Rochester, NY airport information needed

Parent Cafe
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<p>Due to the fact that I have lived in the south my entire life, I view snow as a terrible thing. People in the south freak out when we get anything more than a snow flurry; cities shut down in no time!</p>

<p>My daughter needs to drive to the Rochester airport from school for the Thanksgiving holiday. She has a 3 hour drive and it looks like there might be real snow the day she leaves. I will try not to worry too much about her driving, but I was wondering about her car once she arrives at the airport. Her car will be in the airport parking for 9 days and it looks like only one of the lots (the deck) is covered. If her car sits out for 9 days in the snow and cold, what are the chances she will A-be able to get in her car covered with snow, and B-will the car start? If the deck is available, I will have her park there, but if not, she will need to park in one of the shuttle lots. Of course, it could not snow while she is home, but I want to explore all options. My daughter does not love to fly, so if she has a long or bumpy flight and then arrives to a dead car or a mountain of snow, she might freak out just a bit.</p>

<p>For those of you from the north, I know you are laughing at my silly question, but I truly don’t know about the snow. She does have an ice scraper and snow brush; no other cold weather items.</p>

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<p>This is son’s first year at UR, so I can’t speak about the weather yet. Send a PM to Chedva—she’s an experienced UR parent and might be able to give you more insight.</p>

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<p>Not a problem - most of the snow here has been the fine kind that just brushes off easy or flies off once you drive off, no wet heavy stuff (but please brush it off - that is one of my pet peeves when I am driving behind what we Rochesterians call ‘portholers’). </p>

<p>Trust me - she will NOT find a deck spot unless she has some guardian angel looking out for her. That being said, I don’t think she will have a problem, but make sure she has a good ice scraper since with freezing and thawing over the nine days that might be an issue. When I got back to Buffalo after a mid-winter vacation the ice was almost a half inch thick, but I think it is too early for that too.</p>

<p>Which direction is she coming from? From Ithaca and south it should be ok, but if she is coming from Buffalo, Syracuse or Erie/Cleveland I hope she has had lake effect driving experience - I hit a total whiteout on the Thruway the day I moved to Rochester from Allentown PA 20 years ago and it is quite a “baptism of fire”</p>

<p>I am back late Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, so if you want any weather updates just PM me…now you know why my D is applying to Southern schools!!</p>

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<p>Yes, she is driving from Syracuse, and no, she doesn’t have much in the way of experience driving up your way. She did not have a car the first 2 years and was abroad second semester last year. I don’t think she really drove when the weather was bad last year, so this might be a first. The driving instructors in the south do not give winter driving practice!</p>

<p>Are there any off site parking lots that provide shuttles to the airport. We are in a large city and we always park off site. Many of the off site locations have covered parking. I did not see anything for Rochester when I googled, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything. I guess if she can not get a spot in the deck I will tell her to park in the yellow lot as their are shuttles and she will not have to walk with her luggage and laptop like she will in the long term lot.</p>

<p>I am sure I will have my eyes glued to the Weather Channel during her 2 travel days. Just to be on the safe side, I made her a hotel reservation near the airport the Sunday after Thanksgiving. If her plane is late or the weather is bad, I would rather her stay overnight than drive back to school in the dark. She does not have class on Monday until 1:00, so she can drive back in the morning. Because she is alone and has no experience driving in snow, I would rather she wait and drive during daylight hours.</p>

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<p>I have not used them, but the longer term lots are very close and pretty secure.</p>

<p>[Greater</a> Rochester International Airport | Monroe County, NY](<a href=“http://www.monroecounty.gov/airport-parking.php]Greater”>http://www.monroecounty.gov/airport-parking.php)</p>

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<p>And the drive to the Rochester airport from Syracuse shouldn’t be more than 90 minutes to 2 hours, maximum. It’s pretty much all highway driving as well. If the weather is bad, tell her to stay in the right lane, go steady, but slow, and make sure she has weight (kitty litter is a good option) in her trunk to give the car stability on slippery roads. It also works well for aiding traction if she gets stuck!</p>

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<p>She isn’t driving from Syracuse, but goes through Syracuse; she is farther east than that. We don’t have to worry about weight in her trunk, my daughter does not pack light when she travels ;-)</p>

<p>I would feel better if she wasn’t driving alone, but she does not know anyone without a car going that way. She usually flies out of Syracuse, but to get a non stop flight, the difference between prices was $900 for the holiday! We decide she could drive the extra 90 minutes to go to Rochester to save money.</p>

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<p>I think the best way to describe driving in Western NY in the winter is to say that it’s unpredictable. After having done it for 30+ years now, I can tell you that you can start out with clear skies and dry roads, and within a very short time/distance be in the midst of snowsqualls and ice. The only place, in all the driving we’ve done all over two countries, where we’ve had real difficulty with horrible winter weather, and where we’ve experienced having to get off the highway because it was impassable during a storm, has been in Western NY. I realize that $900 is a lot of money but if at all possible I wouldn’t make the decision as to which airport to use based solely on this, particularly for an inexperienced driver who hasn’t driven in the snow and has never made this drive. The fact that the thruway is basically surrounded by large acreage of open fields for practically its entire length, makes the possibility of driving difficulty during bad weather a true reality. It does tend to be plowed fairly regularly during a storm, or has in previous years anyway, but, in our experience, not as thoroughly or as often as the side roads. The towns and cities seem to do a better job of it than the state does. Big surprise! :)</p>

<p>The hotel reservation is a good idea, just in case. Maybe she’ll be lucky and there will be clear sailing next week. If not, I hope she has snow tires on her car!</p>

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<p>alwaysmom-OK, that didn’t ease my fears any! My daughter leaves tomorrow, so we are watching the weather carefully. I was lead to believe that weatherwise she would be ok driving the distance this early in the year. Yes, I know weather can change at a moments notice, but I was stupid enough to believe this wouldn’t be a big deal when we booked her flight in September. The kids are experienced drivers, taking road trip often, just not in the snow or ice. No snow tires as she is a senior this year and did not need them before now. At school she has enough friends from the north that have cars with the correct equipment that she will not drive if the weather does not allow. We actually were told by many people that for her car, we should not bother. Plus she is driving home for winter holiday and I understand you should not drive on snow tires without the snow and cold. </p>

<p>Last night I looked to see if she could take Amtrak to the airport, but the times do not work out for her flight.</p>

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<p>snowball, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to increase your worrying! We actually have family members travelling through that area tomorrow, too. Snow showers are forecast for the entire area and temps below freezing. My guess is that it won’t be too bad. Actually, for this area, this isn’t ‘early in the year’. :slight_smile: Two of the worst storms we’ve seen in the area happened in early October and on Halloween. </p>

<p>As for snow tires, there probably is no car for which snow tires do not provide a benefit in winter weather. Today’s tires are not the tires of our childhood where people had winter tires with studs on them, which were eventually outlawed in many areas because they damaged the roads. Improvements in the types of rubber used in snowtires have made a huge difference in the ease of winter travel. A lot of people believe that ‘all weather’ radials are just as good. They’re not! :slight_smile: A good (four tire) set of snow tires can improve traction by a substantial amount. In Quebec, snow tires are now required for every car on the road in winter. I know that there have been discussions at government levels in both NY and Ontario about implementing similar laws. The concern about driving with winter tires in warmer weather is that they will wear out more quickly, nothing more than that. </p>

<p>One piece of advice that I gave my kids when they started driving on the Thruway was to always know how far they are from a service center, which are fairly frequently spaced. Westbound between Syracuse and Rochester, there are three, so she’ll be able to pull off safely if she feels the need. Here’s the Thruway site, you may have already found it, but it can be helpful.</p>

<p>[New</a> York State Thruway Authority](<a href=“http://www.nysthruway.gov/index.shtml]New”>http://www.nysthruway.gov/index.shtml)</p>

<p>Oh, and another piece of advice - always have your toll $$ and card handy.</p>

<p>Safe travels to her! How wonderful that she’s able to get home for an entire week.</p>

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<p>I have lived in cold and snowy areas. I guess things are different in Canada - maybe even upstate NY - but I don’t know anyone who has used snow tires. Most of us do really well with A/T tires. I would not worry too much about snow storms. The roads will be well plowed unless there is a major blizzard. If there is a major blizzard all bets are off and the airport is likely to be closed or have major delays so ground transportation is not a concern.</p>

<p>I would be concerned about leaving a car for 9 days. In addition to a scraper, I have put a broom or small snow shovel in the car when I expected major snow fall. If your D livings in Syracuse, I am sure she will be prepared. Thanksgiving is a bit early for this concern even for the Rochester area. Yup it is alway possible for a car battery to run down. There will be the same temperature and same risk if the parking is uncovered or covered. This is a pretty frequent event at airports and it will be only a minor nuisance to arrange for a jump start.</p>

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<p>I am not going to worry because it will not be helpful to either my daughter or myself. her car has all terrain tires, but not the best. For some reason my husband decided when putting new tires on her car to go with a cheaper brand; I researched my tires like crazy when I replaced mine. We had a small argument when I realized what he had done; I felt like a less experienced driver should has the safest tires on their car. Luckily, we have not had an issues with her tires and I don’t expect we will now. I just wish my mechanic was there to look over her car before she headed out. She is going to get it checked out for the road trip home over winter break, but if I had thought this out better I would have had her take it in this week. Of course I didn’t know it was going to snow until 2 days ago.</p>

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<p>I am sorry for your worry. It must be very hard from a distance. Soon she’ll be home and just fine. Your hotel reservation was a smart back-up.</p>

<p>The only thing I’d recommend is to have her leave home a full two hours earlier than seems logical, relative to her plane departure. Bring a book for the airport…and just learn that this is how we do it. She will feel much more capable if she’s not driving to the airport looking at a clock. (for my kids, I say “leave two hours early” and then I let them negotiate it back to one hour…depends on your kid).</p>

<p>Pack the car up the night before…etc.</p>

<p>It’s good advice above, that if the roads are bad due to snow, the airplanes might also be delayed for the same reason.</p>

<p>I think there’s a spray can of “de-icer” that might help her reopen her car door lock, after 9 days.
Then get in it, turn it on and let all the ice melt off the windshield before even attempting to leave the parking lot. Idle on the lot until the visibility is just right,. before pushing off.</p>

<p>If windshield wipers are stuck down because of ice, do NOT try to force them free. It can break them. Instead, sit in the car and DEFROST (be patient) until the wipers move smoothly, as usual. It’s okay to chip at the ice around the general area of the wipers, but when you get to the actual rubber wipers stuck to the glass, THAT’s what you don’t force. Defrost from there, instead.</p>

<p>Broom in the car to wipe off snow off top of car. Ice-scraper in glove compartment is essential!</p>

<p>Remember that if she’s at the airport, she will have folks to call upon for help getting re-started.</p>

<p>Does she have AAA membership for on-the-road? </p>

<p>She’ll be fine, but I understand your concern.</p>

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<p>Yes, AAA is our friend! I was just told she doesn’t know what happened to her snow brush, she seems to think I took it. Now tell me exactly what I would be doing with a snow brush down my way?? She is hoping to get a spot in the covered deck, but if not, she will learn how to deal with her car. She knows how to call AAA (or mom and dad) if she needs help!</p>

<p>Luckily, my daughter likes to arrive at the airport early and she knows she needs to leave even earlier tomorrow. She will have her laptop and the airport has free wifi, so between her magazine and her laptop, she will be fine.</p>

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<p>I think Airport Economy Shuttle (the large parking place just outside of the airport) offers courtesy car brush-off.</p>

<p>Leave early and if the roads get bad, drive slowly.</p>

<p>If worst case she misses her flight or it is cancelled, does she have a plan B? If she has friends at the U of R that is only 10 min. from the airport. Otherwise, a hotel reservation would be wise. There is a Fairfield Inn on the Airport grounds. I believe they close the airport for the night, so just crashing at the airport may not be an option.</p>

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<p>Everyone who lives in the North has been caught out without a snow brush. My husband once scraped his windows with his credit card. I always brush snow off with my sleeve. She will do fine and soon feel like a veteran and lord it over all of you. If she allows extra time and drives slower if the weather is bad, then she will be fine. Let us know how she does and remember these are the experiences that make our kids grow ( and give us parents gray hairs). By the way, my parents lived in the Rochester area for eighty years without a garage and their cars almost always started. Temperatures in upstate NY usually don’t get that low; lots of snow though!</p>

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<p>Looks like the weather is going to be kind to my daughter; at least for her drive to the airport. Now, if it will just hold off until her plane gets out of the area, I will be a happy mom!</p>

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<p>Well, she arrived at the airport, only driving through snow for a little of her trip. The best news is now it doesn’t look like it will even be snowing when her plane takes off. For my child that doesn’t like to fly, this is great news.</p>

<p>Actually, maybe the best news is she was able to get a covered space in the deck; bad news for my wallet, but better for her on her arrival back to school.</p>

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<p>Great news! Enjoy having her home.</p>

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<p>That’s wonderful. I was watching the upstate NY snowfall reports today and thought of her. Today, the lake effect snow was very much to the west of her driving path. Two feet descended on the area between Jamestown NY and Erie, PA. So that’s tough for parents whose kids are at SUNY Fredonia, but your kid fared well. </p>

<p>So she found a space under the deck? Miracles do happen. </p>

<p>Happy Thanksgiving! How wonderful to have her home :)</p>