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Originally Posted by ChristianKiev
The reason for choosing a car over flying are various:
- commuter flights have Y class only, so no luggage allowance (except one bag due to my *A Gold status)
- we wanted to see a bit of the US and thought it's a good way
It looks like a 7 hr drive from Manhattan to the Niagara Falls and 8 hours to DC. Flying will not be much shorter when you calculate driving from/to the airport, check-in, security....
If you're driving because you want to see the country, that's fine -- although you could also take Amtrak from Manhattan to Buffalo or Niagara Falls. But taking the train takes longer than driving.
If you decide to drive, I would recommend going through the Catskill Mountains (NY route 17/Interstate 86) rather than through Pennsylvania (Interstates 80/380/81). Going through the Catskills will add about 20 minutes to the drive, but it's a much prettier drive.
You also have the option of driving just to Buffalo/Niagara Falls, and flying from BUF to the Washington area. If this interests you, check Southwest's fares from BUF to BWI on southwest.com. Southwest allows two free checked bags per passenger.
