Road trip to PAX East... good places to stop?

zeale

Hey PAXers! After getting my first taste of PAX out in Seattle this year, I'm already planning my first trip East! I live in Missouri and haven't been anywhere further east than Chicago, so I'm going to make a long drive and hopefully catch some cool sights on the way. Anyone have any recommendations of some good places to check out on my way to/from PAX? The only things I have in mind so far are DC and NYC. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, thank you!

zerzhul

@Moe Fwacky probably has suggestions. He's driven across the country a bunch.

BearTheHuman

If you're going to DC, you'll need to drive through my city on the way to PAX, Baltimore. I am a huge homer when it comes to my city, and depending on your interests I could recommend a ton of stuff to do as a pit stop! Places to eat, things to see, etc. I also work in DC on occasion so I've spent some time down there (quite a bit) so if you want someone to recommend anything down there I am also willing to help out.

aBByNormaL

If going to NYC and doing any of the touristy things (like Empire State Building) IMHO I would recommend going to Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Centre) instead and the skyline view will include the Empire State Building rather than you standing on top of it.

VGVideoGalaxy

If your going to DC, stay away from the capital beltway during the early morning and the early evening. Traffic is HORRIBLE in this area, especially during those times of day. Other than that, DC offers a wide variety of things to do. My personal favorite places to go would be the Newseum, the Museum of Natural History, and the American Histoy Museum. The area to the west of DC, in Virginia (which is where I live), also has a bunch of neat places. Hit me up if you have any questions at all.

shepd

The I-90 trip is faster but way more boring. Absolutely nothing to do at all between Buffalo and Boston but look at trees and a few hills. In fact, the only "highlight" of that trip is Ponderosa in Herkimer, NY--and it's not really all that good (but for a Canadian, getting a steak for $10 is unbelievable, even if it is low grade).

DaftDev

DC and NYC have a lot of great attractions for sure. For DC, I've always parked at a Metro station on the blue (Franconia-Springfield) or orange (Vienna) lines and taken the train in to the Arlington Cemetery or Smithsonian stops and walked from there. Driving into NYC is "interesting", but there are ferries and trains running from the NJ side of the Hudson if city driving isn't your favorite thing.

Outside of the cities, Mammoth Cave in KY, Dinosaur State Park in CT, and Shenandoah National Park in VA are some interesting outdoor destinations. I'm an outdoor nerd, so most of recommendations will be in that line.

zeale

Thank you all for the suggestions!

@DaftDev, I won't necessarily have a ton of time for stops, maybe an hour or two here and there, are any/all of those sites something that can be at least somewhat appreciated without dedicating a large block of time to them?

@VGVideoGalaxy, I've heard traffic around DC is awful, when I travel through I'll make sure to avoid the typical rush hours as best as I can. My plan is to arrive and stay the night at DC on my first evening, then in the morning grab some breakfast and hit the touristy bits during the lunch hours and leave before rush hour hits. Regarding the museums and such, those I'll have to add to my "bucket list" as my stops are likely just not going to have enough time unless I can take extra days off from.

@Abbynormal, that sounds great! I absolutely love skyline views. Does this have to be booked in advance?

@Bearthehuman, i should be passing through Baltimore on the way there. I'm a big fan of urban landscapes in general, as well as modern art. Do you have any recommendations in particular that would be a cool thing to check out without taking too much time out of my day?

Karoneth

Zeale, for Top of the Rock in NYC, you can go here for more information. Reservations aren't needed and it is even open on evenings. I was there last in May, it's great. http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/

aBByNormaL

@zeale no not necessarily ... even the Empire State you could obtain passes at the door. They probably have a website for this. I did the Empire State with my family two years ago and while it was great to be there it was crowded (I hear Rock is less crowded) in retrospect I could have opted for the Rock and had that skyline view. Another trip perhaps.

On your love of modern art, there is the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC as well (close to Rockefeller) and the Guggenheim (Central Park East).

BearTheHuman

@zeale Since you won't be able to stop very long, I recommend cruising through Fells Point and checking out the oldest part of my fine city. Eat at Stuggy's in Fells (best hot dog with all locally sourced ingredients) or Johnny Rad's (best pizza in Baltimore) which are both in Fells Point. Another attraction in Fells (if you're of legal drinking age) is The Horse You Came In On Saloon, which has a claim to the oldest continually operating bar in the country, and is also the last place that Edgar Allen Poe drank at before he fell down the stairs on the corner of that street and died in the gutter. We still have cobblestone streets there!

Also, Baltimore is chock full of street art, and if you've got an hour or so, there's the AVAM (American Visionary Art Museum) which is free right now, and full of modern art! It's about a 10 minute jaunt from I-95 and Fells Point, and close to where you would be able to get back on I-95 (which I'm assuming you're taking, as it's the most direct route to Boston from DC/Baltimore, and the way I take when I drive to PAX East!). If you're there around the same time I am leaving on Thursday I can totally even meet up and show you the places I'm talking about quickly and we can nerd-caravan up there.

My question to you if you decide to spend an hour or so in my fine city is this: "Why B-less, when you can B-more?"

DaftDev

@zeale - If time is tight, I'd probably check out the DC/Baltimore/NYC corridor. There is so much to see in each of those cities. Regarding Top of the Rock in NYC, I'd have to agree with everyone here to check that one out. The WTC monument is really well-done IMO, if you are heading to the southern part of Manhattan.

For the other destinations: The cave tours do take a couple hours, and the drive to get there might add a few hours by itself (depending on your route). The dinosaur museum could actually be a quick stop if you are driving to Boston via Hartford. It's really just a large covered area displaying fossilized dino prints with some hiking/walking trails outside, so there aren't many time commitments there. Other than Dinosaur Ridge in Denver, I haven't been to any other parks like it. And it is just off I-91 outside Hartford. Shenandoah can be appreciated from the Skyline drive, but it would take an additional couple hours vs I-81 to I-66 or I-64 to I-95.

zeale

Thank you all again for the additional information. I'm really going to have to consider taking a couple extra day of vacation if possible. I might be more excited about the trip TO PAX than PAX itself!

One other side question while I've got a relevant place to ask it ... these places in NYC and DC that I'll be visiting, what's the parking situation going to be like? I'm expecting driving in these areas to be at least somewhat infuriating, but I'm hoping there'll be nearby garages at least to cut down on the amount of to/from walking time.

Ricin

Would you be able to publish a public map of your route. I am interested in where and how a trip like the would be managed.

aBByNormaL

Parking in NYC would be difficult. You may be better off staying in NJ and taking shuttle across Lincoln tunnel to 42nd st station from there you can get taxi, subway , walk where you need to go. I stayed at HIExpress on Tonnelle Ave NJ (parking was free at this hotel and it has breakfast) - cheap shuttle was 5 min walk away (really close to tunnel, you can be into NYC in 15 min.) . We walked a lot and it was pretty easy.

DaftDev

Agree on the NYC parking. I drove in for a weekend trip once, but parking was inconvenient and expensive. I'll either take a train from Boston now or park on the NJ side of the river and take public transit over. DC may be a little easier for parking around the tourist areas, but I still prefer taking the Metro into the city. The Orange Line stations along I-66 are pretty accessible.

zeale

@ricin, here's my tentative route:Google Maps. Until my vacation time is finalized I don't know how much time I'm going to have to/from, but I'm planning around 8 hours of non-drive time each way to go check out stuff. Of course, I've never taken a road trip of this duration before so it's going to be somewhat play by ear. I'm planning to make Columbia to DC in one full day of driving, then spend the next day sightseeing on my way to Boston. Then do the whole thing in reverse and catch whatever I missed on the day back.

VGVideoGalaxy

In DC, if you are going to the mall, parking garages are about two blocks away near constitution and independence avenue. Driving into DC is like any other city: plenty of idiot drivers, traffic lights, and cops. Just make sure you get there when there is no rush hour (weekends are the best).

Greenizdabest

If you go to NYC, make a point of going to Nintendo World

aBByNormaL

Greenizdabest wrote: »

If you go to NYC, make a point of going to Nintendo World

It is located in Rockefeller Plaza

peetsnack

@zeale if you find yourself hungry while going by Richmond, Indiana, stop at a place called La Mexicana. it is a bodega that has my number one favorite food in all the world. I recommend the queso burrito or the fish tacos, but literally everything there is soooo goooood.
linky
I am jealous just thinking about how close you will be and how far i am.

MMMig

Greenizdabest wrote: »

If you go to NYC, make a point of going to Nintendo World

This is our PAX East road trip tradition!
Highly recommended.

Also driving through Manhattan in the middle of all the yellow cabs is like driving through a Pikachu saffari.

Also, as you drive through the streets all the New Yorkers are SUPER friendly as they wave, welcoming you to their fair city (in reality they're calling a cab but then are very confused when we wave back).


There's this "Europe" hotel that's near Manhattan at super cheap prices and you don't have to pay with your own kidneys (stolen kidneys acceptable).

gwidion

If you like seafood I would suggest stopping in Baltimore and getting a crab cake. I would recommend a restaurant called G&M. Also like Bear said, the AVAM is great.

Also, if you happen to like Baseball, I would recommend taking a tour of Camden Yards. An amazing architectural design for a baseball stadium.

erzhik

Berkshires, I heard it's nice this time of year.

teriwyn

gwidion wrote: »

If you like seafood I would suggest stopping in Baltimore and getting a crab cake. I would recommend a restaurant called G&M. Also like Bear said, the AVAM is great.

I used to work down the street from G&M and the crab cakes are THAT good. However, if you can't make time (or if you try them and love them that much), G&M's does overnight delivery of their crabcakes. I have done this as Christmas gifts for out of town family and they said it was great.

mentok1982

If you like comic strips and comic books you should check out Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
http://www.geppismuseum.com/Home/7/1/52/500

EeBee

As a warning, if you think you're not going to have too much time to spend to sightsee, I would recommend not trying to hit up NYC. As much as I love this city, it is not time-friendly for entering and exiting. If you're driving in, parking will be incredibly expensive and traffic/navigation will slow you up a lot. If you're using public transit, waiting for various trains and navigating between/from/to stations becomes very time consuming very quickly. So, if you think you'll be tight on time, I'd recommend against getting yourself trapped in Manhattan.

BearTheHuman

I'm loving all the love for my fair city in Baltimore! Geppi's and G&M are also great suggestions, and having tried to stop in NYC last year on my drive since I've never done the tourist thing up there (only up there with my band on tour for a total of 12 hours, get in get out) I second not trying to stop if you want to make good time. That just leaves more time for my beautiful city 3 and a half hours south of there!

Also, a tip, if you're taking 95 pretty much the entire way to Boston once you get up there, the tolls on 95 between DC and Boston are verging on a legal mugging. You'll probably pay between $40-50 in tolls. I pay it because I don't want to think about my route until I get nearly to Boston (and I have an EZ Pass which gives me a slight discount).

teriwyn

I'm curious, Bear - is that amount of tolls one-way or round-trip? That definitely impacts the drive vs. fly/train economy from this area.

BearTheHuman

There are ways to avoid the tolls, but that is round trip up and down I-95.

Triiipledot

If you drive in NYC, parking ISNT that bad. I live and drive in NYC every day, just dont park on main aves (side streets are always best), read the signs, FEED THE METER if you have to.

Link up with the NYC/NJ group since some are going to PAX as wel!

gwidion

I'm from Baltimore, and the first year I went to PAX in 2012 we drove. We will NEVER drive again. Between gas, tolls, and parking in Boston it was way more expensive to drive. Last year we flew and it was about $70 each way with Southwest.

BigDumbHippy

There's Wahlburgers a burger place owned by marky mark and the other wahlburgs

shepd

Man, only $70 for a plane. I could only wish that Toronto to Boston was that cheap. Or even twice the price.

aBByNormaL

shepd wrote: »

Man, only $70 for a plane. I could only wish that Toronto to Boston was that cheap. Or even twice the price.

Try coming from the Rock ... To go anywhere is usually expensive.

zeale

In Missouri we don't have toll roads. What is a realistic cost I should plan for for tolls and parking at the event for 3 days? I know there's no way to know exactly, but just so it doesn't catch me by surprise. I'll be driving along I-70 from Missouri to DC, then from DC to Boston. My return route I'm planning to go from Boston to Buffalo NY to see niagara falls, then back home!

schuss

zeale wrote: »

In Missouri we don't have toll roads. What is a realistic cost I should plan for for tolls and parking at the event for 3 days? I know there's no way to know exactly, but just so it doesn't catch me by surprise. I'll be driving along I-70 from Missouri to DC, then from DC to Boston. My return route I'm planning to go from Boston to Buffalo NY to see niagara falls, then back home!

Lots. You have NY and NJ tolls. The plus is if you look up the route now and note the toll roads, you can estimate the cost using each states website.

aBByNormaL

schuss wrote: »

zeale wrote: »

In Missouri we don't have toll roads. What is a realistic cost I should plan for for tolls and parking at the event for 3 days? I know there's no way to know exactly, but just so it doesn't catch me by surprise. I'll be driving along I-70 from Missouri to DC, then from DC to Boston. My return route I'm planning to go from Boston to Buffalo NY to see niagara falls, then back home!

Lots. You have NY and NJ tolls. The plus is if you look up the route now and note the toll roads, you can estimate the cost using each states website.

You may be able to plan your route to avoid some of these as well. Many GPS give the option to avoid tolls. If you are going into the city however some may be unavoidable.

Kaladin

You can cut a lot of tolls out in NY by using 88 and then 86 after you get to Albany. But it also takes you further South in the state, away from Niagra. In the honest opinion of someone who has lived in Western NY his whole life, it's not worth the trip to Niagra to see the falls unless you're planning to cross the border and see it from the Canadian side. You can't see much from the American side.

zerzhul

From Boston to Buffalo/Niagara Falls will incur tolls. There isn't another decent option other than I-90. I-90 goes straight from the BCEC to Buffalo and the other options are way out of the way unless you want to not be on a highway at all.

imnotalawyer

Stop by New Haven when you are driving through Connecticut (it is right off of I-95).

Yale makes for a good walking tour (free museums and galleries) and there is also some great food here too!