NYC-Chicago drive or fly?
 

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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!)

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

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>

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.

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.

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.

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.

I know you've made up your mind to fly, and I definitely second (and third and fourth!) that recommendation, mostly because it will give you more time in Chicago. I grew up in NY and have lived in San Francisco for many years, and Chicago is one of my very favorite cities in the world!

Wildblueyonder, glad you're so excited to see Chicago. I agree that you'll be here during a great time of year. In addition to the the museums, architecture cruises, festivals and lakefront parks you may be able to catch the Grant Park Symphony. They play free concerts throughout the summer in the Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park.

There are also free movies in Grant Park. You can take snacks and watch such classics as <i>The Sound of Music</i> or <i>Double Indemnity</i>. Finally, Navy Pier has fireworks throughout the summer on Wednesdays and Saturdays. For a complete list of events when you'll be here, check www.metromix.com or www.chicagoreader.com.

<i>They play free concerts throughout the summer in the Pritzker Pavillion in Millennium Park.</i>

Even without the music, the Pritzker Pavillion (and all of Millennium Park) is spectacular!

Thanks again for all responses, suggestions/ links. I'm getting really excited about Chicago and agree that the extra time will be VERRRRRY useful. I hope that the Marriott will let us dump our luggage with them, as you can't book in until 3pm. And another bonus - we'll have to change our car hire - and I looked for the Alamo place in Chicago and it's about 2 feet from the hotel! Slight exaggeration, maybe - but it's on North La Salle, just behind W Wacker Drive!

Just to update - I've now booked our flight (JetBlue 9:45am) from JFK to Chicago and changed our accommodation/car hire etc. Our full itinerary is now as follows. Thanks again to all who helped with the latest decision!! I know that this itinerary is a bit crowded and we should spend more time at all of the places, but we only have this amount of time to play with.

Day 1 - Heathrow to JFK - courtesy car (lots of luggage for 3) to Affinia Dumont, Manhattan.
Day 2 - free in NYC
Day 3 - free in NYC
Day 4 - leave Manhattan by 7 (!) and return to JFK for flight to Chicago - taxi/courtesy car to Marriott Rennaissance on Wacker Drive.
Day 5 - free in Chicago
Day 6 - pick up hire car (from Alamo, 2 blocks from hotel) - drive to La Crosse, via Galena, Dubuque, great Mississippi river road. Overnight Holiday Inn (other hotels are fully booked)
Day 7 - Across Minnesota and into South Dakota, stopping at Blue Earth (Jolly Green Giant!!), Sioux Falls (hey I'm a geologist I want to see the pink quartzite in Falls Park!) and Mitchell for the Corn Palace. Overnight at the Americinn, Chamberlain (on Missouri).
Day 8 - Badlands and Wall Drug Store, before continuing to Hill City for 3 nights in cabin.
Day 9 - free in Black Hills
Day 10 - free in Black Hills
Day 11 - via Hot Springs, cut corner of Nebraska (tick off another state! :)), into Wyoming (been there before, so no new tick!), and into Colorado (tick!) and overnight at the Homewood Suites, Fort Collins.
Day 12 - Through Rocky Mountain NP and down to Vail (area) for an overnight in a condo (Lakeside Terrace) in Avon.
Day 13 - To Moab and Arches NP. Overnight at Red Cliffs Lodge.
Day 14 - To Monument Valley - overnight at Gouldings Lodge
Day 15 - Hope to have enough time to make a quick trip to North Rim GC (been to the South Rim), before continuing to Zion (been to Bryce) - been to Zion before, but didn't have enough time for anything much. 2 nights in Flanigan's (stayed in the Desert Pearl last time and it was lovely - but we wanted to try another hotel).
Day 16 - Free in Zion
Day 17 - to Las Vegas, via Lake Mead/Hoover Dam (missed this on last trip) - overnight at the Bellagio (woo!)
Day 18 - can't wait to get out of Vegas... Up to Death Valley (it will be HOT - but must be done!) Overnight at Lone Pine, Dow Villa Motel.
Day 19 - To Palm Springs. We KNOW it will be very hot, but we've booked a nice little house with its own pool/spa.
Day 20 - free in Palm Springs
Day 21 - free in Palm Springs
Day 22 - to San Diego. 2 nights at the Dana, Mission Bay.
Day 23 - free in San Diego
Day 24 - our flight back to London, from LAX, isn't until 9:10pm, so we will have all day to drive up the coast road, stopping here and there.
Day 25 - arrive back at Heathrow.

Okay, I know you have decided, but here is more assurance that flying is the way to go. Having done this drive more times than I care to count, I honestly get a nervous twitch just thinking of the boring miles spent in Indiana, Ohio and PA.

Your trip looks great by the way. One small suggestion, I notice day 11 is in Fort Collins. I highly recommend the Armstrong as a place to stay, it is located in historic downtown with plenty of charm and fun things to do. Although I also notice you aren't planning to stay there long, so not sure if you want to change.

Just in case...here is the link.
http://tinyurl.com/2x7poy

259 S College Ave
Fort Collins, CO 80524
(970) 484-3883

Piling on: fly.

We've done this trip over the years a few times, and it never gets better. (We'd drive it when we intended to spend almost a month visiting in the East, just to have our car.)

While there are various sites of some interest, I don't think these would be your priorities for the time you have. You'll go a little nuts without satellite radio or books-on-CD -- radio reception is not good on many parts of the long highway through PA.

Depending on specific days you'd like to fly, many of the airlines should have some good prices between New York and Chicago. Personally, I'd prefer to spend an extra day in New York, or almost anywhere else on your trip.

Re: your question about extra charges for 2 checked bags. United Airlines recently announced a surcharge of $25 (I think) for more than one checked bag if traveling in coach class. So far, I think the other major airlines (American, Delta, etc.) do not have this surcharge.

It may be too late. But I would strongly, strongly, strongly in June or any other time, fly Southwest to Midway.

All the time envolves gets fractualized. You will have much more time in Chicago.

You can take a much quicker orange line from MWY to downtown Chicago and you flight will feel 1/2ed of what you experience going through and from OHare.

StephCar - thanks for the suggestion of the Armstrong. It looks lovely - but we are only 'passing through' Fort Collins and I think we'll be fine in the Homewood Suites. Priority for us is a bed each (being 3 of us!), even if one of those beds is a sofa bed!

JJ5 - yes, too late, I've got the etickets for the JetBlue flights, from JFK to O'Hare. Southwest only flies from Long Island, which would be a bit inconvenient from Manhattan? We're planning on taking the Go shuttle from O'hare to downtown - has anybody used them? We *should* arrive at Chicago at around 11:30am and I don't know what on earth we're going to do (apart from the trip into downtown) from then as we'll be lumbered with luggage and not able to check into our room (Renaissance) until 3:00pm!

There's a pretty good chance you will be able to check-in early (I checked into a Chicago hotel at 10:30 a.m. last weekend, and the hotel was almost fully booked.) Otherwise, the hotel will be able to hold your bags for you, and you can either get something to eat or walk around. The Renaissance is in a great location to get to Michigan Ave and Millennium Park, and there's a lot of restaurant options of all price ranges within either walking distance, an inexpensive cab ride, or a quick trip on the El.