Our November Trip to Orlando – Part One
Winter driving in New England... slippery, sloppy, cold and wet.
Things get a little depressing up here in northern New England once November rolls around. That month signifies the beginning of at least 4 months of long nights, bitter cold, slippery roads, and hours of shoveling snow. Sure, there’s plenty of outdoor “sports” up here like skiing or snow mobiling but I’m more of a warm weather, tall “umbrella” drink kind of guy and November is our que to head south.
When we were younger, a drive to Florida was a non-stop event. Now we take several days to get there. This time around we planned on overnight stops somewhere in Virginia and Georgia.
Over the years we’ve found that leaving around 11pm works best for us. Timing is everything and we’ve always managed to avoid the heavy traffic issues most travelers dread. I enjoy driving so half the fun is getting there. Since the first few hours of our trip we’re traveling roads we often take year round, we’re not missing much leaving in total darkness.
We leave New Hampshire traveling south on I-93 and about an hour later we’re in Massachusetts. We hop on I-495 south, then east on I-290 thru Worcester. During the day this route can be a real headache but at 1am it’s a breeze! The gas situation looks good… we’ve still got 3/4 of a tank.
Southbound on I-84 crossing the Connecticut River as we approach Hartford
I-290 to I-90 West to I-84 South and not a bit of traffic yet. Around 2:30am we’re passing thru Hartford, Connecticut without any problems. No traffic, no construction. So far so good. The the real test is up the road. Gas looks good… but I’ll run on fumes before I buy gas in Connecticut. They’ve always had the highest gas prices here. If we can make it to New Jersey, that’s where we’ll fill up.
About 3:30 am we’re leaving Connecticut, entering New York and ready to jump ship on I-84 and head south on I-684. For us, I-684 has been a line of demarkation… head north for a scenic drive in the country, or south into the abyss. At the end of I-684, we jump on I-287 and head west and over the Tappan Zee Bridge. It’s now about 4:15am and it won’t be long before things come back to life out here on the highway.
I-287 Over The The Tappan Zee Bridge
Shortly after we cross The Tappan Zee, we head south on The Garden State Parkway and into New Jersey. Traffic is starting to build. We stop at the first Service Plaza and fill the tank, grab a quick breakfast were off. It’s now almost 5am. If we can successfully navigate the Garden State Parkway to the New Jersey Turnpike without incident, we’ll be in good shape. Get your quarters out!
“Way on the other side of the Hudson, deep in the bosom of surburbia”. Remember those lyrics? Sure you don’t. Back in the 70’s Dean Friedman had a hit song about a girl named “Ariel” whom he met ”standing by the waterfall in Paramus Park”. I think back to that song every time we go by Paramus Park, a large regional mall next to the Garden State Parkway. Long trips can do that.
Southbound on the Garden State Parkway approaching the exit to the NJ Turnpike
There it is… New Jersey Turnpike one mile ahead. It’s about 5:20am. The worst is behind us now. With plenty of gas, and a relatively full stomach, we head south on the turnpike!
5:30am. There goes the Joyce Kilmer Service Area.
5:45am. Wave to the people at the Molly Pitcher Service Area.
6:00am. The Richard Stockton Service Area speeds by us.
Neatly placed every 15 minutes apart. The Turnpike Authority has it down to a science.
At 6:10am we pass exit 6, the junction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. But more importantly, where I-95 will head west into Pennsylvania. Once construction of the new I-95/Pennsylvania Turnpike Interchange is completed we’ll try going that way.
6:20am. Walt Whitman Service Area. Time for some gas and a little rest.
It’s right about here… on the turnpike in southern New Jersey, where I start thinking about fast food that we can’t get back home. More specifically, Popeye’s Chicken! It won’t be long before I see those heartwarming signs everywhere. I can already feel my arteries restricting as I type this.
6:45am. Clara Barton Service Area. The Delaware Memorial Bridge is 10 minutes ahead. Traffic is starting to get a little heavy, but we’re still keeping at the speed limit (well, maybe a little more). Gas prices look pretty good at the Deepwater exit… some of the lowest prices on I-95 are in this area. We’ll be in Delaware by 7am. The Delaware Memorial Bridge is straight ahead!
I-95 Southbound on the Delaware Memorial Bridge
Welcome to Delaware, but don’t blink. I-95 is only about 24 miles long here. Christiana (exit 4) has often been a great overnight stopover for us. There are several reasonably-prices hotels here (Country Inn and Suites, Hawthorne Suites, and HomeStead Studio Suites are our favorites), lots of dining options and a large mall (Christiana Mall) to pass the time. It’s now 7:20 am and Maryland is straight ahead!
Once we cross into Maryland we decide weather we should immediately continue to Baltimore and DC or stop at the Chesapeake House Service Area and wait out the peak morning traffic. We tune in a local radio station and get the traffic info… if it sound omnious we stop, if not we continue.
…to be continued.
on February 9th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
This really brings back memories. We used to drive to Florida every year and took almost the exact same route, except our trip started in Stamford and we never took the Tappan Zee. We took the GWB to the Turnpike.
on February 10th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Great report. I’m looking forward to part 2.
on February 13th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I’m also looking forward to the next report. I’ll be making a return move to Connecticut in July from Ft Myers, FL to Clinton, CT. Which do you think is best GWB or Tappan Zee? Thanks for the info. Once my late husband and I took the shore routes … stopped at Kitty Hawk, and in Georgia at a roadside stand for peach tea, drove down the Outer Banks…it was a great trip from CT to the Florida Keys.
on February 13th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
We’ve always preferred the Tappan Zee over the George Washington Bridge. The few times we went via the GWB there was always either construction or heavy traffic… even late at night. I wouldn’t consider the Tappan Zee route “more rural” but it certainly is compared to the GWB route.
on March 22nd, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Hi! great article. I’m looking forward to the next one. I am thinking about a trip next summer from Nova Scotia to Dover Delaware with a stop in NH to visit friends. It seems like I could basically carbon copy your route. As exciting and interesting as the GWB route theough NYC seems, thats not the place is want to miss an exit.The Tappan Zee seems like the best choice. Thank you.
on March 24th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Hi, this is a great article, wish you would coninue on soon.. My friends and I are making the trip from Worcester to Ft Myers at all times, April school vacation week. My family always went over the Tappan Zee bridge when I was younger on our annual trips to the Jersey shore. We are crazy, but planning on leaving at 3pm on a thursday and expect traffic at least through NJ, any tips would greatly be appreciated. Thank you
on May 5th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
We drove from New Smyrna Beach to Upstate N.Y. on April 1st via I-95. Construction made it miserable… twenty minutes to go five miles. One worker was creating the traffic nightmare. It was ridiculous. Travel at night if you have to drive!