Rest stops / amenities on US road trip?
July 16, 2015 11:33 AM Subscribe
Driving from central Illinois to DC area, only have limited experience driving in the US. What's the best route and what to expect (rest stops, food, etc)?
Mrs. Photo Guy and I are moving back to the States next month (we're American, but we've been living in Germany these past few years for my job). As part of the relocation, we're getting a few weeks of home leave which we're using to see family and pick up my wife's car, currently sitting at a relative's house in central Illinois. Our plan right now is to to fly into Chicago, then work our way to central Illinois via bus or Amtrak.
From some quick Googling, it looks like the shortest route is I-74 from Bloomington/Normal to Indianapolis, then I-70 through Columbus and southern Pennsylvania, then onwards through the Maryland panhandle (or poss southern PA) and the DC/MD suburbs into the District.
My first question is what kind of amenities can I expect on this route? Are there any rest stops? Do they have food? I don't drive much in Germany (prefer the train) but I admittedly have been a bit spoiled - rest stops here are fairly common (seem to be one about every 40-60 minutes on the major 'A' autobahns), are clean, and usually have some sort of hot food available. I've driven in the US enough to know I won't have it this good, but am hoping we can at least stop regularly (the wife and I both will probably need restroom breaks every couple of hours) without driving miles out of my way.
Second, is there a better route we should consider? We will probably stop at a hotel for the night midway through (poss in Ohio?) but otherwise have no interest in stopping to sightsee, etc - we just want to get there in the easiest way possible.
Mrs. Photo Guy and I are moving back to the States next month (we're American, but we've been living in Germany these past few years for my job). As part of the relocation, we're getting a few weeks of home leave which we're using to see family and pick up my wife's car, currently sitting at a relative's house in central Illinois. Our plan right now is to to fly into Chicago, then work our way to central Illinois via bus or Amtrak.
From some quick Googling, it looks like the shortest route is I-74 from Bloomington/Normal to Indianapolis, then I-70 through Columbus and southern Pennsylvania, then onwards through the Maryland panhandle (or poss southern PA) and the DC/MD suburbs into the District.
My first question is what kind of amenities can I expect on this route? Are there any rest stops? Do they have food? I don't drive much in Germany (prefer the train) but I admittedly have been a bit spoiled - rest stops here are fairly common (seem to be one about every 40-60 minutes on the major 'A' autobahns), are clean, and usually have some sort of hot food available. I've driven in the US enough to know I won't have it this good, but am hoping we can at least stop regularly (the wife and I both will probably need restroom breaks every couple of hours) without driving miles out of my way.
Second, is there a better route we should consider? We will probably stop at a hotel for the night midway through (poss in Ohio?) but otherwise have no interest in stopping to sightsee, etc - we just want to get there in the easiest way possible.
Best answer: Yeah, you'll generally have two choices: the rest stop, or the exit with food.
I imagine that there will be rest stops along the way--I've definitely driven that part of 70 and hit many rest stops. There is good signage, and I feel that generally (certainly on other highway stretches I'm more familiar with) they're usually every 20-40 miles. Sometimes it'll just be a bathroom and a vending machine. Quite often it'll be gas, and something that's basically like a glorified mall food court: bathrooms, a convenience store, fast food chains. They are usually pretty clean, often crowded, and you'll have a selection of fast foods. I definitely feel like you often get higher quality food at German rest stops.
Exiting the highway altogether gives more choices, but the downside is that sometimes the signs are a bit misleading about how far everything is (I've abandoned the search several times and just made do with gas station snacks, but I'm usually pretty pressed for time), so you take a longer detour, and that sometimes it's just fancied-up fast food, e.g. Panera. Again, there will be ample and clear (if aspirational) signage about which amenities can be found off which exits.
Bottom line: don't worry. The food might not be the healthiest, but there will be plenty of opportunities for food and bathroom breaks in clean and safe environments.
posted by TwoStride at 11:51 AM on July 16, 2015
I imagine that there will be rest stops along the way--I've definitely driven that part of 70 and hit many rest stops. There is good signage, and I feel that generally (certainly on other highway stretches I'm more familiar with) they're usually every 20-40 miles. Sometimes it'll just be a bathroom and a vending machine. Quite often it'll be gas, and something that's basically like a glorified mall food court: bathrooms, a convenience store, fast food chains. They are usually pretty clean, often crowded, and you'll have a selection of fast foods. I definitely feel like you often get higher quality food at German rest stops.
Exiting the highway altogether gives more choices, but the downside is that sometimes the signs are a bit misleading about how far everything is (I've abandoned the search several times and just made do with gas station snacks, but I'm usually pretty pressed for time), so you take a longer detour, and that sometimes it's just fancied-up fast food, e.g. Panera. Again, there will be ample and clear (if aspirational) signage about which amenities can be found off which exits.
Bottom line: don't worry. The food might not be the healthiest, but there will be plenty of opportunities for food and bathroom breaks in clean and safe environments.
posted by TwoStride at 11:51 AM on July 16, 2015
The bulk of your trip across Ohio will be on a toll road, and at least as far as between Columbus and the PA border, have relatively new, clean, rest areas. (Or Service Plazas as they call them.) There will be fast food and most likely a Starbucks. We travel fairly regularly between Pittsburgh an Columbus and the stretch once we get into Ohio is much smoother sailing. (Literally. The roads in PA are crap, and Ohio is often three lanes of lovely fresh paving.)
posted by librarianamy at 11:58 AM on July 16, 2015
posted by librarianamy at 11:58 AM on July 16, 2015
Best answer: I'm a big fan of downtown Columbus. I'd look into spending the night there and getting breakfast or lunch at North Market. I'd also heard great things about Bloomington and Indianapolis. If you're interested in architecture, how about a detour in southern PA to see Falling Water and other sites by Frank Lloyd Wright?
I lived in Germany for a number of years and visit often so I understand where you're coming from. While I'd love to live completely car-free, I don't mind driving in the US at all either, especially if I can avoid the major cities with major traffic. I'm a big fan of taking the Greyhound but doing so would limit the amount of sightseeing and exploring you could do. There is also an Amtrak line between Chicago and DC to consider as another alternative. It's typically more expensive than Greyhound but there are deals and it'd certainly be comfortable.
posted by smorgasbord at 12:07 PM on July 16, 2015
I lived in Germany for a number of years and visit often so I understand where you're coming from. While I'd love to live completely car-free, I don't mind driving in the US at all either, especially if I can avoid the major cities with major traffic. I'm a big fan of taking the Greyhound but doing so would limit the amount of sightseeing and exploring you could do. There is also an Amtrak line between Chicago and DC to consider as another alternative. It's typically more expensive than Greyhound but there are deals and it'd certainly be comfortable.
posted by smorgasbord at 12:07 PM on July 16, 2015
Best answer: If you have a smartphone or tablet with data, you can get an app like this one that will tell you about upcoming rest stops. This similar one is geared towards truckers but truck stops always have gas and bathrooms and sometimes food.
The only place in the country you might have real trouble finding places to stop is eastern Montana and Wyoming. You'll be just fine east of the Mississippi.
posted by desjardins at 12:08 PM on July 16, 2015
The only place in the country you might have real trouble finding places to stop is eastern Montana and Wyoming. You'll be just fine east of the Mississippi.
posted by desjardins at 12:08 PM on July 16, 2015
I've driven this route several times. This route goes through one of the most densely-populated areas of the country, so the trip will not be the most beautiful (especially on the freeways) but there is no shortage of amenities. It will be the rare occasion you'll go more than an hour without hitting a rest stop or an exit with several food options nearby.
posted by lunasol at 12:28 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by lunasol at 12:28 PM on July 16, 2015
Stick to the speed limit in Ohio. It's not the autobahn :)
posted by H21 at 12:43 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by H21 at 12:43 PM on July 16, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks all! I grew up in Kansas and spent a lot of my childhood vacationing to pretty rural areas, so maybe my perception is a bit skewed :) Desjardins, thanks for the app recommendation - somehow I never thought of that. Smorgasboard, I'd actually love to do Amtrak if I had the choice, but we're relocating to the DC suburbs and figured this would be the easiest way to get my wife's car back.
posted by photo guy at 1:15 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by photo guy at 1:15 PM on July 16, 2015
I've driven on Route 50 from the DC area to OH through rural West Virginia. It was beautiful but we went hours without seeing a rest stop or even a fast food joint. However, you should be set on I-70!
If I may ask, where will you be moving in the DC area?
posted by smorgasbord at 1:49 PM on July 16, 2015
If I may ask, where will you be moving in the DC area?
posted by smorgasbord at 1:49 PM on July 16, 2015
If you decide that you are willing to make some detours for more interesting food, do check out Road Food.
posted by jindc at 3:02 PM on July 16, 2015
posted by jindc at 3:02 PM on July 16, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks again all! Smorgasboard, we're moving to the Virginia side - likely Alexandria or Kingstowne area, at least to start. I've lived in the DC area before (Courthouse part of Arlington) but we'll both be working near the Springfield/Kingstowne area this time and are trying to keep our commutes reasonable.
posted by photo guy at 7:01 AM on July 17, 2015
posted by photo guy at 7:01 AM on July 17, 2015
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