I'm taking the 914 up to Chris this week for its much deserved rust repair !!
its getting the rear fenders stretched and fixed and then the longs, jackpoints etc .

Yes, I am driving it!!! I will be coming up the I95 but might take some back roads, so I am looking for advice from locals to the DC and Baltimore areas to find out the best way to take a 914 thru, - it will most likely be in the middle of the night, but I am trying to get up to CFR by Noon or so Friday. Leaving SC right after work Thursday.

Leaving the car with Chris and hope to come back and get it when done, then bring it home for repaint.

Goal is to finish it before the end of the Challenge, and drive it up to NC for the Okteenerfest outing!!!!

Phil

Our shop is 5 minutes of 95, exit 1, in Newark DE. Probably close to your halfway point. My number is 302.540.9242. Call or stop by to say hi or if you need help.

Don't cross the Hudson on the George Washington Bridge.
Instead use the Tapanzee Bridge to RT684 to RT84 in Danbury CT.

great advice!

thanks, scott! I will keep that in mind while plotting my trip-
Mark. I will see when I am passing thru if during work hours I will stop by. I hope I don't need any assistance, but you never know. Car runs good, just a bit on the hot side at freeway speeds, partly just due to it being a typical 2.0, other being the result of regearing the transmission to lower highway rpm and help MPG a bit. partly why I may be driving thru the night, keeping it on the cooler side - I may choose to run up 301 part of the way or highway 1 , just to get off the interstate.

In the VA/DC/MD area I-95 can absolutely suck from Fredericksburg all the way north of Baltimore. But based on when you're leaving you should be able to avoid morning rush hour and shouldn't really have any problems with the DC beltway or the Baltimore tunnels. Going north from central VA the rush does start early, even on Friday, for people trying to get to DC.

If you wanted to completely avoid the beltway I could give you alternate routes, but they do take you a fair bit out of the way. 301 is a decent alternative if you don't mind adding some overall time to your trip.

Tappan Zee has had major construction closures and delays over the last few months. I would avoid the DC, Jersey and metro NY traffic all together by getting onto 81 via Charlotte. Two hours longer according to Mapquest but avoids lots of urban traffic.

yes...this is the nicer/better trip. don't worry about the Tapanzee Bridge delays. not as bad as other routes. there were some accidents the past week or so, nothing to do with the on going construction.

I'm about 2+ hours from Chris' place on your way; about 5 minutes of the Garden State Parkway (that would lead to the Tapan Zee, unless your on 287)
feel free to contact me if you wanted a pit stop.

I have driven this several times. Most recently Hershey swap meet where I was
in Delaware after.

Note that Tappan Zee Bridge has just gone 'cashless', and for all the other roads
it is wise to have an EZ-Pass anyway.

If you go at really off times, you can make it around NYC without traffic jams. My
trip I started in Delaware at 6am sunday and that was enough; if you are going in
the middle of the night I would think you'd be good.

From I-95 Delaware, I take NJ Turnpike to Garden State Parkway to I-287 to
Tappan Zee bridge. If weather is good and you like a bit of the twisties, the Saw
Mill River Parkway can be fun. After the Tappan Zee, I could never tell whether
I-95/I-91 or I-684/I-84 is any faster than the other.

Sounds like you'll be in my neck of the woods between 7 and 10am Friday if you're crossing the TZ bridge. My shop is right off exit 5 on Rt287 if you need anything.

I agree with the above, 287 to 684 north to 84 into Ct. Any trouble on 287 or 684, I can help, but parkways around here are all contract towing only. Well 287 is too but I know the guy who has it. Good luck and enjoy the ride.

No delays on TZ bridge. You don't even have to stop for the toll. Toll fee will be delivered in the mail.

thanks for the advice, ive done the drive a few times , to NYC and to Harford back when my son was applying and interviewing at Yale . overall it seems to be about timing. I really hate those tolls but you cant really miss them. I'm going to plot it out and make notes of who is where, just incase something comes up. I have AAA and Haggety roadside assistance , hope not to have an issue but I will stop a few times, probably breakfast some point along that area between Delaware and NYC. just depends on how tired I get!

95 to southside of Wash DC
Get on Fairfax Cty Pkwy (286) North/West
Then Rte 50 west to 15 North
15 North thru Gettysburg (great place to lay over)
To 11/15 in Camp Hill.
Then 81 North from Hbg to Rte 78 East
East on 78, thru allentown into NJ
Rte 287 North to Tappanzee.

This avoids DC, Baltimore, Delaware, Garden State Pkwy, North Jersey etc.

Overall, the Northeast corridor can be a pretty crappy place to deal with a breakdown. Given that you car is not at 100%, you should really consider renting a trailer and hauling it up there. The cost to rent a trailer will be far less than if you break down along the way.

Chris is clearly a 914 guru so I can understand why you would want to go there. But there are also many other really good shops a whole lot closer.

If you head over the Deleware bridge, heading north, right around 6pm, you will be good to go all the way to Hartford.

Rich

Depends on your schedule as in are you in a hurry? Agree the DC Beltway is not a fun place to break down, especially at night, but you will get assistance.

If not in a hurry and really want to stay off of I-95 around DC/Baltimore, my preference would be to hop off I-95 north of Richmond onto Rt-207 North towards AP Hill and Bowling Green. This runs into 301 which you can take all the way to I-95 on the west side Wilmington, DE.

You'll have plenty of all night gas stations, but some stretches are fairly desolate, break down and you might have fun finding a tow truck in the middle of the night, or a hotel.

If you are in a hurry and will be the middle of the night around DC/Baltimore, stick to I-95, traffic won't be an issue, and around DC most will be traveling above 70 MPH at that hour.

Also strongly recommend an EZ Pass if you don't have one.

I agree that this is a good option - if you have the time. It's scenic, perfect for cruising in a 914, and does avoid beltway madness. It just takes longer. You actually would get off I-95 at 123 North just before the Occoquan River, and after about 7 miles you hit Fairfax County Pkwy North (Rt 286 but it USED to be 7100 until about a year or two ago).

If you do this you'll pass near me in the Fairfax/Loudoun county areas. PM me if you want my contact info. If I can, I'll be glad to help should you need it (assuming you can wake me up ).

Good luck. These are always cool "adventures" and I'm sure you'll be fine.

This may be the route I take to avoid the belt way. But plotting out my course last night I can see that I will hit DC about midnight, so Baltimore is night as well- next up NYC, and that could get tricky as I would hit that about 5am in the morning if I stayed on the I95 , New Jersey turnpike way, I don't want to get in that morning traffic coming into NYC, so either way I may still take that route thru Hershey. Just had a USMC Col. that lived up there on the 301, talked a bit about those roads .

I will keep you guys posted. I'm going to print out a map of those areas and mark locations and numbers of those that have responded here that may be on the route as contacts just in case.

Phil

Have a safe trip Phil! You'll be in good hands at Tangerine!! Jon

if you are coming up 287/garden state, just continue up i 87 to newburg and get on i84. newburg/beacon bridge does not have the congestion the tappan zee does. a friday afternoon crossing of the taipan zee can be very onerous.

or for some scenic backroad twisties, take i87 to route 6 east to bear mountain, bear mountain bridge to 9w east. then taconic pkwy north to i 84.

i was looking at that as an option too, if i don't make my timeframe of being at that location by 8 or 9 in themorning, then i will probably go up to 84 on that parkway, looks like a nice drive

right now my tentative route:

Beginning at Bluffton, SC:
-I95 to DC Getting off and going up to
Hershey/harrisburg, catching 78 there, taking 78 to 287 ,
287 outside NYC around and up north to 87,
87 to 84 and across: OR
87 to 6
or Pallisaides parkway up to 6 and cross over on 6
then on to Harford

I always go up to I-84 rather than following I-95 to I-91 in Connecticut.
Although if you do come into CT on I-95 you can get onto the Merritt Parkway and avoid the snarls of I-95 along the coastline.

if I hit the 287 at the south west corner just coming in on 95, it should be early enough in the morning, @4-5am, so I am hoping that will be early enough to avoid the beginning traffic rush,
at that point 287,ogolden state parkway up to 87, to 6, and that that 6 route to Bear Mountain, should be about breakfast time , find somewhere to stop, but then take the 6 across to Brewster, catch I84 there and then up to Manchester.

that sounds like the plan right now anyway.

At Bear Mountain you're about 10 to 15 minutes from West Point (Highland Falls) and a pretty cool military museum. I know it's not a sightseeing trip per se, but just in case you were looking for time to kill. The Bear Mountain area and the Hudson "highlands" in general are also very pretty (spectacular in the fall). And if you REALLY wanted to see some cool views, take 9W from there up over "Storm King" mountain to Newburgh and get on I-84 there. From scenic overlooks on 9W you can see almost all of West Point and practically all the way down the Hudson.

That would be a really fun drive in a teener (there's some twisties on that road).

EDIT: Actually you'd get off of 9W and take 218 up over the mountain. That's the one that has the best views (and twists and turns for a teener).

That would be 287 to the Palisades Parkway to Bear Mountain. When you get across the Bear Mtn Bridge, make a left going north. When you reach Rt 301 stop on the corner of for breakfast, then head north to I84 east into Ct. Or, take I84 east to Rt22 north and stop at the Red Rooster for some GREAT ice cream. Continue North to "Big W" for BBQ lunch. Once you're in the Westchester / Putnam area, you can hit me up for where to eat or how to get there. You won't go hungry and you won't get lost.

Check that... After breakfast go 301 to 9N to I84. Or 301 to end then Rt on 6 continue 1/2 mile and continue LEFT on 6 to Brewster.

cool, is that the 9D ? so intersection of 9D and 301? do you know the exact address of the RED ROOSTER? which road it is on,

Is the car there yet?

nope-- driving it there , leaving it and flying home, coming back to get it once its done

If you're anywhere near the 684/84 interchange, the RedRooster is only a couple miles north of 84 on Rte 22.

You might need some ice cream right about now, looks like the summer switch got turned on today...

Yes, The Red Rooster is on Rt 22 on the right. If you're adventurous, you can continue up 22 and weave your way thru Ct to get to Chris. Some nice country roads.

wild! as of right now you are 2 degrees warmer than here in SC!!
difference is you have it cooler at night

I tow to Virginia Int'l Raceway and Road Atlanta from central (Middletown) CT. You have two choices:

- Make it a trip, a tour, and stop at places along the East Coast to enjoy such as Udvar-Hazy museum at Dulles, Washington DC in general (a great place to spend time), Baltimore, and other historical sites up the coast. But make sure time is not a concern.

Pros: nice fun things to stop and see.
Cons: you're going to hate yourself for driving that route.

- "I need to get there with the least amount of hassle, time, and expense":

Take your fav route to Charlotte, then I-77 north to I-81 all the way to Wilkes-Barre Scranton PA, then I-84 East through CT. I-84 will take you to exit 60 where you'll use Google to find Chris' shop.

Pros: you'll get there within reasonable time, minimal traffic, and no tolls except for $1.50 crossing the Newburgh Bridge eastbound.
Cons: you'll get there faster than you may want, with less hassle than expected, and at less expenses for tolls. It is a typical boring Interstate drive all the way.

Alternatively, because CT traffic on I-84 totally sucks ass on a weekday: after crossing the Hudson at Newburgh, you'll take the Taconic State Parkway north and then Rt 44 east to drive by Lime Rock Park and check it out - because, after all, a diversion like that to see Lime Rock Park is way better than being stuck in Danbury and Waterbury stop-and-go and getting there at the same time - and then continue on 44 through Hartford to I-84 and prior-said exit 60.

And if you're driving through this weekend, World Challenge is at Lime Rock Friday and Saturday. Had I noticed this earlier, I could have encouraged you to sign up for tomorrow's Track Night in America TrackPass and you could have even driven LRP for the afternoon for $195:

http://www.tracknightinamerica.com/events/...ime-rock-may-26

(I'm running the show. If you're in the area, let me know I'm sure we can get you in.)

I would personally never, ever, ever, EVER drive through NYC and/or down/up the I-95 corridor if I had any semblance of a schedule or goal time to arrive. I don't do it with my car, let alone pulling a trailer. And if I did decide to do that, after I sobered up and stuck a fork in my eye to bludgeon the pain, I'd ensure I kept a lot of money on hand for tolls.

Just my 2 cents.

- GA

If you go Taconic Pkwy, and you find yourself there in the evening, try Charolette's for dinner (just outside of Millbrook and on the way). I don't know about you, but I like to know where's good to eat along the way.

When are you leaving so we can end this?

That time of the month towle?

Time of life.....

Seriously?

I appreciate the info from the locals

Sorry,

Never mind me, having a shitty month.

Lime Rock Hell Yes. Interlaken Inn.
Going through Scranton Adds some time, and the stretch to Scranton then to Pt,Jervis is desolute at best.

I did it 2x last month. GW bridge was $84 with a trailer. Yes I was stupid. Yes I will probably forget and do it again.

But if you get the chance to drive through DC at 4-5am it looks great and traffic is almost non-existent.

...somebody needs a hug...

Phil's on his way. Should be somewhere in NC at this point....

Just stopped for gas in Virginia, my 400 mile point, so not quite half way. Traffic is light, and it's cooled down, these newly recovered seats are not very soft on the rear- liked my 993 seats better....
Anyway no interesting pictures to post but maybe I can get some night shots as I pass thru DC in a few hours ..
I have had a lot of people gawking at the car- at one point I'm just focused on the road ahead and I look to my left and a guy is taking a picture of the car as we are flying down the interstate at 75 mph- .......

take care Phil and have a nice, safe and trouble free journey! God bless!

Drive safe Phil,

Watch those BFT's

Thanks guys . It's 4sm hit 650 miles, and I'm finally through Baltimore my GPS I have three hours to bear mountain so far lite traffic fairly close to schedule

Just crossing over into Connecticut from NY, nice overlook of the hudson