Va to NY, route planned, anything I should know?
 

My mom and I will be driving from Richmond, Va., to around Kingston, NY, this Saturday. Knowing the hell that is Washington, DC traffic, I'm planning for us to cut over to I-81 and go up through Pennsylvania and into New York that way, instead of using 95, to avoid DC/Baltimore/Philadelphia/NYC.

Google maps says it's about a nine and a half hour drive that way, which is fine, but we'll be needing to stop for the night once we get into New York state, somewhere -- we don't need to be where we're going till the next morning, so we'll be looking for a hotel and dinner for the night. We'll have a couple of hours in the morning to spare if we don't get quite far enough.

Does anyone have any tips on towns along the way -- I think we're looking at highways 84 and 87 by that point -- that are large enough to have a fair number of hotel options and somewhere to get dinner? We figure we'll just drive till we get tired then look for a Holiday Inn or similar. Also, any tips on anything interesting to see in the area (if it doesn't take a lot of time) would be welcomed! As well as any warnings about typical traffic problems, tolls, etc.

There's a Holiday Inn (might be a Crown Plaza) in Suffern, NY, not far from where 287/87/84 meet.

When we travel that route, we like to stay in Bethlehem, PA, but that's more like 1/2 way in your trip.

This is rather ridiculous -- you are adding about two hours to your trip and another tank or so of fuel. Cutting over to I-81 from where you start is adding 50-75 minutes at the beginning. By the time you'd reach the DC Beltway, you'd still be miles away from I-81.

Skirting DC on the Beltway is not terrible, especially if you stay on 95 and go around the eastern half of the loop, not the 495 section in the west that gets traffic feeds from I-66 and Dulles and the western suburbs. This is the key to shortening the trip around DC.

Traveling through Baltimore is not horrible -- 95 is fairly wide and doesn't have that many exits. You also do NOT need to go through Philly or NYC -- you can avoid both by traveling to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and going up the Turnpike. The Turnpike will lead you to I-87 and around NYC. It does not go through Philly.

I-81 is hilly and relatively narrow for an interstate -- primarily just two lanes in each direction. It also has a lot of trucks. And it used to constantly have construction (the Pennsylvanians on the forum could discuss that issue).

I'd reconsider my route, were I you.

Since it's a Saturday, traffic will be a little bit lighter on I95 and the Beltway, and it may not be worth the trouble to divert all the way to I81. If you get an early start, you may be able to blow through most of the usual trouble spots before the trouble arises, say 8 am in the DC area.

Middletown, NY has hotels and dining options, and Scranton, PA also has options. From Kingston, assuming normal traffic flow, Middletown is about an hour and Scranton is about two hours.

Thanks for the advice, all.

BigRuss, I was planning to cut over to 81 from 95 just north of Fredericksburg, taking 17 to hit 81 around the Winchester area. Perhaps I should have clarified that. Doing that, it's 8 hours and 53 minutes, according to google maps, versus about 8 hours to go 95. I've only driven from Richmond to Philadelphia on 95 once, but it seemed to me to be a morass of traffic, construction and tolls. We figured we'd take the extra hour and gas to save the tolls and frustration of potential traffic, and see prettier scenery. I'll think about what you say, though.

My first assumption was you'd go on 64 to 81, then I saw the cross-Commonwealth cut you could make to Winchester. But it's still a lot of extra travel.

The problem is that you keep thinking that you stay on 95. Don't. Taking 95 through Philly would suck, thus you take the Turnpike and avoid the pitfall. When you get to the big signs in Northern Maryland that say "I-95 Wilmington, Philadelphia, New York" and the ones next to them that have the NJTP symbol and "Delaware Memorial Bridge," you GET OFF of 95 and take the other option.

You pay to cross the Delaware Memorial Bridge and pay to use the Turnpike, but it's a da*n site faster than I-81 and avoids all the cities in New Jersey too (thankfully). And if you get stuck in construction and with a caravan of trucks in front of you on 81 . . . UGH. Unlike I-81, when the Turnpike gets to the Newark outskirts (and before), it splits into parallel roads -- one for trucks, buses, cars and the other for cars only. And you only hit a tollbooth at the start and end of your trip, not at repeated intervals.

I drive from Richmond to Boston about once a month (and back!)

17 is very slow.

On a Saturday, not on a Sunday or week day, take I95 toward Washington. Near Washington, take 495 toward Baltimore, as recommended.

From 495, take MD 295 (Baltimore-Washington Parkway) with no trucks.

You can stay on 295 until it rejoins 95 a couple of exits before the tunnel, or you can take I 895 through a different tunnel with far less traffic. It will also rejoin I95 but well north of the city.

Maryland is Maryland. Delaware is Delaware. Heavy speed enforcement in both.

In Delaware, as recommended, follow the signs for the Delaware Memorial Bridge and NJ Turnpike. The truck and car traffic are actually separated south of New Brunswick, so you get an even better run without cars.

I would leave the Turnpike in Woodbridge for the Garden State Parkway north to 287 and 87. Again, no trucks.

I would (and do) follow Ackislander's route. To clarify the end part.

From the Turnpike, take the Garden State Pkwy all the way to the end in NY State where it meets the NYS Thruway = 287/87. then take the Thruway all the way north to Kingston, exit 19.

An EZPass toll pass will make the trip easier as you can just zip through all the toll booths, some without even slowing down.

I just did this route last Saturday. Took the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the NJ Turnpike with no problems at all.

Just went from Alexandria to Kingston two Saturdays ago. I've done this trip twice now and use 81/84. I think 81 is much more scenic than 95 and the number of trucks tapers off after Harrisburg. Probably the worst part of your trip is from Richmond to the DC area - 95 can be like a parking lot sometimes. I don't get on 81 until Harrisburg - take Rt 15 from Leesburg.
IF you do take the 95 route, going 495/295 which then becomes the Baltimore Washington Parkway to Baltimore is the route I take. 295 is the first exit off the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. I always then take 895 around Baltimore rather than staying on 295. It seems like a lot less traffic.
But I think 81 is alot more scenic and would take that way than 95.