Take My Directions/Route Challenge... NYC to Ludlow VT (fast + beats traffic)

**BeanDip4All** · 09-30-2007, 03:54 PM

okay Dexter, MtnMan, Porno Saved My Life, anyone who's ever live in NY metro, et all, this question is for you.

Planning out a trip to VT (Ullrfest weekend) and figuring what's the fastest way to Ludlow, google maps/mapquest is sending us a retard way i that KNOW is slow, 95 to New Haven then up 91N through Springfield Mass. screw that... plus this is going to be on a friday afternoon so heading from NYC to New Haven isn't really desirable.

What about taking the Taconic or 87 up and then jumping over to route 7 in Albany? (from looking at my Rand McNally it seems kinda direct)

also, any secret/good ways out of NYC? If FDR is fucked normally I'll jump on the Madison Ave bridge but even that has been a shitshow lately.

Thanks everyone

I shall buy you a six pack if you "win" the challenge and your directions help!

PS- God, I hate myself i have totally turned into one of those freaking yuppies i used to mock, renting a car from NYC to go to VT for a weekend. I have a gun and a barrel of fish if anyone is interested?

**Raps** · 09-30-2007, 04:12 PM

Court,

When i was growing up and we had a place at Okemo, we used to take 684 to 84 and then up 91 from Hartford. Ludlow is only 20-30 min off 91 via 103.......brings back the ol' memories - plus there is a Vermont Country Store on 103 with really good gummy bears......

And no matter what you are going to fight traffic getting out of the city but i usually take the FDR to the Willis Avenue Bridge and then up

P.S. - you around this week for a drink? I am a gimp again but i can make it to our local bar for a drink....i'm only gonna be in NYC 3 more weeks!

**Aldo** · 09-30-2007, 04:55 PM

Taconic is a great ride, up to 22 North then onto 7 then 30 then 100.
If you can get to the Thruway before too much traffic builds coming out of the city it's not a bad bet 87-787-7-30-100. 684 to 84 to 91 is good, but 84 can be a shitsahow in rush hour. Either way it should take you less than 4 hours to get there from here. Taconic coming home is a good choice, to avoid thruway traffic, try it.

jgb@etree · 09-30-2007, 05:24 PM

If traffic didn't exist, either 95>91 or 684>84>91 would be the fastest route, but on an average friday, the 87>787>7>30>100 is probably the best. If the upper level of the GW isn't jammed, taking the palisades to 87 avoids the TZ which can get nasty. The HH>Saw Mill will also get you upto the TZ quickly and avoid some deegan traffic.

Everyone loves the taconic until you get a few tickets there. The cops hide in the hilly medians and trees like stealthy ninja snipers wating to pounce. I just can't drive 50 on that road, so I avoid it like the plauge.

**steve** · 09-30-2007, 08:55 PM

As someone who has done this trip a bunch of times:

Take a train over to Jersey, and rent a car there! Whatever you do, don't rent in the 5 boros. You pay twice as much.
From Jersey, you can take 287 or 17 to 87 (NYS Thruway)
87 albany, get on 787
787 to Troy, get on 7.
7 to bennington bypass and back to 7.
7 to Manchester, go east on 11.
11 to Londonderry, go north on 100.

Yeah, I like going west of the hudson river, even if you're starting out east of it. Traffic is much more reliable.

Regarding your question about the Taconic: It's a fantastic alternate route when 87 is heavy (especially sunday afternoons going south) - But it's generally slower. Plus it could potentially drop you right into the bronx clusterfuck.

**BeanDip4All** · 10-01-2007, 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by Raps

P.S. - you around this week for a drink? I am a gimp again but i can make it to our local bar for a drink....i'm only gonna be in NYC 3 more weeks!

you are gimped up again? wtf dude you need to stop playing full contact wii

sure, drink is good, this week is not, how about some day next week? I'll PM ya. hope packing is going well... what are we going to do the hellhole known as "cabin fever" closed! YES I will finally be able to sleep through the night without barflies waking me up singing at 4:30am on Wednesday mornings.

Thanks everyone for the directions, those are some great options.

Steve, I am way too lazy to go all the way to Jersey to rent a car!

**Tye 1on** · 10-01-2007, 08:34 AM

Originally Posted by BeanDip4All

Steve, I am way too lazy to go all the way to Jersey to rent a car!

Ironman finisher::lazy=oxymoron.

**steve** · 10-01-2007, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by BeanDip4All

Steve, I am way too lazy to go all the way to Jersey to rent a car!

The extra $50/day (at least!) isn't worth a 30-minute train ride?

wow, it must be good to be you.

-steve

**gamma** · 10-01-2007, 08:39 AM

wst side > gwb > palisades > 87 > thru glens falls and into vt.

4 hrs

**steve** · 10-01-2007, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by gamma

wst side > gwb > palisades > 87 > thru glens falls and into vt.

4 hrs

Um, yeah.

Those would be great directions if she was going to Rutland.

But she's not going to Rutland.

She's going to Ludlow.

-steve

**SkiDork** · 10-01-2007, 08:46 AM

I vote either:

684 -> 84 -> Hartford, then 91 -> exit 6 (103) to Ludlow

or

Merrit -> 91 -> exit 6 (103) to Ludlow

**Stu Gotz** · 10-01-2007, 08:58 AM

how funky do you want to get?

I believe I almost got you shived at 125th street, so take my advice under caution.

I agree with Steve somewhat - however, get your car in Stamford, CT. The express will get you there in 50 minutes, which beats driving. The Hertz car rental is right at the Stamford train station. You can literally fall out of the train on into the cars.

Take left out of Hertz and take first right onto Washington Blvd. Go under train tracks. Follow Washington to Longridge Road. Follow Longridge road to end (15 miles?). Very scenic - see how very rich people live. Take left at T stop (Pound Ridge Road). Pound Rodge splits into Y. Take left spur (Old Post Road). In one mile, look for S. Bedford Street on right (at gas station) Take S. Bedford to 684 North. 684 to 84E. 84E to 91N. 91N to crazy VT backroads.

I have other diabolical routes if interested.

**steve** · 10-01-2007, 09:02 AM

I can't speak to routes through CT, I don't know much about them. It seems to me that they can get hammered with traffic, but that's just an educated guess based on limited experience.

One of the PATH stations in Jersey is right next to a car rental place. I'd have to look it up.

-steve

**BigJay** · 10-01-2007, 09:20 AM

I don't live in NY but I can say that I would much rather drive up 91 and come in from the east then have to travel from Troy to Bennington (god that road SUCKS!) then on route 9 out of Bennington to 100 and up. That trip could take substantially longer if there is an accident/grampa drivers on the road (well, any trip could take longer, but this is a two lane road). I kinda like the idea of taking a train into CT, but what the fuck do I know? I'm from New Hampshire!

Plus, once you hit 91 its 3 and 4 lanes all the way up to Springfield isn't it?

**steve** · 10-01-2007, 09:23 AM

7 from Troy to Bennington is not that bad.
Don't get me wrong, going to Rutland, I prefer the Fort Ann/Whitehall route, but that's certainly not the consensus, especially among vermont locals. Going to Ludlow, I really can't complain about 7 through hoosick falls. It could be a lot worse.

**Bite Me** · 10-01-2007, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by steve

I can't speak to routes through CT, I don't know much about them. It seems to me that they can get hammered with traffic, but that's just an educated guess based on limited experience.

One of the PATH stations in Jersey is right next to a car rental place. I'd have to look it up.

-steve

CT traffic from Greenwich to Bridgeport sucks monkey balls on Friday nights. Blinking sign every Friday in Greenwich - Heavy traffic next 32 miles - will take AT LEAST an hour, maybe two. WTF.

Both major routes (95 and Rt 15 - aka Hutch, Merritt) suck. Once you get through New Haven, things are generaly fine, but try to avoid via other routes if at all possible.

You can always pick up your rental in New Haven, which is 1.5 hour on Metro North from GCT. A LOT faster than driving to get there.

**steve** · 10-01-2007, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by bite me

You can always pick up your rental in New Haven, which is 1.5 hour on Metro North from GCT. A LOT faster than driving to get there.

That is a great idea.

The only downside is the $20-$30 round-trip train fare.. but depending on what you rent and where you buy the gas, an hour or two of traffic can definitely approach or even exceed those numbers in terms of gas costs - to say nothing of the amount of time you saved.

**Stu Gotz** · 10-01-2007, 09:34 AM

Ahhh, young grasshoppas.
No 95 or 15 used
Longridge Road solves all

**Tye 1on** · 10-01-2007, 09:38 AM

we were supposed to have jetpacks by now.

**road trip** · 10-01-2007, 09:41 AM

Any and all driving and road-route finding questions should be directed to Aldo. He is a wise sage. He knows all. Everybody else is just pretending.

(and for the record, I generally take Steve's route from Jersey)

**OldLarry** · 10-01-2007, 09:41 AM

Long ridge road looks like it goes btn 95 and 15, no?

I do the hutch to the merrit to 91, btw...

**gamma** · 10-01-2007, 09:43 AM

idunnoaboutinto vt, but best way up is to stay west. 95 and 91can be a friggin mess....

**kokomas** · 10-01-2007, 09:53 AM

if you are down with the I87 approach, i may have a better way for you. i've done the gwb to palisades a lot and its not bad but the approaches to the george can be terrible and its an indirect route. take the lincoln tunnel to rt 3west to 17 north to 87N. my buddy plays golf in sloatsburg and swears by this route, and by google it looks at least 6mi shorter. the roads in jersey can be hit or miss, but i think they are generally better than trying to get the george.

if you don't mind paying for parking for the day or an illegal turn, you can bypass all lines for linclon tunnel using port authority park and ride. (you can also pull an illegal u turn heading up the ramp at your first opportunity to turn left to get straight into the tube) the entrance to the park and ride is on 39th st, heading west its on the right after you pass 9th ave

**Stu Gotz** · 10-01-2007, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by OldLarry

Long ridge road looks like it goes btn 95 and 15, no?

I do the hutch to the merrit to 91, btw...

The Hutch/Merritt merge is a doozy. if you keep going north on the deegan and take 287 east, you can miss the merritt foolishness and pick it back up in westchester if you so desire.

At the end of the day, most folks in Stamford are tyring to get onto 95. washington to Longridge bypasses almost all of the traffic. Once past the merritt, almost no traffic at all.

Not many people travelling to bedford.

**steve** · 10-01-2007, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by kokomas

if you are down with the I87 approach, i may have a better way for you. i've done the gwb to palisades a lot and its not bad but the approaches to the george can be terrible and its an indirect route. take the lincoln tunnel to rt 3west to 17 north to 87N. my buddy plays golf in sloatsburg and swears by this route, and by google it looks at least 6mi shorter. the roads in jersey can be hit or miss, but i think they are generally better than trying to get the george.

ahh, now you're in steve territory.

Most times, the absolute best way to 87 is this:
George to 4 to 17 to 87.

Alternate routes:
17 can be slow through Paramus, but it's usually not horrible. On Friday afternoons, it may be better to take 17 to GSP to 87, you bypass a the worst part of the 17/287 merge that can be pretty nasty.

If 4 is slow, take 80 LOCAL to 17.

Palisades is only for when both 4 and 80 are bad. 17 cuts a corner that you don't want to take. because of a hill and its proximity to the Tappan Zee, there is often traffic on 87 between the Palisades and the GSP exits.

Getting to the George:
* 90% of the time I take Harlem River Drive.
* When I hear that HRD is particularly bad, I might go to the West Side Hwy if it's easy to get to AND they list it as an alternate. This is if I'm coming from the west side of Manhattan, or Brooklyn, when getting to the WSH is easy.
* I almost never take the Deegan, because the ramp onto the George is horrible. If I'm on the Deegan anyway, I usually just head up to the TZB, which I almost never do, because of a bottleneck to get to the TZB, and because of aforementioned section of 87 between the Palisades (really the TZB), and the GSP.
* The way I take when there are no other options is St. Nicholas to Amsterdam. After driving on the bridge over 95, take the exit to the right to get on a cloverleaf-style ramp that puts you right underneath the apartments. Believe me, it's very satisfying.

The Tunnels

Lincoln is often a good option and if I know that the wait is less than ten minutes, I'll take it. I'm not a big fan of illegal turns, but generally speaking, the fastest way into the Lincoln Tunnel is a very short highway-style road that approaches from the south, you get onto it in the lower 30s (sorry, I don't know exactly which one, I know it by sight.)
Once you're out in Jersey, it's 495 to the Turnpike to 17. And alternate is Turnpike to 80 local to 17, because that bypasses all the traffic lights on 17 south of 80. Route 3 past 17 can be slow, but it is possible to take it to the GSP to 17 or even all the way to 87. To sum, I like the tunnel and will take it instead of the bridge if I'm in Midtown and know that it's quick on.

Holland is only good for going south.

I'd write more, but I've gotta go.. (: