NYC to LA via Chicago, Vegas & SF

Donna and glc, Thanks guys - I hadn't even thought of the rush hour problem or parking. Need to plan driving into these cities quite carefully, if indeed we drive into them at all, and the bit about staying on the 'further' side is great advise.

Dave, you are absolutely right, that stretch from Denver to Flagstaff has anything and everything in it, so we'll need to think about the best way to get the most out of it. And going Death Valley - Yosemite - SF would make sense, time allowing, plus that way we would drive down the PC Highway on the 'right' side. LA is not a high priority, but it is a 'famous' place, I guess, and a convenient place to fly out from.

Thank you.

Subman

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I was also wondering, if driving in the larger cities is problematic?

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On my first visit to Chicago I got to a sign - Chicago 31. That was around 2.30pm. I arrived in downtown after 5pm. I have never driven in Chicago since.

Lifey

I lived about 35 miles west of Chicago in a far suburb for 35 years - I avoided driving into the city if I didn't HAVE to. Public transportation is excellent as long as the "hub and spoke" system gets you where you need to go.

If you stay at a hotel near O'Hare (the big airport), you will have free parking and usually free shuttles to the airport. There is a light rail station in the airport basement that gets you downtown in about 45 minutes for $5.

I'll admit, when I travel to Chicago, I usually take the Metra (commuter rail) when I can, but I still drive there a fair amount, and I don't think it is quite as bad as you'd probably fear reading this thread. Certainly, if you travel anytime around rush hour and try to travel through the heart of the city, you are going to run into some significant gridlock, but if you travel on off-hours or weekends, I don't usually have many problems.

I would not recommend staying out near O'Hare, it would be just way too much of a pain for me. Between getting a shuttle to the hotel, and then actually taking the EL (elevated train) in, you're looking at an hour to travel to downtown each way, and even more time to get to places like the Museum Campus or other specific attractions. The CTA also has a surcharge that more than doubles the price for all trips leaving O'Hare, so instead of paying $2.25 per trip on the train, you have to pay $5.

When I'm staying in Chicago, I always try to stay somewhere downtown (or the specific part of the city I'm visiting), and then get around the city via the EL. I would recommend you either drive in and try to find a hotel with reasonable parking rates, or find a metra station that has overnight parking available, and take that into downtown to your hotel.

Midwest Michael: thank you for your Chicago advice - not sure if we will go there, but it's good to know it's not impossible, as others have indicated...

Everyone: sorry if I'm posting too many questions about the trip way before it happens, but at the moment I'm off work and have a lot of time for the research so these maps and things are on my mind, while soon I'll be pretty busy for the foreseeable future. Plus me and my friend would like to book the flights and the car as soon as possible (in May), to hopefully benefit from some early-bird discounts.

We were thinking of either:

a) getting from JFK to Cheyenne, WY on the I-80 in 4 long driving days (and not visiting Chicago), to leave more time for the scenic parts of Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

b) spending say 6 days between JFK and Cheyenne/Denver mainly on the US-50, starting from Winchester, VA at the junction with I-81.

Does anyone have any recommendations, that is, good reasons for taking the US-50? Personally, I feel it might be more interesting than the I-80?

Thank you.

Subman

Oh and if you took the US-50, which would be good/interesting over-nights?

US 50 is definitely more interesting, going through small town America and see how the lifestyle and culture change along the way. The downside would be slower roads, traffic lights and generally driving slower, though you have allowed for this with the extra days.

Point is, you will never be far from an interstate, should all the lights and towns create a desire for more speed. US 50 runs vaguely parallel with I-70.

Lifey

Thank you for your comments Lifey! I have to say, this road interest us a lot more than the I-80. Where would you stay over night before St. Louis? (we're not into big cities; rather we would stay at smaller towns whenever possible. I'm only using St. Louis as a 'marker'.)

As with almost all choices that need to be made in planning and executing a RoadTrip, there is no right or wrong, best or worse, one - just the choice. So whichever way you choose to go and however long you take getting there (assuming you take a safe amount of time) just enjoy the fruits of your preparation, planning and decision making. By the same token, no one else can tell you with absolute certitude which choice is right for you, only what they prefer.

Having driven large chunks of the two routes I will tell you that I would choose US-50 and six days over I-80 and four. In a heartbeat. The Interstates certainly have their function in getting one from Point A to Point B rapidly and safely. But that functionality comes at a price. The superslabs are often runway flat and straight, require speeds and attention to traffic that preclude enjoying much of the scenery they pass through, and absolutely forestall the possibility of stopping at something that piques your interest.

Along US-50, a few things stand out as particularly noteworthy - Crossing the Appalachians through Virginia and West Virginia, and St. Louis. If you choose this basic route, then you'll face another decision - where to turn north to get to either Denver or Cheyenne. You can stay on US-50 well into Kansas and see the Old West trail town, Dodge City, as well as visiting the great Front Range cities, Pueblo and Colorado Springs, to Denver. Or, you can use I-29 to head north from Kansas City through St. Joseph to Nebraska City and then use NE-2/US-30 to follow the old Oregon Trail along the Platte River to Cheyenne.

But again, all choices are up to you and your friend.

AZBuck

Lifey, I think you may be thinking of US-40 - it never strays far from I-70. However, US-50 between DC and STL never gets really close to an Interstate - it's roughly midway between I-70 and I-64.

I have my doubts that you could drive from DC to STL in 2 days on US-50. That's a 1.5 day drive using only the Interstates.