Savvy Traveler

So, you all know the story: boy meets girl on airplane, boy and girl like each other, girl lives in different city and boy goes to visit.

I've worked out that the cheapest way to get from DC to NY is actually to rent a car and drive. (This was after my Amtrak price shock and awe). Parking in NY is (miraculously) taken care of. So I'm looking for advice on the drive. I'm a West coast boy who just moved out here and I know there are some tolls driving through Jersey, but I'm not really sure how all that works (hey, we don't have many toll roads out West!)

Anyone care to offer some tips and/or tricks for the drive?

Thanks in advance!

ewrfox

NYC-DC is like 4hrs by Car... LOL... WHy don't you book a flight on Independence Air... They have One-way for $99 and has 16 or so Flights from EWR, and number of flights from LGA and JFK…

So 200+ is a saving IMO than driving 4hrs each way… Plus with flying you get to spent more time with the girl… LoL

choster

Chinatown bus is $35 round trip; so is Greyhound if you reserve three days in advance. A round trip unreserved ticket on Amtrak is 5000 points. Might be a good use of any orphaned Continental miles.

DC to NY up I-95 is the most direct and probably the most unpleasant in terms of tolls, as you get hit at the Ft. McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore, the Delaware "Turnpike," Delaware Memorial Bridge, essentially the entire length of the New Jersey Turnpike, and the the bridge(s) and/or tunnel(s) to get into whatever part of New York you're visiting.

If you are starting from due south or east of the District there are those who try to avoid I-95 via Baltimore altogether by taking U.S. 50 to U.S. 301 to I-95 just south of Newark DE. You can also cut over to I-295 in New Castle DE and avoid a few miles of the NJ Turnpike by riding it to I-195 southeast of Trenton, then taking 195 back east to the Turnpike. Both are less direct, and taking 50 east during the summer you will hit heavy Bay Bridge traffic with all the folks headed for the Eastern Shore or to the Delaware beaches.

Canarsie

It will take longer due to traffic signals (yet you will pay fewer tolls), but you could take Interstate 95 north all the way through Pennsylvania to U.S. 1 north of Trenton. Take U.S. 1 north through Princeton, South Brunswick, North Brunswick, New Brunswick, Edison, Woodbridge, Linden, Elizabeth and Newark. After crossing over the Pulaski Skyway, follow the signs to the Lincoln Tunnel ($6.00 toll) into Manhattan. This route north of Delaware is less expensive than taking the Delaware Memorial Bridge and New Jersey Turnpike as there are no tolls other than the Lincoln Tunnel, which you would pay the $6.00 no matter which route you take to get into New York. There is even a way around the toll in Delaware, but I forget the best wat to avoid that toll at the moment. Portions of U.S. 1 are limited-access highway and portions are with synchronized traffic lights.

I have taken this route many times. It may not be the best route, but it is direct.

LeoB

Go to the Washington Post website and seach the archives for a column by Dr. Gridlock. He has published a number of times a route between Washington and New York that avoids tolls and the combat driving on I-95.

Leo

rkkwan

1. Between DC and Baltimore, it's a tossup. I used to take the 295/BWParkway and the I-895 Harbor Tunnel, as I find it less stressful than I-95. But I-95 is usually faster as traffic moves at around 70+ on "good days" on I-95, but only about 60 maximum on the Parkway.

2. Take I-295 after crossing Delaware Memorial Bridge, instead of jumping onto NJTP immediately. Save some toll. And even more importantly coming back: make sure you switch back to I-295 by Exit 4 or 6, as there's often a long backup on NJTP at the toll just before the bridge.

3. Near NYC, when the NJTP splits into the "cars only" and "cars/trucks" lanes, stay to the right and use the "cars/trucks" ones, as traffic usually flows better there. [Not all the time, but percentage wise my experience is better in the right hand lanes.] Same thing coming back.

Canarsie

The Baltimore-Washington Parkway is also a more scenic route than Interstate 95. This is an excellent suggestion.With the route I mentioned in my previous milepost in this thread, one avoids the toll on the Delaware Memorial Bridge altogether.

However, if one wants to avoid U.S. 1 but still wants to avoid the Delaware Memorial Bridge, simply take Interstate 95 to U.S. 1 in Pennsylvania before arriving in Trenton. Take U.S. 1 north (it is a limited-access highway at this point) over the toll bridge (there is no toll in the northbound direction) and immediately exit onto New Jersey State Highway 29 south towards Interstate 195. There are only a couple of traffic lights, but New Jersey State Highway 29 becomes a limited-access highway and eventually becomes Interstate 195. Take that to the New Jersey Turnpike north. This is a better way to save on tolls, and it is almost as fast as taking the Delaware Memorial Bridge directly into the New Jersey Turnpike.

Other exits along U.S. 1 one can take if one wants to take the New Jersey Turnpike:

• Interstate 287 into New Jersey State Highway 440 east
• New Jersey State Highway 18
• Interstate 278

While this suggestion usually may be true during rush hour, this suggestion can be hit or miss. Watch for the overhead signs on the New Jersey Turnpike warning of any closures, as the green signs will turn red. This system is certainly not perfect, but it can be helpful.

DLSIZE

The DE Memorial Bridge is no toll northbound to NJ.

GUWonder

Well, depending on the car depreciation on a per mile basis and the gas/toll costs, driving round-trip for one person can be more expensive than flying; add in the cost of time and I cannot afford to drive myself since nothing gets done on a self-drive.

The bus is probably the cheapest round-trip option, all costs included; the train is over-priced but reliable and on schedule (generally). The shuttle flights are reasonably priced -- especially with advance planning or if your corp. rate can be used for personal travel too -- but timing can be off schedule (on more than a rare occassion).

GUWonder

Are we to presume you are over 25? If under, don't forget the per day car rental insurance for "under age" that applies for all big name car rental places most all of the time. The $15 to $25 surcharges per day (or partial day) do add up quickly.

Canarsie

That shows how long it has been since I crossed it...

DeafFlyer

I just tried a route similar to Dr. Gridlock's (Washington Post) suggestion. I-95 to I-695 west around Baltimore. Take I-83 north to Harrisburg, Pa.. Take I-81 to I-78 and head into NYC that way. It's longer, but less stressful, and no tolls until you reach NYC bridge. It also takes about the same amount of time as I-95 and NJ turnpike.

Of course you'll need to find the way from 78 to NYC since I don't know the best way from there.

pdhenry

Stay on 78 through New Jersey - it takes you right past Newark Airport and it's (fairly) easy to get to the Holland or Lincoln Tunnel from there.

cordelli

If you fly, remember to figure in all the time to get to the airport, the amount of time you have to be there early and the rest, that makes driving a bit more attractive.

If you drive, and this turns out to be a more then one or two trips, consider getting an ezpass from one of the states that issue them, it will make your trip through the toll booths so much quicker, especially if you are not travelling at rush hour, when they have sixty ez pass lanes and one cash lane open.

pdhenry

I noticed today that NY/NJ Port Authority now has a $1 monthly fee for having an EzPass issued through them; in PA it's still $3 per year.