For those folks driving!

[dreamin in pa]

thanks! i'll check out that site for hotel reviews. springhill suites in savannah has 2 queens and a sofa bed but says max of 4 people. what if i checked in alone and they didn't see the whole bunch of us?

We also have 6 and were looking for some place to stay that would accomodate all of us in one room. We just made our reservations at Quality Inn & Suites in Walterboro, SC. It's about 45 minutes north of Savannah and the price was pretty resonable.

 

[stefplus3]

We also have 6 and were looking for some place to stay that would accomodate all of us in one room. We just made our reservations at Quality Inn & Suites in Walterboro, SC. It's about 45 minutes north of Savannah and the price was pretty resonable.

thanks for this!! it's much cheaper than the springhill suites i was looking at in savannah and with the drive time over the 2 days almost the same and they both offer a full breakfast we'll go with the cheaper one

 

[java]

thanks for this!! it's much cheaper than the springhill suites i was looking at in savannah and with the drive time over the 2 days almost the same and they both offer a full breakfast we'll go with the cheaper one

There is a STAYBRIDGE suites at the Savanah Airport- just off 95- and it is brand new. We loved it and I got a great rate online- we are 6- You can either get a one bedroom or a two(the two has 2 bathrooms too) We booked best available online rate- and ended up with the middle category of room- It was plenty for us- 2 queens and a pullout full in the tv room.

 

[Captain Hook]

We just came back from WDW> I recomend Country Inn&Suites in Santee,SC.

 

[stefplus3]

We just came back from WDW> I recomend Country Inn&Suites in Santee,SC.

We ended up booking there for the way down but coming back they didn't have a non-smoking suite so we booked at the holiday inn express & suites in walterboro, sc. Both are triple diamond AAA rated and I booked with our AAA person so we should be golden

 

[kribit]

Who prefers the Shenandoah route to I95 until Richmond? We're planning on doing the "scenic tour" again only because I'm a little nervous driving through the cities. I'm from Boston, but driving through there just doesn't seem the same as some of the other cities (perhaps it's just habit and familiarity). Anyway, for those I95 drivers, is there that much difference (especially when you take into consideration traffic) driving the back route vs. 95? DH really wants the shortest driving time and I'd be willing to attempt it, if there is a significant time savings.

thanks in advance.

 

[pilferk]

Who prefers the Shenandoah route to I95 until Richmond? We're planning on doing the "scenic tour" again only because I'm a little nervous driving through the cities. I'm from Boston, but driving through there just doesn't seem the same as some of the other cities (perhaps it's just habit and familiarity). Anyway, for those I95 drivers, is there that much difference (especially when you take into consideration traffic) driving the back route vs. 95? DH really wants the shortest driving time and I'd be willing to attempt it, if there is a significant time savings.

thanks in advance.

I've done the drive from CT before and the only 2 cities I find really intolerable, and have slowed me down, is NYC and DC. NYC I now avoid by shooting out west on 84 and ending up over the Tapanzee and picking up the Garden State, then picking 95 up in Jersey.

DC is not bad if you plan your drive so you hit it early in the AM or later in the PM (we've always hit it about 7:30 PM and it's not too bad, especially with the new flyovers).

Avoiding NYC entirely seems to make the most difference between going straight 95. Skirting DC only seems to "save" me, the one time I tried it, about 15 - 30 min, because the route around it is relatively longer than any time you spend in traffic on the beltway.

 

[coltink]

I'm from the Shenandoah area, and I would definately choose 95 over the parkway/skyline drive. The parkway is VERY curvy and only one lane. You will have to contend with slow drivers and animals who are out and about. Plus there's not a lot of places to stop for food and potty breaks.

 

[stefplus3]

I've done the drive from CT before and the only 2 cities I find really intolerable, and have slowed me down, is NYC and DC. NYC I now avoid by shooting out west on 84 and ending up over the Tapanzee and picking up the Garden State, then picking 95 up in Jersey.

DC is not bad if you plan your drive so you hit it early in the AM or later in the PM (we've always hit it about 7:30 PM and it's not too bad, especially with the new flyovers).

Avoiding NYC entirely seems to make the most difference between going straight 95. Skirting DC only seems to "save" me, the one time I tried it, about 15 - 30 min, because the route around it is relatively longer than any time you spend in traffic on the beltway.

we live 20 min south of Boston and this is the way AAA is having me go (when they put together the trip tick). My in-laws are in NY and it takes almost as long to get thru NY as it does to get there, lol.

 

[kribit]

My AAA triptik sends us that way too...I just looked at it. It's funny, I've been going over the Tobin since I was little with no problem, but that TappanZee looks scary to me.

We did the Shenandoah route last year, but we want to GET there this year. It seemed like it took forever! DH is begging me to drive 95 this year.

Are there any other large bridges aside from that one? Anyone know?

 

[pilferk]

My AAA triptik sends us that way too...I just looked at it. It's funny, I've been going over the Tobin since I was little with no problem, but that TappanZee looks scary to me.

We did the Shenandoah route last year, but we want to GET there this year. It seemed like it took forever! DH is begging me to drive 95 this year.

Are there any other large bridges aside from that one? Anyone know?

Nah, the Tapanzee is easy. Traffic isn't usually unbearable......the bridge is certainly safe (if long). I much prefer it to the GW's madness, largely because it usually takes a lot less time to cross.

Along the whole route there is the Tapanzee and then another long bridge near the border of Md and VA (Woodrow Wilson bridge, I think?). Then, down in GA on 95, there's a good sized series of shorter bridges spanning some marshland. That's all I remember.I also remember a pretty long tunnel in Baltimore, but I'm not sure if I encountered that on the Florida drives, or drives down to Manassas for work.

 

[cranbiz]

A lot depends on the time you leave MA. I'm originally from Carver and always have done the I95 route from Providence to FL thru NYC. I normally left about 5pm and only got "burnt" twice using the GWB. One of those times was NE Spring Break.

The Tappan Zee / I81 route is just way too long for me.

If you leave between 4 and 7PM you should miss most of the NYC traffic and all of the DC traffic.

 

[pamouselover]

Thanks for the thread. Unless airfare comes down befor our booked Aug. trip we will be driving from Northeat Pa.

 

[kribit]

A lot depends on the time you leave MA. I'm originally from Carver and always have done the I95 route from Providence to FL thru NYC. I normally left about 5pm and only got "burnt" twice using the GWB. One of those times was NE Spring Break.

The Tappan Zee / I81 route is just way too long for me.

If you leave between 4 and 7PM you should miss most of the NYC traffic and all of the DC traffic.

Carver...known for Edaville Railroad. We hadn't been there for years and took our kids to see Thomas there last year. It looked EXACTLY the same. I think they used the same rides from when I was little. It was so nice to reminisce about the old days though.

Anywho - I'm still not sure what we're doing. On our ride home from FL last year we took the George Washington at night and I don't remember it being so beautiful. It could have been that I was sleep deprived, but I remember thinking how nicely it was lit up.

 

[stefplus3]

Does anyone know of a site to estimate gas useage?

 

[luvthatduke]

Does anyone know of a site to estimate gas useage?

http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/

 

[pilferk]

A lot depends on the time you leave MA. I'm originally from Carver and always have done the I95 route from Providence to FL thru NYC. I normally left about 5pm and only got "burnt" twice using the GWB. One of those times was NE Spring Break.

The Tappan Zee / I81 route is just way too long for me.

If you leave between 4 and 7PM you should miss most of the NYC traffic and all of the DC traffic.

Our problem with that idea (and it's one we considered) is the ages of our kids. If we leave that late in the day, we'd end up staying somewhere in Jersey, rather than somewhere around Richmond. We just can't drive until all hours with them in the car...they don't sleep well (if at all) which means the NEXT days piece of the drive becomes miserable with overtired kids. We need to be hunkered down by 9 PM-ish.

Once they get older, we might do that, though. Heck, in 8 to 10 years, we may just do the drive in a straight shot....but til then, the extra distance of hitting the "Tapanzee route" vastly outweighs the time we spend in the extra traffic in and around NYC and Northern Jersey.

 

[pilferk]

OK, this is "sort of" in the vein of driving...maybe some of you all can help.

We're looking for a DVD "system" for our van...mainly for th upcoming drive. I'm thinking, for now, one of the dual screen systems with headrest mounts. But what I'd like to do (since we have 3 kids) is split the screens between the 2nd and 3rd row (so one mounted on the back of the front passenger seat, and one mounted on the back of the 2nd row passenger headrest).

So, here are my questions:

Anyone have any experience with these systems? Any recommendations?

And has anyone tried "mounting" them in the manner I'm looking for? I'm worried about cable length, specifically.

Thanks!

 

[coltink]

Does anyone know of a site to estimate gas useage?

www.gasbuddy.com

 

[stefplus3]

www.gasbuddy.com

thanks so much!!!