Assuming this is a weekday? If so, leaving UMD after 9 a.m. with the goal of hitting NYC before 2 would be best. That way you avoid most rush hour traffic on both ends. If a weekend, the earlier the better.
Yes it will be a weekday. Was planning on Monday evening or early Tuesday.
How late/early do you want to drive? If you left UMD at 7 p.m. Monday, youād hit NYC at 11 or so (assuming minimal stops). And if you left UMD at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, youād avoid bad traffic in DC and should get through Baltimore before rush hour kicks in (although the Key Bridge collapse could have impacts here).
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Arriving in the city after 11 am but before 3. Leaving in the morning early or after 8 depending on if there is a yankee game
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The train is easy!
Has anyone looked into whether the bridge collapse affect traffic patterns DC-NY?
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Oh did not even think of this. Something else to consider if driving.
Ok will look into the impact of the bridge collapse also. I expected getting into NYC would be hard but all these factors makes it even more complicated then I expected.
Why not train DC to NyC area? Give you a break, Acela is nice
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Yes considering this option now.
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I just looked (have a friend coming up on Monday) and it looks totally fine. Iād avoid rush hour, but that is not new.
Weird that google maps now labels it āformer Key Bridgeā
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100% the best option. You donāt need Acela. Time savings are not that great, so whichever train time works best.
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I live in northern NJ and D20 goes to school in DC - in theory the trip should be 3.5 hours, but in reality it has taken 6+ a number of times. D has taken the train and it has been an enjoyable trip for her.
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Thanks for the info. Looks like one more vote for the train.
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Well, we are all agreed, committed, booked, reserved, confirmed . . . NiceUnparticularMom is looking a little shell-shocked, but I am sure she will recover.
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With the exception of the traffic in Illinois, the drive from Cleveland to Madison will be easy. Itās flat and there are tons of rest areas across Ohio and Indiana; you wonāt have to leave the highway in those states and itās just one road (I-90) the whole way so you donāt have to worry about getting lost.
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Bummer, you have picked some unfortunate times to drive there. We are in Central NJ and have a kid in DC and it usually takes us just a hair over 3 hours. Worst we have had was under 4. Agree, the train is great for the kid getting to/from us.
The drive on I-80 from NY to Cleveland is not an easy a stretch of highway. If Iām remembering correctly, in Pennsylvania it is a divided highway with two lanes on your side (but maybe there wa construction, so there are 3 lanes?). If it is raining and there are trucks it is pretty bad as it is very up and down through the mountains (unlike blissfully flat Ohio). I did it by myself after the first college drop off. I was sure I was going to be murdered at the rest areas (to get to them you have to pull off into a wooded area that you canāt see from the highway). I personally would rather drive up and over I-90 (thru Albany), or at least go through the Southern Tier of NY. Southern Tier is not the fastest route, but it is absolutely beautiful.
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@radm - youāre coming from CA? Are you used to bad LA or SF traffic? I did not find NYC traffic/driving to be challenging at all, so YMMV -
@M_Fun - could you do Bates this Monday? Iām pulling for Bates! Very different than Hamilton or MHC!
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Catching up and seeing all these graduation gifts/ trips. Iām flying to D20 university graduation in China and then the two of us are going on a two week trip to Japan. D24 cannot go because of AP exams (ugh). I am promising her a trip for college graduation and reminding her that D20 didnāt get a high school graduation trip because of COVID.
Grandmother is paying for whole family to do a cruise this summer and we are calling it a graduation celebration for both girls.
D24 will be getting a new laptop for graduation gift. She got a new iPad for Christmas.
Last college visit 4/12-14 to Marquette. After that - things likely to move fast over here.
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You have definitely had better luck than us! With rain, accidents and construction it has definitely taken a long time more than once. Of course, the normal trips have been very much appreciated after the bad luck trips!