Thoughts on a quick trip to Alexandria Virginia.

[chuckd]

Left Stillwater Mn yesterday about 5:20AM to visit my son and family in Alexandria Virginia.  I sold him one of my cars and drove it out, made Pittsburgh yesterday evening.  Rest of the way today.

Quick thoughts:

My ipod needs to have some songs removed and more added, can't believe I actually wanted to hear some of those songs.

Chicago needs a do over.  I am sure there are nice neighborhoods in Chicago, but the ones I saw from the freeway, could use a fresh start.

Northern Indiana is really flat.

Northern Ohio is really flat.

Western Pennsylvania is really pretty; hilly and green.

Western Maryland is the same.

The area around Washington DC is under construction, you cannot be of legal age and hope to see it complete.

I took 94 to 90 to 80 to 76 to 70 to 270 to 495 to 95.  Most are under consruction and they really need to be. 

Some of the rest area on the Pennsylvania Turnpike have very short acceleration lanes to get into traffic, come on they have done this for how long?

Pennsylvania Turnpike started out the smoothest and got rougher the further east you went.

Missed my bus.

Chuck

[oldmansax]

That's a nice trip. If you are driving a car, you may want to try 79 from Washington PA to Morgantown, WV & then 68 to 81. Then you can either do 270 into DC like you did or 81 south to 66 to the south western side of DC & work you way to Alexandra. 68 has some beautiful scenery & lots of hills.

I've run that in my bus & an 18 wheeler but it's not for the fainthearted, especially in winter.

TOM

[John316]

Chuck,

Thanks for the trip report. I agree with you all the way. I have been all over out there, and still prefer the west .

That was great about Chicago. Agreed. Needs a facelift.

I like flat, better then PA hills. There is hardly a straight section of road in PA. Now try the back roads. LOL, those are fun in a bus.

The toll roads could also use an improvement. They sure do rake in the tolls, though.

John

[JohnEd]

Those merge lanes are short because when they were first put in they all had "STOP" signs at the point where they merged.  Later they changed those signs to "YIELD" signs.  The last ticket I got was the day before I left Pa. for the military.  It was for "failure to yield" on a freeway entrance and I must have had 20 car lengths.  Worst roads in the nation, for my money.

John

[Oonrahnjay]

Left Stillwater Mn yesterday about 5:20AM to visit my son and family in Alexandria Virginia.   (snip)

I owned a house in Alexandria for about 30 years (up to 2004) although I worked overseas for about 15 years of that.  DC area has great things going on, museums, concerts, restaurants, etc. but the way that traffic and cost-of-living exploded in that 30 years, I was glad to be gone.

[chuckd]

Because I was tired, I talked myself out of the right turnoff on the Pa turnpike, went one to far.  As I was paying my toll, and asked where I could do a U turn the toll taker said just do a quick U right in the exit of the toll booth, but rather than do that just take 522 to the Freeway which I did.  Sure glad i was in my Mazda, would have left engine and transmission all over the road.  Steep and twisty.  But the scenery was superb, had a been in the bus, would not have noticed anything but the road ahead.

chuckd