Hitchhiker's Guide to PAX East - NEW JERSEY

SoCo_and_Lime

In an attempt to organize some ride sharing action, I'm going to try and organize some pick ups. Please check OP frequently. If people want to do this for other states that's fine, I'm not going any further than NJ though.

RULES:

- YOU MUST BE 18 OR OLDER. To avoid any legal problem (parents claiming you kidnapped their children) and so that you posses a regular license, not provisional, so that if need be you can take over driving. Drivers are encouraged to check ID before transporting anyone.

- Pick-ups will be made only at the 8 service areas along the Garden State Parkway North or the 4 on the New Jersey Turnpike North. It is recommended that hitchhikers be dropped off and not leave a car there for the weekend.

- Don't be a dick. This entire scheme will be running on the honor system.
- Pick up times are at the DRIVER's discretion (as is music). No bitching.
- I can not be held responsible if your driver/hitchhiker is mean, smelly, stupid. I'm paring you up completely randomly. Unless otherwise requested, I'm not taking gender into account when paring you.
- Splitting gas money, tolls, pit stops, parking, etc is highly recommended but is by no means implied here. Please be sure to work that out first.
- This ride share is only GOING TO PAX. Getting home is all on you.
- All communication past the point of pairing you up is up to you. I suggest getting to know each other, exchanging cell phone numbers, etc.
- Advise me of any and all cancellations/changes


All pick ups will be on a first come first serve basis. Submit in thread.

HITCHHIKERS: Submit the form below

Name (or just your handle):
Age/Race/Gender:
Date of requested pick-up:
Service Area (#):
Bags:
Willingness to split travel costs:
Special Requests/Needs*:

DRIVERS: Submit the form below

Name (or just your handle):
Age/Race/Gender:
Date of travel:
Spaces available:
Service Area's willing/able to stop at (#s):
Make/Model/Color of car:
Special Requests/Needs*:


*Examples: Allergy to dog/cat hair, no smokers, etc.


SERVICE AREAS: Used assigned numbers # to identify

Garden State Parkway:

8) Montvale (Mile Post 171)
7) Brookdale (Mile Post 153.3)
6) Vaux Hall (Mile Post 142)
5) Cheesequake (Mile Post 123)
4) Monmouth (Mile Post 100)
3) Forked River (Mile Post 76)
2) Atlantic City (Mile Post 41.4)
1) Ocean View (Mile Post 18.3)

New Jersey Turnpike:

13) Grover Cleveland (between 11 and 12)
12) Joyce Kilmer (between 8A and 9)
11) Woodrow Wilson (between 7 and 7A)
10) James Fenimore Cooper (between 4 and 5)
9) John Fenwick (between 1 and 2)




Hitchhikers/Drivers: (Red needs pick-up. Green is being picked up)



Garden State Parkway


8) Montvale

(N/A)

7) Brookdale

(N/A)

6) Vaux Hall

(N/A)

5) Cheesequake

(N/A)

4) Monmouth

(N/A)

3) Forked River

(N/A)

2) Atlantic City

(N/A)

1) Ocean View

(N/A)




New Jersey Turnpike


13) Grover Cleveland

(N/A)

12) Joyce Kilmer

(N/A)

11) Woodrow Wilson

(N/A)

10) James Fenimore Cooper

(N/A)

9) John Fenwick

(N/A)



CARS

Driver: (N/A)
Passengers: (N/A)
Date: (N/A)

Moe Fwacky

I like this idea. Although maybe you should toss a section into the registration form to allow specifics on chipping in for gas.

Gundabad

I'm heading up from Exit 98 on the Parkway w/ what looks to be a full boat (4 people), but I'll keep an eye on this thread as the days get closer in case there is an opportunity to help out a fellow PAXer.

SoCo_and_Lime

Moe Fwacky wrote: »

I like this idea. Although maybe you should toss a section into the registration form to allow specifics on chipping in for gas.

Done.

I'm guessing this thread is going to be a bit slow for now but once people start working out their travel plans, around February / early March , I hope it'll help

VisionOfClarity

Also, Montvale, Brookdale and Vaux Hall are all on the way to PAX if you don't take 95 up because you'll hit insane amounts of traffic that will add at least an hour if not more to your ride. If you take the Parkway to 287 to 87 to 15 to 84 (or 91) to 90 (or 287 to 87 to 84 to 90) you'll hit less traffic and the flow of traffic on 15 is insanely fast so I tend to prefer that.

dardor

I recommend not taking the Turnpike through the NJ/NY border. Wayyyy too much traffic. Parkway all the way! Basically what VoC said. Parkway to 287 to 87 to whatever you choose after that. Google maps will tell you to take the Turnpike because it's "shorter" but the GWB is a nightmare in the best of times. Take Tappan Zee to get out of NJ.

SoCo_and_Lime

Yeah I suppose it's not up to me to choose how people get to Boston (I usually don't have that much trouble with the GWB myself but I do tend to drive at odd hours), I've adjusted the OP

Onmitsu

As a New-Jerseyite, if there are people who can't actually find a carpool, I've always been a fan of the Boltbus, which is as cheap as $20 bucks for a round trip. Admittedly, you need to get into NYC, penn station first, but hey, doesn't NJ exist as a parking garage for that place anyway? And agreed on the Turnpike thing. Traffic will be an unholy nightmare.

Gundabad

I've always been very interested in the Bolt Bus, Mega Bus, etc. as it seems like a ridiculously cheap way to get to another major city from NYC. Have you ever had any trouble with them? Are they reliable for that cheap of a price?

They don't have schedules up for late March yet but using costs from early March, and adding in a NJTransit train or bus ticket to get to NYC, I would estimate $65 per person round trip.

Add this in to some rough estimates a while back comparing car vs train which I'll re-post here:
>TRAIN: The Amtrak tickets from Trenton, NJ are $73 each way. 4 people round trip would be $584!
>
>CAR: Lets assume a mid-size sedan w/ decent gas mileage, price of gas being about what it is today, plus 10 >cents per mile towards wear & tear on the car. That works out to be about 25 cents for every mile you drive, >meaning it's safe to assume the car will cost about $150. Parking in downtown Boston for 3-4 days will cost >about $150 as well. Versus taking the train, that's gonna save the group $300 for a 4-person trip.

So my recommendations are as follows:
Going Solo: take the train and meet people (or find a carpool in this thread!)
Two Person Group: Bus $130, Train $292, Car $300. Bus wins
Three Person Group: Bus: $195, Train $438, Car $300. This is kind of a toss-up. For the money-conscious this proves these cheap buses are a great deal, but for reasons below I might still be tempted to take a car.
Four Person Group: Bus $260, Train $584, Car $300. Even though it's an extra $10/head, I would recommend Car here. On the plus side, you will get there faster and have the flexibility to stop where you want, be as obnoxious as you want, etc. On the downside it is $40 more and someone has to spend there time driving.

Obviously these are not super-scientific calculations. The bus rates can range anywhere from $1 to $20 each way. This was done of off cost for two weeks earlier as the PAX East weekend is not up yet. They also don't account for you sticking two heavies in the back of your car and pulling down your gas mileage, or finding a good deal on downtown parking, etc.

If you've got cash to spend I still think the PAX East Train Alliance looks like a blast and would love to travel that route.

Onmitsu

I can't speak for other bus services, but I've never had any issues with the boltbus, myself. The wireless internet on the bus can be spotty, but that was the only issue I've had. My cost of getting to boston from where I am, would be $17 round trip on the train into Penn station, and 20-30 for the bus, so, it'd be around 37 to 47 per head. If you put enough people into a car, it could be cheaper, depending on what part of jersey you're going into the city from, but for me the tipping factors for the bus are two:

-Someone needing to drive. I like the bus since all the people on the trip can chill and have fun without some poor schlub getting stuck driving. It's just a nice worry not to have. Plus leg-room.

-Boston driving. Boston is a drivers worst nightmare. The roads are a tangled hellish skein woven by spiders of the underworld. It tacks an extra half hour on to any trip just to navigate and get parking, made my friend miss the Kalefina concert at Anime boston.

DeathPrawn

Bolt Bus and Mega Bus are fantastic. Bolt Bus sells out more quickly, but is more comfortable. If you book far enough in advance to get the date/time you want I wouldn't even bother with any of the other bus companies that offer similar service (Peter Pan/Greyhound, Fung Wah, etc).

The bus could also be a great way to get PAXers travelling together - get 10-20 forumers to book the same bus and you've got a recipe for a party.

DaNerd

I'd vouch for Bolt Bus as well, though some of my friends have taken Fung Wah and say that it's good too. I've only traveled with Bolt Bus, so I can't compare.

Something else to consider is flying. Last I checked, a flight from Newark to Boston was ~79 round trip.

VisionOfClarity

Parking will not run you $150, if you look at garages ahead of time you'll likely spend under $100 easy. This isn't including free on street parking on Saturday (visitor spots are not timed) and Sunday (visitor spots and meters are not timed/free). There are also lots that go to super cheap prices for the weekend.


Also, Boston driving isn't hard. Unless you have never driven on anything but a two lane road in Podunk all you have to do is be alert and not be a god damn idiot. Most people who have problems every time they drive in the city have those problems because they're the idiot causing them. Print out a set of google maps directions and you'll be fine. Really.

Moe Fwacky

Most people have problems because the cities they live in are on a grid pattern, not cow paths.