Driving Thru NYC with MT advice

[bonniejf]

eesh... Bonnie, please don't go back home on 95 and let the only thing you see in jersey be the turnpike. in the northern portion of the state almost anything on the west side of 287 is much more pleasant including the water gap and hawks nest along the lackawaxen (this is really PA tho)and in southern portion you have the pine barrens, lighthouses and beaches along the coast. maybe take the ferry from cape may into Delaware rather than the interstate loop.

on your way north or south, harpers ferry in MD is a super cool town and you'll basically be passing right through shenadoah national park so you might as well pay the entrance fee to collect the sticker (it's a nice ride, but compared to the western national parks it's a bit of a disappointment) you can get the peters mill run badge just to the west of the park too and there's great camping in the area.

we'd be happy with a vist from an out of town jeeper too so if you're in the area, stop by for a hello, and my wife will probably duck you for shits and giggles.

Thanks! I have a park pass and always looking for a reason to use it! Thanks for the ferry recommendation - that looks fun and I may can work that in on the way back!

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[631_Islander]

I'm driving from Alabama to Maine in my Jeep soon. I have a manual transmission. I'd like to get close enough to NYC to see the skyline but I don't want to be in any major traffic (especially stop and go traffic). I'm a perfectly capable driver... I've also experienced NYC traffic in cabs and vans from LGA into the city before and it was a whole other level beyond what I've driven in in Atlanta or Houston and I want to enjoy this trip and not be stressed out. This will be before lunch on a Sunday morning. Does anyone have a route recommendation? Or should I just go up and around NYC and avoid it all together? Thanks!

Long Islander here and welcome to NYC in advance. Take I-95 (NJ Turnpike) and enter NYC via the GW Bridge. You will see aplenty from the bridge. However the NYC stretch of I-95 is considered the most congested in USA at this point (unless you arrive there between 10pm and 4am). Your left leg may get a workout for sure due to the clutch work you will have to do. Also, NYC probably has one of the most careless/rude Uber drivers as they will cut you off for no reason and merge into a lane at the last moment or without using a blinker. In other words, if you see a NY plate which starts with a “T”, then has a few numbers in it and ends with a “C”: just assume that driver will be an ASSHOLE. don’t think about getting physical with said driver as the law works in his favour and even just touching him can land you ten years in prison thanks to an idiot named Bill DeBlasio (Google him. He is very amusing to say the least). I have been tempted to slap them many times. Unfortunately they mainly seem to be from India or Pakistan or Bangladesh usually and are hence my “people” as I too am Indian. They give the rest of us Indian folks a bad name too.

 

[Kfoo]

My trip from NJ -> NH almost always skips NYC by going up the Garden State Parkway to NY to take the Tappan Zee/Cuomo bridge. Obviously, being in the area means I have no need to sight-see, so my 2 cents is that this is the best alternative to skip NYC while sticking close to the 95 corridor. In CT, if you like trees, I like to take the Hutchinson Pkwy instead of 95.

Super pro tip: in my experience, all GPS units(including Google Maps and Waze) don't really know the traffic conditions near/within the city. They will almost always recommend taking the route INTO the city. Keep this in mind if you should choose a specific route.

 

[Wbino]

Take the George Washington Bridge...go down Broadway...you will pass thru Times Square, lower Manhattan...if its a nice day, you may hit some traffic. You can visit the 9-11 Memorial while in lower Manhattan...just keep your eyes in high gear at all times. NYC has become a cesspool..the criminals can tell an out of towner just by looking at them. While walking, always watch your back. If you are going to eat, do NOT eat in Times Square. I recommend finding a good restaurant in Bay Ridge. Brooklyn...just my 2 cents..

I'll defend my hometown from the chicken little's of the world.
The American Indian said the same thing.....

 

[Wbino]

Just my own personal preference not to be stuck in stop and go traffic in an unfamiliar city with a manual transmission. I tend to move slower in it. I have a GMC Terrain also and if I was driving it on this trip, I wouldn't hesitate to drive right through the Holland Tunnel and Times Square just to say I did it.

Just drive thru before 8am thru the Holland....you'll see the back of the before the Holland entrance.

 

[dennis2society]

Unless you are hitting the evening rush back to city, NYC streets are generally pleasant to drive Sundays.

And if you you drive 26mph on the avenues, you cAn hit every greenlight in Manhattan.

Greatest city in the world. I recommend.

 

[weeitsmikelee]

Unless you are hitting the evening rush back to city, NYC streets are generally pleasant to drive Sundays.

And if you you drive 26mph on the avenues, you cAn hit every greenlight in Manhattan.

Greatest city in the world. I recommend.

Center left lane all the way

 

[dpike]

another option if you wanted to go into the city without driving is to park in hoboken or garwood or something fairly close ( yes i did not say elizabeth or newark) and take the train in to penn station and be back at your jeep in a couple hours.

 

[BuyHold]

Just my own personal preference not to be stuck in stop and go traffic in an unfamiliar city with a manual transmission. I tend to move slower in it. I have a GMC Terrain also and if I was driving it on this trip, I wouldn't hesitate to drive right through the Holland Tunnel and Times Square just to say I did it.

Makes sense. I LOVE my manual and will be the first to admit that stop-and-go traffic is not where manuals shine.

 

[Gee-pah]

Bonnie:

Here's a verbal listing of the roads you need to take:



oops....sorry, that's West Coast

 

[omnitonic]

I would drive thru the Shenandoah National Park on your way up and as a stop over I highly recommend Roanoke and stay @ Hotel Roanoke.

If you do stay at that hotel, go for a little walk, and there's a good chance you will run across a sarge green JLU Willys.

 

[omnitonic]

Makes sense. I LOVE my manual and will be the first to admit that stop-and-go traffic is not where manuals shine.

I was in miserable ass traffic on the way to work the other day, and I gave up and pulled the sucker into 4 low. Easier to crawl that way. My clutch leg was getting fed up.

 

[BuyHold]

I was in miserable ass traffic on the way to work the other day, and I gave up and pulled the sucker into 4 low. Easier to crawl that way. My clutch leg was getting fed up.

In slow traffic I find myself wanting to minimize the space between me and the car in front. In stop-and-go traffic that translates to a lot of accela-braking and, on MTs, clutch activity. The accella-brake tendency is actually kind of stupid if you think about it... go fast only to brake fast a few dozen feet later.

Instead just try to maintain a consistent slow speed that results larger spaces when car in front pulls ahead and shrinking space when the car brakes... you keep rolling. If done right, your average speed will be EXACTLY the same as the accella-brake strategy and you get to your destination in exact same time but you also reduce clutching significantly. It actually can be somewhat fun... or at least make the going less bad in MT.

 

[omnitonic]

Instead just try to maintain a consistent slow speed that results larger spaces when car in front pulls ahead and shrinking space when the car brakes... you keep rolling. If done right, your average speed will be EXACTLY the same as the accella-brake strategy and you get to your destination in exact same time but you also reduce clutching significantly.

That's why I used low range on the transfer case. Idling along in 1st gear actually makes you roll pretty fast, relatively speaking, and I was still riding the clutch to maintain that gap and keep creeping along. Clutch in, clutch out, clutch in, clutch out, clutch in, clutch out. It was driving me nuts.

 

[JeezAJeep]

Defend as you may...I spent 22 years defending this city, only to watch it fall back to the 70's

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