (Rt. 15).
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 14, 2019 14:03:07 GMT -5
[/quote]Stamford. Worked in Stamford for a while. Took me 7 hours one winter storm afternoon in the late 80s to get home to New Haven. Didn't matter if I was on I-95 or the Merritt Parkway (Rt. 15). [/quote]
It can be a gorgeously sunny day of 65 with fair weather clouds and traffic on 95 in Stamford will come to an inexplicable screeching halt. 🤬
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 14, 2019 16:30:17 GMT -5
Stamford. Worked in Stamford for a while. Took me 7 hours one winter storm afternoon in the late 80s to get home to New Haven. Didn't matter if I was on I-95 or the Merritt Parkway (Rt. 15). [/quote] It can be a gorgeously sunny day of 65 with fair weather clouds and traffic on 95 in Stamford will come to an inexplicable screeching halt. 🤬 [/quote] Pretty bad too driving from southern New Jersey to Newark (where I lived for a short period of time) on a late Sunday summer afternoon. Beach traffic who more stop than go.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Jul 14, 2019 16:38:49 GMT -5
I guess my questions are why south carolina (other than it's warm) and why driving? You're only one person, right? Flying may rival driving cost, and then you could rent a car there. VA beach would be right by Norfolk airport which is big (plus i love Colonial Williamsburg, so I'm quite biased). But if you've always wanted to go to south carolina, they have airports there that would save the drive time. Two people; me and my mom. Driving because we are tired of the cost and time suck of airplanes. Where we live there is no easy way to reach any of the airports. We are far for everything with no good public transportation options. Adding two plane tickets plus car rental makes the vacation more expensive. We thought it would be doable to drive. I personally didn't realize Virginia Beach was so far away, or Delaware. I've been wanting to visit South Carolina for a long time, Charleston and Myrtle Beach. Seems to be a lovely state.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Jul 14, 2019 16:40:46 GMT -5
Easy to avoid driving through NYC head south using the Tappan Zee bridge. You will skirt NYC. I used to drive that route south from Connecticut to New Jersey all the time. I FREQUENTLY drive from the Boston area to Baltimore. Through much trial and error and the loss of precious hours of my life stuck in 95 traffic anywhere from Stamford to the Delaware side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and every exit in New Jersey, I have found the fastest most reliable route to points south. It sounds wrong, but trust me, aside from an occasional work zone (which are also all along 95!!), you will keep moving and arrive faster than you ever could on 95 and your only toll will be the little Newburgh bridge and a short stretch in Virginia until you get on to 95: Take 84 west through Connecticut, into New York, across the adorable Newburgh Bridge, through a tiny slice of northern New Jersey, into Pennsylania to Scranton. In Scranton, take I-81 South to Harrisburg. In Harrisburg, take Exit 70 on to 83 South. In Gettysburg, take Exit 5B onto 15 South which will take you into Maryland. In 70 miles or so, bear left onto 270 South which will take you into Virginia. In 30 miles, merge onto 495 South. Take Exit 57A onto VA-644 South which will put you right onto 95 South AFTER all of the NYC/Jersey/Delaware/Baltimore/DC traffic. I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but if you trace it on a map a few times you will see how straightforward it is. You can break the trip up and stay in Gettysburg, PA or Fredericksburg or Gaithersburg, MD if you want — all safe areas to stay. Remember: Connecticut parkway traffic stresses you out. Traffic on 95 can be worse, especially on a warm September weekend heading south (95 is the main access to all shore routes along the Atlantic coast). Do yourself a favor and start less stressed and head south via Scranton. The Poconos offer gorgeous scenery, Wilkes-Barre has EVERY thing a traveler could need, Gettysburg is an adorable little town with immense historical significance, and you will miss ALL of the 95 insanity. If you’re a AAA member, go talk to them. They can give you a Trip Tik for my route. Whichever route you take, have fun!!! Thank you so much for this. I'll be saving this information even if I don't need it right away. Good to know because each time I've driven south it's been a nightmare with I 95 and NYC, NJ traffic. I've been to Scranton and Wilkes Barre a few years ago. It took me a few hours to get there from CT but no traffic jams and it wasn't particularly stressful.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Jul 14, 2019 16:43:11 GMT -5
Easy to avoid driving through NYC head south using the Tappan Zee bridge. You will skirt NYC. I used to drive that route south from Connecticut to New Jersey all the time. I FREQUENTLY drive from the Boston area to Baltimore. Through much trial and error and the loss of precious hours of my life stuck in 95 traffic anywhere from Stamford to the Delaware side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and every exit in New Jersey, I have found the fastest most reliable route to points south. It sounds wrong, but trust me, aside from an occasional work zone (which are also all along 95!!), you will keep moving and arrive faster than you ever could on 95 and your only toll will be the little Newburgh bridge and a short stretch in Virginia until you get on to 95: Take 84 west through Connecticut, into New York, across the adorable Newburgh Bridge, through a tiny slice of northern New Jersey, into Pennsylania to Scranton. In Scranton, take I-81 South to Harrisburg. In Harrisburg, take Exit 70 on to 83 South. In Gettysburg, take Exit 5B onto 15 South which will take you into Maryland. In 70 miles or so, bear left onto 270 South which will take you into Virginia. In 30 miles, merge onto 495 South. Take Exit 57A onto VA-644 South which will put you right onto 95 South AFTER all of the NYC/Jersey/Delaware/Baltimore/DC traffic. I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but if you trace it on a map a few times you will see how straightforward it is. You can break the trip up and stay in Gettysburg, PA or Fredericksburg or Gaithersburg, MD if you want — all safe areas to stay. Remember: Connecticut parkway traffic stresses you out. Traffic on 95 can be worse, especially on a warm September weekend heading south (95 is the main access to all shore routes along the Atlantic coast). Do yourself a favor and start less stressed and head south via Scranton. The Poconos offer gorgeous scenery, Wilkes-Barre has EVERY thing a traveler could need, Gettysburg is an adorable little town with immense historical significance, and you will miss ALL of the 95 insanity. If you’re a AAA member, go talk to them. They can give you a Trip Tik for my route. Whichever route you take, have fun!!! This is just ridiculous. In order to get to Virginia Beach, Delaware beaches, or Maryland beaches, you're getting off 95 after Wilmington and taking 1 to 113 (DE/MD beaches) to 13 (for VA beach). There's no need to avoid Baltimore/DC traffic because you're going nowhere near those places driving coastal.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 14, 2019 20:46:13 GMT -5
Not entirely ridiculous.
Ava has previously posted very openly about how she finds highway traffic very, very, stressful. I was giving her a route that keeps her away from the routes that can almost be guaranteed to have high-pressure traffic situations.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Jul 15, 2019 7:22:25 GMT -5
Then from Scranton I'd get on 476 south to 95 and then follow the more direct Eastern shore route (1 to 113 to 13). Then you don't have to go through all that crazy out of the way driving to avoid Baltimore and DC since there's no need to go anywhere near there. I've been doing this drive since I was a kid. It's hella easy. I drove to Corolla with my sister last month and she lives off 81. We took 81 to 50 to 17 to 95 to 64 (then continued on 168). It's the best route for where they live but it's still a big round route. It's dreadful. It's long. There's no reason to avoid the Eastern shore route if you don't have to.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jul 15, 2019 7:24:08 GMT -5
Trying to find my motivation. Right now my inner overtired toddler is in charge.
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nittanycheme
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Post by nittanycheme on Jul 16, 2019 9:49:01 GMT -5
Easy to avoid driving through NYC head south using the Tappan Zee bridge. You will skirt NYC. I used to drive that route south from Connecticut to New Jersey all the time. I FREQUENTLY drive from the Boston area to Baltimore. Through much trial and error and the loss of precious hours of my life stuck in 95 traffic anywhere from Stamford to the Delaware side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and every exit in New Jersey, I have found the fastest most reliable route to points south. It sounds wrong, but trust me, aside from an occasional work zone (which are also all along 95!!), you will keep moving and arrive faster than you ever could on 95 and your only toll will be the little Newburgh bridge and a short stretch in Virginia until you get on to 95: Take 84 west through Connecticut, into New York, across the adorable Newburgh Bridge, through a tiny slice of northern New Jersey, into Pennsylania to Scranton. In Scranton, take I-81 South to Harrisburg. In Harrisburg, take Exit 70 on to 83 South. In Gettysburg, take Exit 5B onto 15 South which will take you into Maryland. In 70 miles or so, bear left onto 270 South which will take you into Virginia. In 30 miles, merge onto 495 South. Take Exit 57A onto VA-644 South which will put you right onto 95 South AFTER all of the NYC/Jersey/Delaware/Baltimore/DC traffic. I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but if you trace it on a map a few times you will see how straightforward it is. You can break the trip up and stay in Gettysburg, PA or Fredericksburg or Gaithersburg, MD if you want — all safe areas to stay. Remember: Connecticut parkway traffic stresses you out. Traffic on 95 can be worse, especially on a warm September weekend heading south (95 is the main access to all shore routes along the Atlantic coast). Do yourself a favor and start less stressed and head south via Scranton. The Poconos offer gorgeous scenery, Wilkes-Barre has EVERY thing a traveler could need, Gettysburg is an adorable little town with immense historical significance, and you will miss ALL of the 95 insanity. If you’re a AAA member, go talk to them. They can give you a Trip Tik for my route. Whichever route you take, have fun!!! How do you get to Gettysburg from 83S? If you want to go to Gettysburg you'll need to get off 83 and travel for a while on 30W - probably around an hour depending on the light cycles. Besides, you can get on 11/15 and continue on 15 in the harrisburg area. There is an exit for Rt 11 off 81 in Harrisburg. It will then combine with 15 for a few miles, and then will split out into 11 going west and 15 going SW. Essentially 83 is on one side the river and 11/15 goes down the other.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 16, 2019 11:11:05 GMT -5
Oops. My bad. I left out taking exit 41A in Harrisburg onto PA-581 West toward Gettysburg, then pick up 15 South at Exit 5B-A.
ETA: I drive this route regularly enough that my car now basically drives itself. 😜. I had to stop and THINK about the highway and exit numbers. 😆
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jul 18, 2019 15:36:42 GMT -5
Easy to avoid driving through NYC head south using the Tappan Zee bridge. You will skirt NYC. I used to drive that route south from Connecticut to New Jersey all the time. I FREQUENTLY drive from the Boston area to Baltimore. Through much trial and error and the loss of precious hours of my life stuck in 95 traffic anywhere from Stamford to the Delaware side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge and every exit in New Jersey, I have found the fastest most reliable route to points south. It sounds wrong, but trust me, aside from an occasional work zone (which are also all along 95!!), you will keep moving and arrive faster than you ever could on 95 and your only toll will be the little Newburgh bridge and a short stretch in Virginia until you get on to 95: Take 84 west through Connecticut, into New York, across the adorable Newburgh Bridge, through a tiny slice of northern New Jersey, into Pennsylania to Scranton. In Scranton, take I-81 South to Harrisburg. In Harrisburg, take Exit 70 on to 83 South. In Gettysburg, take Exit 5B onto 15 South which will take you into Maryland. In 70 miles or so, bear left onto 270 South which will take you into Virginia. In 30 miles, merge onto 495 South. Take Exit 57A onto VA-644 South which will put you right onto 95 South AFTER all of the NYC/Jersey/Delaware/Baltimore/DC traffic. I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but if you trace it on a map a few times you will see how straightforward it is. You can break the trip up and stay in Gettysburg, PA or Fredericksburg or Gaithersburg, MD if you want — all safe areas to stay. Remember: Connecticut parkway traffic stresses you out. Traffic on 95 can be worse, especially on a warm September weekend heading south (95 is the main access to all shore routes along the Atlantic coast). Do yourself a favor and start less stressed and head south via Scranton. The Poconos offer gorgeous scenery, Wilkes-Barre has EVERY thing a traveler could need, Gettysburg is an adorable little town with immense historical significance, and you will miss ALL of the 95 insanity. If you’re a AAA member, go talk to them. They can give you a Trip Tik for my route. Whichever route you take, have fun!!! I have used routes suggested in "A Shunpiker's Guide to the Northeast" to travel relatively serenely between Baltimore and Boston on several occasions. It takes a little longer, but it is much more relaxing and offers some pleasant scenery and interesting diversions along the way. I fully agree that faster is not always better. Sometimes it's worth the extra time to avoid the congestion and the crazy drivers.
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geenamercile
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:40:28 GMT -5
Posts: 2,477
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Post by geenamercile on Jul 25, 2019 10:33:00 GMT -5
Just some thoughts on the 2 beaches, Virginia Beach and Myrtle Beach. We like Myrtle Beach a lot better, but Virginia Beach is way closer. The reason we like Myrtle Beach better are, the water is cleaner. I think part of this may be because Myrtle beach is on the Atlantic ocean, Virginia Beach is actually on the Chesapeake bay. When at Virginia Beach you can see the larger ships in pass through, I imagine this also stirs up some of the muck and makes the water less clear. It isn't filthy but you can't really like watch the little fish swim around near the shore. The waves are also bigger at Myrtle beach, again I think this is because it is actually on the Atlantic ocean. Virginia Beach really isn't that big and it is more commercial then the Myrtle beach. It may also be that Myrtle beach is larger so things are more spread out. Virginia Beach does have more of a night life. There is a club on Virginia Beach that seems to be a big draw. Virginia Beach also seems more crowded, larger sand area between the board walk and the beach with way more people. They also comb the beach several times over night and in the morning, so can't really sea shell hunt which the girls enjoy. Both have airplane noise. Virginia Beach has the military jets as well regular planes. Myrtle Beach has an airport. For us Virginia Beach is a good weekend get away as it is 3 hours away, Myrtle Beach is around 8. We are Central/Northern VA. Thinking about trying out Nags Head or Outerbanks sometime soon in NC.
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