wildblueyonder

Hi
Our cross-USA trip is all booked for the beginning of June. Currently the first few days look like this.

Day 1 - Arrive from UK at JFK - overnight Affinia Dumont
Day 2 - free in NYC
Day 3 - free in NYC
Day 4 - pick up hire car and drive to Youngstown (approx 400 miles)
Day 5 - Youngstown - Chicago - approx 400 miles.
Day 6 - free in Chicago
Day 7 - Chicago - Sioux Falls (approx 563 miles ...)
Day 8 - Sioux Falls to Hill City (approx 377 miles)
Day 9 and 10 - in Hill City (cabin already paid for, so cannot change dates)
Then the rest of our trip.

I'm sure that there are plenty of things to see between NYC and Chicago, but, if driving we will not have time to see any of them! Also, the drive from Chicago to Hill City in 2 days is going to be a bit of a headache. I was all for driving the entire distance across the States, but sense is telling me that it might be a good idea to fly the NYC-Chicago leg and then our itinerary would look like this:

Days 1-3 as above
Day 4 - back to JFK and fly to Chicago midday - arriving around 3.00pm, so a lot of that day left for sightseeing.
Day 5 - free in Chicago
Day 6 - pick up hire car and drive to La Crosse (282 miles)
Day 7 - drive to Chamberlain (431 miles)
Day 8 - drive to Hill City (233 miles)etc.

That would save us (a) a lot of driving and (b) a lot of rush! The cost is about the same, taking into consideration the hire car cost, parking in Chicago and gas.

What would you do?

We've never flown internally in the US before. Looking flights up quickly, I've found decent fares at Delta Airlines. Do they allow 2 check-in bags per person? (Which they do from the UK to US) How long before the flight should we check in? The plane for the flight I've looked at is a CRJ900 - what the heck is that?!

Thanks for all thoughts.

GoTravel

There are probably direct flights from LGA from NYC to either Chicago O'Hare or Midway.

I'd fly. No way I'd make that drive. Giant PIA.

Our interstate system is boring as hell to drive. Plus, with the cost of gas and rental car, will you really be saving any money? My time would be worth more than that.

TwoFatFeet

I've done this drive twice. You want to fly.

Aduchamp1

Oddly enough there are not a lot of things to do between NYC and Chicago. Unless you head off you miss Philadelphia. There is an extremely looooong stretch in Pennsylvania which is just the turnpike.

bethke14

Having made that drive several times, I agree that if you can avoid it, I certainly would. Added to the long and boring drive, it is both expensive and unnecessary to have a car in Chicago - you can get around very easily using public transport. Parking at hotels can be as much as $48/night.

You can generally check two bags on flights. I would look at the Websites for the specific airline you will fly to determine any additional restrictions.

Enjoy your trip!

tchoiniere

Definitely agree that you should fly. Look at Southwest too. Not sure which airport they fly out of NY or which airport they fly into but they are great for short flights like that. You will not need a car for Chicago.

Citylghts

I agree with the posts that say to fly, but I don't know if I'd characterize the drive as dull.

Nothing will get your adrenaline flowing like trying to negotiate the twists and turns through the mountains of Western Pennsylvania while an 18-wheeler is bearing down on you at 70 mph. All while you're trying to ignore the sheer rock wall to your left and the 300 ft drop beyond the right shoulder. ;-)

Not to discourage your visiting me, but if you don't have any definite plans in Chicago have you considered flying NYC to Minneapolis? It would put you much closer to South Dakota and you could easily spend a day there to regroup before your drive.

ellenem

Southwest flies out of Islip--not a good choice if you are leaving from Manhattan. Check flights to Chicago from LGA, JFK, or EWR which are all good choices from Manhattan.

thit_cho

I'm from NY and went to school on the south side of Chicago -- fly if you can. I've done the drive many times, but would have flown if money was not an issue (and by sharing the car with three others the drive was very cheap).

capxxx

The CRJ900 is the ``flagship of the CRJ fleet.'' It is a small jet used for regional service.

Check in time depends on the size of the airport -- for a small one you could check in an hour early, for a big one leave more time because the security lines can be very long and slow moving. Baggage limits vary by airline.

Southwest is a low-cost airline that can give you a good one-way fare. Most other airlines want you to book a round trip, and may give no (or small) discounts for a one-way ticket. Sometimes Southwest uses a less convenient airport, though, so factor that in. Southwest does not participate in the third-party travel websites (like expedia) -- you have to visit their website to get fares and such.

wildblueyonder

THANK YOU all for your responses. I guess we will fly! I couldn't sleep last night, thinking it through, and wondering which was the best option. But I have lost count of the times I've stared at that map and looked at the NYC to Cleveland stretch with glazed eyes. I've changed the overnight hotel several times, hoping that might make it look more inviting, but it hasn't worked. And thinking about the (nearly) 600 mile leg to Sioux Falls would probably spoil the time in Chicago!

I've looked at Southwest airlines and they can do a flight for $210 (for 3 of us), which is excellent - but, yes, it flies from Long Island, which wouldn't be ideal. I'll keep looking around.

Citylghts - there is no way I would want to miss Chicago! I think I'm looking forward to that city, more than NYC! To me it looks completely magic! We're staying at the Renaissance, with a view (hopefully) of the river. It will only be a short stay, but it has to be better than nothing! If we fly though, I will have to put the dates back a day for the hotel - and, instead of a Thursday and Friday, it will now be a Wednesday and Thursday and $100 more expensive. Oh well.

Thanks again everybody!

GoTravel

Jet Blue flies direct JFK to ORD for under $100 one way.

It will probably cost you close to $100 to get to Islip.

lizziea06

I'm from Chicago and live in NYC. I've probably done this drive at least 10 times. SKIP IT. Ohio lasts for about 500 hours followed by 1000 hours in Pennsylvania. I usually look for fares on www.qixo.com, and then book directly on the airline's website. American and United typically match each other. Jet Blue can be reasonable if you fly on "off days". I just flew Jet Blue to JFK from O'hare on Sunday night, and it was great.

wildblueyonder

We could fly Jet Blue for $79 each!! Looks great! But the flight is 9:45am - what time would we need to leave Manhattan to get there on time, do you think? (Sorry, another question!)

GoTravel

I'd leave Manhattan at 7AM to make a 9:45 AM flight out of JFK.

wildblueyonder

Thank you, GoTravel - that's what I was afraid of - 7am - yick! There is a late afternoon flight, but that would mean we would have so much less time in Chicago. Delta, on the other hand, have a midday flight, which would be ideal. I do so like the look of Jet Blue though. <pondering>

lizziea06

The inevitable flight delay will be much more palatable with free snacks and satellite TV. Take Jet Blue! It's also better to be on the early flight, as this will ensure that things don't get that backed up at O'Hare.

gregeva1

I would fly the earliest flight possible to CHicago...the airport here has been very bad lately with back ups and cancellations..especially if you are flying to O'Hare. Midway is better off but the flight choices are limited.

You are coming at a great time to Chicago with the art fair season and musical performances available all over the city.

Enjoy and try to take a architectural river boat tour of Chicago...it's great fun.

nytraveler

Definitely fly. There are flights from LGA to Chicago every hour during most of the day - and I would definitely do that in preference to JFK.

Have you looked at kayak.com to see what kind of fares you can get? The prices are not the same for every flight - they vary throughout the day.

GoTravel

You are much better off with an early flight than a later flight.

You are flying out of one of the busiest airspaces in the United States right into another one.

I'd book the earliest flight possible.