Chicago to Boston Plus Pet Question

[sasson]

My wife and I are driving from Chicago to Boston and I was curious as to what would be a rough estimate as to how long it will take assuming that we travel withing 9 miles or so of the speed limit--in other words, trying not to speed. Also, what would be the best time of the week to make this trip?

Finally, and this is more of a long shot, can anyone recommend a pet friendly hotel around the 10 or 11 hour mark? Thanks in advance.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Last November, you checked WRT a trip you were planning to Charlotte, NC and I wondered how the trip went?

Pet friendly motels -- just about all chain motels are pet-friendly these days. But the best ones -- in terms of acceptance and welcoming to pets would be Holiday Inn Express and La Quinta.

As you know, it's about 1000 miles from Boston to Chicago -- so it will take about 17.5 hours -- a full two-day ramble along I-80. Youngstown, would be a reasonable stop for the first night and I used the hotel finder (top right column for Youngstown) and you'd have plenty of choices.

Mark

[AZBuck]

By "within 9 miles of the speed limit" and "trying not to speed" I have to assume that you will be going 9 miles under the speed limit, otherwise at even 1 mph over you are speeding. Everyone does it and generally you won't get pulled over, but you are breaking the law by going 66 in a 65, and "Everybody else was doing it" will not be a useful defense. However none of that matters. Chicago to Boston is 1000 miles and such trips are not measured in hours, they are measured in days and you will need 2 full working days of about 9-10 hours each on the road to make this trip safely. Halfway is roughly in the Erie, PA - Buffalo, NY area (via I-90), so you should probably just research motels along that stretch and check their individual pet policies which can vary from those of the national chain to which they may belong.

AZBuck

[sasson]

Thanks for the responses. As for the NC road trip, the wife nixed it. Unfortunately she was just too busy at work and wanted the "convenience" of flying. This forum was very helpful though. Thanks for the motel heads up. I've never tried it before, so I didn't realize that most motels were pet friendly.

As for the second post, I didn't mean to imply I was a reckless driver. What I should have said was driving with the reasonable flow of traffic. I've never had a ticket in my 16 years of driving and I don't plan on that changing anytime soon.

Thanks again for your posts. Googling a time estimate brought up an insane range of times ranging from 12.5 hours to 23 hours. Thanks for narrowing it down.

Finally, any thoughts on the day of the week? Here in Chicago, the expressways are horrendous during the week rush hours, but not so bad the rest of the time. However, on weekends, there seems to be more traffic the rest of the time. I know that I will be passing quite a few decent sized cities, so it's something for me to keep in mind.

Sorry again for the long response, but second poster, I am terribly sorry I can't remember your screen name. You recommended 80 over 90 the whole way. This seems to go against everything I've read. Why do you prefer this route?

Thanks again for your responses.

[Midwest Michael]

Taking I-90 all the way or taking I-80 through PA, then picking up I-84 (via I-81 at Scranton), rejoining I-90 again in Mass. are basically identical in distance and travel times should be very similar.

An advantage of taking I-80 is that you avoid the rather expensive tolls of the NY Thru-way on I-90. I've also always enjoyed the drive on I-80 across PA as a road whose scenic views are underappreciated.

If this is a round trip, you could look at using one route heading east and the other for the way back, but if this is a one way trip and all other things are equal (for example, you don't care about stopping at Niagara Falls, Cooperstown, or other attractions in upstate NY), I would probably lean towards I-80/I-84.

[sasson]

Michael: Thanks for the 80 tip. I think that I will take your advice. The trip will be one way as I am debating taking a job in Boston. Thanks again everyone.

[glc]

Mark didn't mention it, but if your hotel tastes are modest, Motel 6 has a very pet-friendly policy. They allow at least one well-behaved pet per room with no surcharge or pet deposit (as long as pets are not prohibited per local ordinance), and the only restriction is pets left alone in a room must be caged or in a carrier.

Real world drive time from Chicago to Boston would be two 10 hour days with minimal stops. Along the I-80/I-81/I-84 routing, the only traffic hassle once you get out of Chicago would possibly be getting through Hartford and getting into Boston. To minimize the Hartford traffic, after Waterbury, take I-691 to I-91, then the Charter Oak bridge to rejoin I-84.

To split it up into somewhat equal days, the overnight should probably be somewhere in western PA on I-80 - probably Brookville or DuBois. They both have a modest selection of hotels at the exits.