panecott

I will be driving from Bar Harbor back to NYC by myself and am looking for a good place to spend the night, preferably past the midway point. I thought of Portsmouth, NH but that's less than midway and I'd like to make a little more progress on the first day.

I'd also like to head in a southwesterly direction so that I can pick up 90/ 84 into 684, rather than take 95 the whole way, if that is feasible.

Any suggestions?. TIA.

bigbomoho

how about providence or newport

janie

Are you just looking for a place to sleep or an area with something to do? When are you traveling , midweek or weekend, what dates?

yk

Providence or Newport isn't on the way based on the route the OP is considering.

If you're just looking for a place to spend a night, I suggest Natick or Framingham. It's just West of Boston on I-90. I assume while driving from Bar Harbor, you'll end up on I-95 through NH, then you get on the I-95/Rt 128 loop. In the AM, you just continue west on I-90 and therefore will miss the inbound traffic to Boston.

However, Natick/Framingham won't work if you want to take the I-495 loop.

dfrostnh

What day of the week are you traveling? If it's a Sunday, you'll be in traffic on I95. If it's a weekday, I would think you would be hitting commuter traffic by the end of the day. Maybe a night in Portsmouth with a great meal is a good idea, then get an early start in the morning.

I hate I90 so we go west thru NH to Keene over to Brattleboro VT then south on I91 to Hartford CT. But we live in the middle of NH. For you to take that option would be I95 to Rt 101 west to Manchester than south to Nashua and then 101 to Keene. Keene's a nice college town. But From Nashua to Keene Rt 101 is a two lane hwy. A pleasant drive but this is probably not the fastest route for you. We rarely hit any traffic on I91 no matter what time of day (or night). Keep in mind if you go west bound on I90 wouldn't you be driving into the sun?

panecott

Thanks for the replies. I will check my maps later and check out the routes you've suggested.

I'll either be traveling Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun, 9/9-9/11 -- I'm not sure yet, and I'm really just looking for a pleasant place to sleep and have dinner, and maybe a nice walk.

Here's another thought: Anyone familiar with the scenic coastal route from Bar Harbor down to say, Portsmouth? I wouldn't mind extra driving time if it's pleasant and then maybe I would just stop off in Portsmouth and get an early start the next day. Any idea how long a ride that might be?

I don't think I've ever driven on 95 that far north, but my recollection is that there was a lot of truck traffic on 91. Am I wrong?

dfrost, thanks for the reminder on driving into the sun on 90. (I did that last year in AZ from Petrified Forest to Winslow at sunset and it was 2 hours of torture!). Is there another reason why you hate 90? I thought for some reason it might be like 84, which is a rather pleasant road in CT.

elberko

re "scenic coastal route from Bar Harbor down to say, Portsmouth?"

Not so much...Route 1 is only ocasionally near enough to see water, mostly trees on both sides of the road, interrupted by towns with very slow traffic.

~Liz

dfrostnh

I think another reason why I hate I90 is that the next exit is miles away so I feel trapped.

I91 is a pleasant drive. I've driven it at odd hours and never seen a lot of truck traffic. It goes down thru western MA.

There isn't a scenic coastal route south of Bar Harbor but if you haven't been to Camden and Wiscasset it might be a nice drive. We usually stay in Wiscasset. When driving north we stay on I95 until Brunswick then get off onto Rt 1. You sure don't want to be on Rt 1 in Kittery, it's outlet mall congestion.

Last year we tried a coastal route south of Portland to Ogunquit after lunch and it was slow going and while pleasant, not a lot of ocean view. We finally got back on Rt 1 to get to our hotel by 5pm. Too slow.

annikany

How about Salem Ma? We just used that town between Bar Harbor and Syracuse for a mid way stopping point. We stayed at the Salem Waterfront Suites and Marina. Got into town at check in time (3 PM). Had plenty of time to walk to the Salem Witch Museum and shop a little. The hotel has a restaurant and bar as well.

travelbuff

I'ssecond the idea of Natick/Framingham, and while there, find the Kelly's for food, just off 90. There is a hotel refered to as The Castle I think it's a Hilton, just off the highway, and you are close to a couple of shopping centers and malls in that area, and KELLY'S.

Trust me we don't have anything like Kelly's in NYC. It's a sandwich spot, great roast beef, clam and lobsta rolls, lol, and a local icon place.

If you come down Rt 1 there's one is Saugus, and right ON the water in Rever. Oh and there's a couple of hotels there as well, be a good spot for the night too, walk the beach.

yk

The stretch of I-90 in MA is the Mass Turnpike and you have to pay toll. What I like about it (the same exact reason why dfrostnh doesn't) is that b/c it's a paid toll road, there are few exits far and between, so you don't have to constantly watch out for cars getting on/off ramps. For example, if you get onto to I-90 via the I-95/Rt 128 exit, that's Exit 15. The I-90/I-84 exit at Sturbridge (where you'd get off to get on I-84) is 45 miles away at Exit 9. So, for 45 miles heading west, you'll only encounter 5 entrance/exit ramps along the way.

If you do stay in Natick/Framingham overnight, you'll be at the I-90/I-84 exit early in the day so traffic won't be bad. The traffic back up at the I-90/I-84 interchange usually starts in mid-afternoon on Sunday.

panecott

Thanks very much for all your help -- you've given me a lot to work with so I should be able to work something out by tomorrow.

And thanks for the tip on the "scenic" drive and the slow traffic. I'll have to have a word with Rand McNally b/c they designate that entire Route 1, from way north in Maine down to just north of Portland as "scenic".

cw

How about the Concord (MA) inn. I don't know anything about the rooms but it's scenic and Concord has a few good restaurants, one is named Thoreau, which I've read is very good. It has an actual town and you can walk around in the evening. It's close to Rt. 95 before you hit the Mass. Pike (90).

You can also consider driving the parkway route, starting South of Hartford. Wilbur Cross, Merritt, etc. to the Henry Hudson Parkway. (Hutchinson and Cross County parkways are in that mix, but I don't have a map in front of me.)

elberko

Perhaps Rand McNally labels any roads not outright ugly sa "scsnic". Route one certainly isn't ugly, just mostly boring sameness mile after mile.

janie

Around the Boston area would be my pick too. I recently spent a couple days in the Lexington & Concord area. Plenty to see and do there. Even with very little time, there are some scenic drives if you arrive before dark, and Lexington has a few walkable blocks with nice restaurant choices.

There are 2 hotels, Aloft & Element, that are literally 1/4 mile off an exit to 95

panecott

More great info! You guys are the best. I definitely want a hotel that's close to the highway b/c I don't like driving around towns/cities that I'm unfamiliar with trying to find a place. I'm resistant to a GPS so I still rely on maps and directions.

I think one of these towns in MA will definitely work.

cw, once I'm in CT I'll be fine. I'm pretty familiar with the roads there and back to the city.

yk

ALoft & Element in Lexington are indeed very easy to find and just off I-95/Rt 128 at the Rt 2A exit. Just around the corner from ALoft & Element is MASS AVE. If you follow Mass Ave Eastbound for a couple of miles, you'll get to Lexington center & Lexington Common. It's quite a cute little town center and there's a statue commemorating the revolution. It'll be a nice area for a walk in the late afternoon & evening. there are also a number of restaurants right at Lexington Center.

janie

"ALoft & Element in Lexington are indeed very easy to find and just off I-95/Rt 128 at the Rt 2A exit."
The only thing is, it's SO close off the exit, and the signs pretty tiny and where you don't expect them (something about historic town regulations not allowing bigger signs) that you really need to look. And yes, it's about 3 minutes to Lenington Center from right out of the hotels' driveway

panecott

Okay, it was a tough choice, but I booked the Element Hotel in Lexington for the night. I like the convenience of the location and the sound of the town for a relaxing evening. So now I'm all set.

Thanks again for all your help and great suggestions.

yk

Hi panecott, I was just in that area this AM. As you drive southbound on I-95/Rt 128, the exit for the hotel is EXIT 30 (for Rt 2A). Once you get on the exit ramp, stay on the R. You'll arrive at a stop light fairly quickly (< 1/4 mile). Turn RIGHT at the stop light and go up the hill - you should see a tiny sign for ALoft/Element at the bottom of that "hill".

From the hotel to get to Lexington Center/Lexington Common - drive down the "hill" from the hotel until you get the that stop light. Turn RIGHT. At the first intersection (< 1/4 mile) turn RIGHT - you'll be on MASS AVE. Follow MASS AVE for a couple of miles and you'll be in Lexington Center.

OTOH, if you want to visit the Minuteman National park visitors center in Concord, instead of turning right onto Mass Ave to get to Lexington Center, just stay straight on Rt 2A westbound. the visitors Center should be on your R hand side, less than a mile away.