sailingsailing

I will be driving from Westchester County, NY to Boston for Memorial Day week-end. Anyone have a great route to reccomend? No traffic - nice scenery - and not too long a dirve? Or am I asking for the impossible?

seetheworld

In good weather, we take I-84 from Westchester, NY to Boston. On at good day, you can make it in about 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

seetheworld

On Memorial Day, if you do not want to sit in traffic, you should head back home either in the morning or later in the evening. The afternoon is the worst.

lolfn

95 is not the quickest way to boston even without traffic. we always headed up the merritt to 91 to 84 to the mass pike into boston.

also, as someone who drove from nyc to the hamptons every summer weekend for years and then from nyc to md's eastern shore for years---holiday weekends are the lightest traffic wise. people tell me i'm crazy but it's true! on a regular weekend, you have people hightailing it out of town on friday night and back sunday night. on holiday weekends, people take off early, stay later, leave for only a couple days, etc. traffic was never as heavy on holiday weekends than a regular summer weekend.

J62

Your two other options besides I95 are to take I684 North from Westchester Cty to I84E through Danbury & Hartford. Depending on where in Westchester you originate this may be about the same drive (miles) as I95. The traffic through Waterbury/Hartford with construction at Fri rush hour can be bad, but if you're going on a Sat/Sun/holiday I've never had a problem.

The other less travelled more scenic route would be to take the Taconic Pky N all the way to the Mass Pike (I90), then head East. Pretty ride, no traffic, but add about 1hr to the trip.

You could stop halfway in Lee or some other Berkshire town for lunch.

HowardR

The fastest way is 684 to I-84 straight through to the Mass Pike.

china_cat

684 to 84, as Howard recommends is the fastest. The Merritt Pkwy to 91 to 84 is prettier. I like the Merritt, assuming there isn't too much construction. I think there was a ton of contruction work on it the last time I went that way (maybe a year ago?) and it was very slow.

You may run into traffic on 84 in Hartford, depending on the timing. You are likely to hit traffic trying to get on the Mass pike at i-84 in Sturbridge. There are some back ways, but probably not worthwhile unless the backup is really bad.

Under no circumstances should you take I-95. Its just not the best way, holiday or not.

The Taconic would be kind of scenic. I'm thinking it would add more than an hour to the trip though, I'm not positive.

sailingsailing

thank you for all the suggestions. I am near 684, so I guess that will be the way to go. Maybe, if we leave really early, we'll try the Taconic. In any event, I am glad I posted and got so many reccomendations. I hate to think how this trip would have started had you all not been so responsive! thanks again.

HowardR

If you take the Taconic, then you don't go on 684!

seetheworld

Thanks Howard for filling in my gaps - I always travel the way the crow flies!

rshersnow

Taking 91 to Rt. 2 in Greenfield is a better drive for scenery than taking the Pike. It also tends to be less travelled.

gail

Assuming you are also going back to Westchester - traffic on the return trip is likely to be worse than the northern part. People seem to have more flexibility about when they leave for Memorial Day - anytime from Thursday afternoon to Sat AM. But everyone seems to head back Monday afternoon/evening. Even Tuesday AM traffic may be bad.

Having made this trip many times, I do not know any real secrets. Likely traffic jams will be around Sturbridge tolls on Mass Pike and then on I84 to Hartford.

The Rte 91 to Route 2 route does not seem like a great idea to me - but I have to admit I have not tried it as a traffic-avoidance method.