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Road Trip Tips
Mim
dead.Registered User regular
dead.Registered User regular
So next Friday I am going on my first ever road trip with some friends from high school. My last thread mentioning this was about my friend canceling his portion of the trip because of me and another friend saying he shouldn't get a dog. Well, we worked it out and now the trip is back on. There will be 5 people in the car, and we're going from Tampa, Florida to somewhere in Maine stopping along the way in Charleston, SC; Washington D.C. (perhaps?); Fayettevile, NC; Philadelphia, PA (where my house is); New York City, NY, that...place where the water fall is (for some reason the name isn't coming to me) and possibly some other places I'm missing as well.
What I want to know is what can I do to make this trip enjoyable and argument free so I don't get stranded somewhere over someone's hurt feelings. Should I bring blankets, how much money should I bring, should I just apologize immediately (and trying to mean it, but probably not) to avoid fights of any size, and what are some interesting things to do in the above cities?
TL;DR I'm going on a road trip. What do I need to do to make it a fantastic time?
What I want to know is what can I do to make this trip enjoyable and argument free so I don't get stranded somewhere over someone's hurt feelings. Should I bring blankets, how much money should I bring, should I just apologize immediately (and trying to mean it, but probably not) to avoid fights of any size, and what are some interesting things to do in the above cities?
TL;DR I'm going on a road trip. What do I need to do to make it a fantastic time?
BlueSky: thequeenofchaos Steam: mimspanks (add me then tell me who you are! Ask for my IG)
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Always bring blankets! If your car breaks down, you'll soon realize that your car isn't super-insulated, and it is freaking cold out there right now.
Trip sounds like it'll be a long one, so an emergency road kit is a must too.
The car is out of my hands as it's my friend's car. He's been getting it checked up and fixed and I'm just hoping he won't use it against us (he says he won't but if someone pisses him off he might change his tune).
How many blankets should I bring?
And is there anything fun to do along the East coast?
And how do we handle the music selection without someone killing someone else? Like my friend listens to Terra Naomi, Regina Spektor. I listen to the White Stripes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I have another friend who listens to Amy Winehouse and Etta James and then I got another friend who likes showtunes. My boyfriend is coming and he's open to everything and anything but the Amy/Etta fan wants to be a singer and supposedly knows a TON about music and normally cracks on everyone else's music. I would say this could be solved by listening to individual iPods but then that cuts down communication.
Also, what kind of food hold up on a car trip? I'm hoping for....crap. I just remembered I gave up beef and now I can't have my Krystal burgers...Shit. Well, what else holds up on the road?
trust me when i say that stuffing 5 people into a regular sedan for several days will end in murder
For serious.
You will need at least several days of clothes for each of you plus random stuff.
Your boot will fill up fast.
Have stereo rules it solves arguments.
Something like you listen to one cd then someone else chooses.
Satans..... hints.....
bring an extra pair or two of clothes just in case, especially socks.
for the music one option could be putting every ones music on one mp3 players and set it to shuffle
Does anyone know how much the toll roads are to go into Niagara Falls? They wanted to go through Canada but only half the car have normal passports (I had a military passport that expired in 2007).
Also, on the music front I might just bring my iPod an sneak in a listen every once in awhile (though I have this feeling that it'll be quiet the entire time in the car and then as soon as I whip out my iPod people will want to start talking to me....it ALWAYS happens).
Now on to food because I don't want to waste it all on fast food, what's good to bring along? It'll be a 3-4 day trip from Tampa to Philadelphia (we're not stopping THAT much) Then we're resting for a bit in Philly before going to New York for New Years and onward up to Maine (I forget why we're going to Niagara falls but I think its for my friend from Australia).
I also forgot that we're going to Baltimore so what's there? I also believe we're going to Boston (I think the driver, who is gay, wanted to check it out in case he wanted to move there for marriage purposes). And what the HELL is in Maine? I know we're stopping at a bunch of weird places to see some of their friends, but I'd like to remember those places for things other than "I spent the entire night in Maine....in someone's house....doing nothing."
Well, as mentioned, Charleston is not really on 95. It's a beautiful place and has excellent food. Many of the places also brew their own beer.
Baltimore? I'd spend my time in D.C. instead. I actually like Brooklyn better then Manhattan when it comes to NYC but you are going for a specific event so that's different. On the way to Boston, stop off in New Haven, CT for their world famous pizza as well. Boston is a great city.
Edit: Also, there's lots of things to do on the Canadian side of Niagara falls. Seeing the falls themselves is impressive. There are jet boat tours of the whirlpool at the bottom of the falls. If that's a little fast, there's also slow boat tours that sail up to the base of the falls (the Maid of the Mist tours). You can also go down behind the falls in the maintenance tunnels. There's a pretty enjoyable aviary, and there's also the butterfly conservatory. Marineland is there, which is a bit like Sea World crossed with an amusement park. Clifton Hill alone is worth taking a stroll along, as it's more carnival midway than anything. The Ripley's believe it or not museum is still pretty fun.
You should take a bunch of pictures, especialy by signs. There's a picture of me hanging off the tennesee border sign...good times.
Check the chowhound.com forums for good/cheap places to eat in cities along the way, otherwise you could get stuck overpaying for a mediocre meal in a city full of good food.
You can still cross the border with a valid US drivers license and a your birth certificate (not a copy, the actual certificate).
In Charelston we're just going there because the driver wanted to walk around and take photos of buildings all day. He likes architechture. He doesn't want me to plan too much for that city because he really just wants to spend the day looking at all the pretty buildings but dammit, I am not one for just taking photos of buildings. Three out of the five of us aren't able to drink (legally) so the beer places are out.
And I do prefer Brooklyn to Manhattan (I have a friend who goes to Pratt) and I'd like to visit the Williamsburg (I think that's what its called, I'm not sure I just read a news article) area for all the second hand shops which are like the ones on South street here.
BBQ is pork not beef right? I gave up beef awhile ago.
BBQ can be either. Or chicken. It's more a method of cooking vs. what is actually cooked. I'm sure some people on these forums are from real BBQ territory and can throw in their 2 cents. In any case, you should be able to find something you like.
Charleston also has a cool "ghost walk" thing (or it did the last time I was there). Out on the battery there should be some nice photo ops (Fort Sumter and all that) plus near by is the USS Yorktown.
I would make an effort to try the food though. Not sure how the nightlife will be though, colleges might be out.
The Hunley was on display there when I last visited (which was about 5 or so years ago).
Charleston rules. For down South at least.
Also, if you're going north, bring warm clothes, heavy jackets, and make sure you have an ice scraper or two. I can guarantee you'll need them.
I don't believe it - I'm on my THIRD PS3, and my FIRST XBOX360. What the heck?
You mentioned that only two people know how to drive and given that you're starting in Florida I'm going to assume that you've never seen snow outside of a ski hill. That's not exactly a good way to roll in the northern States or Canada.
In snowy or icy conditions, you should be giving yourself 2.5-3x the stopping distance as in good weather, assuming you've got good tires. Speaking of tires, check 'em. I don't expect you to use winter tires, but make sure that you're on all-season tires, not summer performance, because that will send you ditchbound in a hurry. Make sure you've got plenty of tread depth left as well.
Big vehicles take more time to stop, and this is exacerbated in winter. Also, while AWD/4WD will get you going faster, it won't do jackshit to make you slow down any quicker. Remember the laws of physics in addition to the traffic laws.
Pack and bring a winter emergency kit:
Blanket (in your case, blankets)
Booster cables (6ga)
Candles, matches, and tin cans
Cell phone (I imagine you'll each have one, but if you don't, get a cheap prepaid)
First-aid kit
Flares (road flares, not a flare gun)
Flashlight (Keep multiple sets of batteries, and keep them separate)
Fuses (for your car, you don't want to be caught without headlights)
Gloves (again, more than one pair)
Jackets (if you haven't already packed them)
Kitty litter or traction pads
Non-perishable food (granola bars)
Sand bags
Shovel (a small folding one is best)
Scraper and brush
Tire chains (optional)
Tow chains/rope
Not trying to scare-tactic you into thinking that winter road trips are a hellish undertaking, but I don't want to be helping you guys out of a ditch. :P
But that said, when you find a nice, empty, curb-free, snow-covered parking lot, get your skid on.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
I believe we're going to park in Philadelphia and then take a bus into New York for the big day. Probably the day before and find a nice little hotel room to stay in (maybe). Actually...are there any nice hotel rooms in Manhattan/Brooklyn that are cheap?
Oh, even though I live in Philadelphia and the driver lives in Florida we've both been through winter driving experiences (I don't know about his off the top of my head but I lived in Denver and then Aurora, Colorado which is where I learned to drive) but thank you for the list. I don't know about sand bags though...
There's a LOT of amazing architecture in this city, as well as a lot of historic sites. If you're not into that, there's still a lot of amazing food. Definitely try some of the local seafood and barbecue; I'd recommend checking out the flagship Sticky Fingers restaurant in Mount Pleasant, just outside of Charleston. Of course, I could make some better suggestions with more information on your tastes and preferences.
Maine
Do you like mountains, pine trees, seafood and/or lighthouses? I hope so. If you ski or snowboard, I strongly recommend visiting Sugarloaf. If you're into hiking or camping, any of the national parks will do. I'd recommend Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island; the nature is so beautiful that David Rockefeller retired to the island (and he still lives there). Your architecturally-inclined friend needs to check out Portland, too... especially the Old Port (trust me on this one).
Oh, and eat a lobster while you're in Maine.
P.S. I was born and raised in Maine and have lived just outside of Charleston, SC for the past six years so I may be able to help if you have any other questions about either of those stops.
You're looking at $5-700 a night in Manhattan... and for new years, i'd book as quickly as possible... in fact you're probably too late for anything that could be considered "cheap"
(It wasn't too far in that across the water from my hotel was the NYC skyline)
Except the places up here run by people from the South :P.
Also, my buddy makes some award winning chili but he did learn to make it in S.C.