Long Drive from New York to Nashville

March 25, 2008 7:32 PM

Driving from Laguardia to Nashville. Any tips?

I'll be leaving New York at around 4:00 PM tomorrow, earlier if possible (don't want to get caught in rush hour if I can help it.) Google maps says I-78 West to I-81 South. What are the toll road costs I need to worry about? Traffic gotchas? Local tips and tricks?

I'm interested primarily in making best speed, so sight-seeing will have to wait for another time / question.

I'm also interested in learning about road-warrior tips; I haven't pulled a long haul like this in quite a while (read: over 10 years) and I'll be going solo unfortunately.

Thanks as always.

posted by ZakDaddy to travel & transportation (12 comments total)

I have a ton of long distance driving experience and we did this route awhile ago. The route sounds good. My only advice is lay off the carbs so you can stay alert, pump yourself up for the 3-6 am stretch, take a roadside nap if you find yourself driving off the road, and watch out for Virginia state troopers. If you have a chance, bring an iPod or go get an XM Radio for entertainment. I used to relish long drives with late night AM radio, but it seems like AM is sucking these days unless Art Bell is your kind of thing.
posted by mr. creosote at 7:43 PM on March 25, 2008

Since traffic in NYC is always a toss-up, as soon as you get into the car tune your radio to am 1010 (on the ones), 880 (on the 8s), or 1130 (on the fives, I think) and check which Hudson River crossing is fastest. The route google maps is giving you looks like it goes over the GW, but there's also the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels to consider. Figure out which crossing has less traffic and take that one. They all get you fairly easily onto the NY Turnpike.
posted by tractorfeed at 7:51 PM on March 25, 2008

I'm also interested in learning about road-warrior tips; I haven't pulled a long haul like this in quite a while (read: over 10 years) and I'll be going solo unfortunately.

Adrafinil and a handheld portable Mister helped me stay nice and alert on a pretty similar drive last year (from the Catskills to Nashville), and a lot of other drives that made up a cross-country road trip.

The adrafinil (or its cousin modafinil) is probably not going to be available to you on short notice, but a mister is probably available at one of the retailers mentioned on that site, and they're pretty great if you start to feel sluggish. I think there's some reflex that wakes you up if you get mist on your face, and for me at least, it's a stronger reaction than wiping my face off with a damp cloth.

Food I like for travel: hard-boiled eggs, apples, oranges, and cheerios (protein and a small amount high-fiber naturalish carbs). And mexican velveeta, but that stuff will make you fat and kill you. YMMV.

<lecture>
Be really careful, though. Even with great wakey drugs and good tricks and stuff, if you're going to drive overnight, you almost always should stop and nap at some point unless you're some kind of freak of nature. Even 3-5 hours of in-car napping can make a big difference in whether you're alert enough or a danger to yourself and others.
</lecture>

Tips for in-car napping: don't just drop the seat back. Also put down two pillows (one under your butt to even out the seam between the seat and seat-back, one behind your head), and have your car parked facing up on an incline if you can manage it. I've done this more times in the last year than I'd like to admit and if you've got some good blankets or the weather's warm enough, you can catch some pretty good sleep.

And I'm no expert on NY traffic, but the rough dozen of times I've tried to drive anywhere through the city between 3 and 8pm it has been a lengthy and patience-trying process.
posted by weston at 8:44 PM on March 25, 2008

4:00 PM tomorrow, earlier if possible (don't want to get caught in rush hour if I can help it.)

not gonna happen. rush hour in manhattan is 8am-8pm. the idea of listening to the am broadcasters is good but it's going to be slow moving. just sit back, relax and accept that you won't be moving very fast until you're quite a bit away from it all.
posted by krautland at 9:28 PM on March 25, 2008

Ah, I've made that drive a few times when I lived in Nashville. It was awhile ago, but I still remember this - Virginia is an insanely long part of that journey. After a quick trip through Pennsylvania and a zip through Maryland, Virginia feels never ending. I always felt as though I was stuck in VA and not making any progress.

Oh, and the speed limit in Virginia is 65, not 67 and not 68. The officers there are sticklers.
posted by 26.2 at 10:12 PM on March 25, 2008

78 to 81 is the far better option - you could go down 95 to 75 and over, but that goes through every major population center, and stinks.

I can't recommend doing it in one shot. I've driven the route multiple times over the last few years, and it's just not worth it (to me). You can plan for a stop in the Hagerstown, MD or Staunton, VA area and be pretty balanced on driving. I generally plan for a stop at a Microtel in Staunton (I haven't driven through in a couple years, but Microtel is pretty good at keeping their properties well-kept, they're simple enough not to be too expensive, but still a step up from the Motel6's of the world.

Make sure you're set to drive a few hours at first, there's not much in the way of good stopping places until you get into Jersey. I've usually used the BQE and gone across Staten Island and the Verrazno to the Outer Bridge Crossing (278 to 440 to 287 to 78, then on to 81). I never had luck with the Cross-Bronx, no matter where I'm going, but the above (using the Outerbridge) is the route my former in-laws taught me on my first trip from the Nashville area to the North Fork. For me it always avoided the major traffic, but YMMV - I've never tried it at the times you're talking about, but the Cross-Bronx is always hellish around then to me.

Stop for a rest stop in the Bristol area, or at least before you get into Knoxville - another spot where it's not so easy to find a quick place to stop.

Cracker Barrel is your friend, but you probably know this - clean restrooms located right off interstates.

The big 'truck plazas' are also your friend on this sort of drive - usually cleaner than individual 'side of the road' gas stations, lots have at least some sort of fast-food setup in them now, and industrial-grade coffee.

If you see a state rest area with facilities, or one of the above, and you think you MIGHT have to stop in the next hour, do it. Nothing is worse than trying to focus, drive, AND find a place to pee in traffic.
posted by pupdog at 10:14 PM on March 25, 2008

um, I meant find a place to stop and pee, while driving in traffic. Don't pee in traffic. It never goes well.
posted by pupdog at 10:16 PM on March 25, 2008

Thanks, all. This is good stuff. I'll let you know how it goes.
posted by ZakDaddy at 4:58 AM on March 26, 2008

Watch out for the crazy-assed truckers on I-81 through VA. This is almost undoubtedly one of the most horrible stretches of interstate in the country.
posted by worker_bee at 5:28 AM on March 26, 2008

I'd do it in two days if at all possible - I know most of this trip far, far too well and it's at least 16 hours of driving, probably more. But. 81 is a pretty good road this time of year (avoid, avoid, avoid in snow) but it is, yes, a major truck route and can get kind of hairy because of that. There used to be nowhere to stop in most of the VA mountains - it's better now BUT be aware, pretty much every single gas station will shut right down about 9 or 10 pm. I ended up having to stay in a scary dingy insanely expensive motel in Nowheresville, Virginia last year because I didn't know this. Make SURE you have a full tank of gas by 8 pm.

For some reason I always end up stopping near Wytheville, VA, right by the TN border. There's a convenience store there across the street from a really funky cool old graveyard with some Civil War graves. I have no idea which exit it is (I keep finding it magically without planning, so my guess is it's one of very few options) but I recommend it highly for a quick, refreshing stroll. You will also pass the exit to Hungry Mother State Park. I've never been there but the name is so awesome I couldn't miss the chance to mention it.

As far as solo long distance driving, I swear by books on tape/CD. It makes all the difference for me between flat out bored anguish and pain and a sort of absorbed literary fugue state where I hardly notice the miles go by. This is where Cracker Barrel, otherwise horrific, is your friend. They rent out audiobooks for hardly any money and you can return them to any Cracker Barrel in the US. You will be passing many, many Cracker Barrels on your route. Get two books - they're heavily used and nothing's worse than hitting a broken tape and having no alternative.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:32 AM on March 26, 2008

I live in Nashville and am from northern CT. I've made the round trip 8 or so times, and every time I've done it in one leg. I probably shouldn't have a couple of times though.

Definitely take 78 to 81 to 40. It's an insanely boring drive and you will want to kill yourself on the last stretch between Knoxville and Nashville, but it's easily the best way to go in my experience. I generally haven't run into much traffic issues on 81 or 40, can't say much about 78.

nthing the part about the crazy truckers on 81. They piss me off.
posted by PFL at 8:39 AM on March 26, 2008

Done and done. 78 to 81 to 40. We drive from Nashville to Knoxville to visit my in-laws about once a month, so that's heavily familiar territory. I ended up grabbing about 3 hours' sleep on an on-ramp just south of Wytheville, but since I did most of the driving at night it was relatively uneventful. I found that if you leave truckers alone, they'll afford you the same courtesy, and when there aren't a bunch of non-professional idiots (read: other car drivers) clogging the road things go pretty smoothly. All in all, pretty uneventful. Good tip on the no carbs, though; beef jerky and trail mix did the trick.

Thanks again, everyone!
posted by ZakDaddy at 7:53 PM on March 27, 2008