Back from Mystic Realms

[fbhjr]

Driving back from NJ last night we faced a frequent problem.  All of the
traffic reports for the New Jersey Turnpike showed it stopped for about 50
miles as you got near New York City.
We’ve been doing this show each year since 2003, and have faced this every
single time.  It’s a nice June weekend and lots of people go to the beach.
Once evening comes, they all want to go home.
We want to go home too, and since the show runs until 5, can’t really leave
early to beat the traffic.
Usually we spent a couple of hours in stop and go traffic in central to
north New Jersey.
No one likes it.
We have often lamented the lack of other roads that run across NJ we could
use as an alternate route.  I have often thought “maybe it would be faster
if I went north through Pennsylvania and then cut east farther up.”
The basic fallacy of the is that Phoenix Swords never does well in PA, and
we should just avoid it.  But, sometimes you have to try before you believe.

So, we drove up through Philadelphia to Allentown to get on 78 east.
But through clever sign marking, we actually got on 22 east.
In fairness they both were accessed from the same exit, were not well
marked, were multiple lane highways and ran parallel to each other.  
I only started to suspect something when we saw a sign that said “To 78” on
an exit ramp.
“Aren’t we already on 78?” I asked.
Many smartphones were consulted.
All agreed we were not.  (blue_micha’s would only agree we
were east of the Mississippi, but that covers more area that is not route
78 than area that is.)

So, we got to visit lovely Philipsburg NJ, which is where 22 puts you when
it ends.
I can’t believe we are the only folks to have this happen as there was a
series of large signs saying “Go this way to get to 78!”  To the point of
even telling you which lane you should stay in to reach the entrance with
the most ease.

We kept going north first, then east through NJ, then NY.  We stopped at a
rest area in NY where my wife expressed how difficult it was to be the
middle person of three in the back seat of a Subaru on this type of
adventure.

We got back to our place about 12:20 in the morning.  That’s about 6 ¾
travel time.  It’s 5 hours if you go the straightest route and have no
traffic at all.  We usually lose between 1 and 2 hours to traffic.
Three different traffic apps were consulted before we set off, and all
three showed the traffic near NYC to be horrific.  (Pulsing red and black
markers on Google.  That was the same category that had the highway on my
way home last week moving at 5MPH.)

The upshot is, it does not save time.  It is a very pretty drive going
through some lovely hills in PA, NJ and NY.  And, you move right along.
It’s 65 MPH limits the whole drive a very rare for anything to slow us
below that once we cleared Philadelphia.  But, it is considerably longer
and probably not worth it in the long run.  I should take the stop and go
and have less mileage.  Right?

Comments

[ravena-kade.livejournal.com]

Stop and go would irk me so I would probably take the longer route just to keep moving and be happier for the moving part.

[pallid-regina.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have been known to take a longer route if I know it means I won't have to sit still. I don't sit still well.

[brickhousewench.livejournal.com]

Thirded for the I prefer speed to stop and go.

Plus, pretty view vs. exhaust fumes? That's a win for me.

[evrgreen.livejournal.com]

Yes for taking the long way home. I also prefer to be moving rather than standing still and sucking exhaust. Even if the total time is the same, or longer, than slugging through the traffic jams, I much prefer to be moving. Plus, you get to see new - and possibly exciting things when you take the alternate routes.

Put in your supertramp music collection and roll on!

[morgan-lafaye.livejournal.com]

I'm for the " moving vs stop,go". I took 20 home yesterday evening just to avoid the pikes parking lot.

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

sixth-d. then again, i'm biased as to NY.

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the routes I took coming back from Maryland a few weeks ago.

I agree that the drive is very scenic and fairly easy (although here I admit I was able to find my way onto 78 and not
be fooled by 22, it got reaaaaaaaalllly close though)

But yeah it does add on an extra hour or so. But I always weigh "sit in NY/NJ traffic or go an hour out of the way and deal with more
trucks?" And it's always the longer drive that wins. I also don't like the idea of paying $20 for the bridges and then the additional
other tolls, although I probably "spend" that in the extra gas for the longer route.

It always makes me shrug as it seems hopeless to find a fairly "easy", reasonable traffic, and "fast" route through
the eastern corridor. So, I feel your pain and frustration.

[cissa.livejournal.com]

Me, too. That's why when we visited M- who's a bit north of NYC but in the Hudson Valley area- we do NOT go through CT; we do 90 to 87.

[cissa.livejournal.com]

But- stop-and-go traffic is really bad for fuel efficiency (except maybe in a Prius).