For a family affair. Stamford is in the southwest corner of CT and (per Bing maps) looks to be ~670 miles from here, a feasible drive. It appears I'd have to go through NYC. What is traffic like and are there tolls? And I know guns are a no-go, but surely there is no law against a three-inch folding knife.

From descriptions and pictures, Stamford seems like a nice place. Too bad it has to be in CT. Probably not a place a tradesman on piece work could afford.

The knife is a problem in NYC. Technically it may be legal but they like to call any folding knife a gravity knife and could arrest you for it. Stamford is like any other decent size town, good areas and bad areas.

Traffic through NYC can be pretty bad - avoid morning and evening rush hours if you can.
Be prepared to pay some really high tolls going over the bridges.

Stamford is the home of our gun-hating, tax-loving socialist governor. He's a typical liberal democrat.

I lived in Stamford in an earlier life. Just stay on the north side of the tracks and your fine. As for travel to get there the whole area sucks. So plan accordingly and travel only outside rush hours.

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Be prepared to pay some really high tolls going over the bridges.

I kind of thought so. Are there lanes where you can pay with cash or credit cards, or is it all electronic?

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Originally posted by egregore:

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Be prepared to pay some really high tolls going over the bridges.

I kind of thought so. Are there lanes where you can pay with cash or credit cards, or is it all electronic?

The last time I was through there, there still was a non-EZ Pass lane - but I haven't been down there in a couple years.

It's been years, but I used to have to drive to Hartford and Boston about once a month. I found going over the Verrazano bridge was less hassle then the George Washington bridge. Whether this is still true or not I don't know, I NEVER go there anymore.

Good luck to you.

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Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

Be prepared to pay some really high tolls going over the bridges.

I kind of thought so. Are there lanes where you can pay with cash or credit cards, or is it all electronic?

Depending what route you choose many of NY bridges are converting over to fully cashless tolling, so cameras snap a picture of your car and plate and you get a bill in the mail. At this point the GW bridge is still toll booths with a mix of cash and cashless expect to pay anywhere from $12-$17 to cross bridges in the NY tristate area. For that money you'll get to sit in probably the worst traffic you’ve ever seen.

You could circumnavigate the city easy enough. More miles, but time moving is better than time sitting in traffic.

Pick up 84 somewhere, loop around the city to the north and come down 684.

^^^ This, or you could take I287 across Westchester county to I95 North to get to Stamford.

You should’nt have to drive through NYC to reach Stamford. You will however, have to drive through NJ. I minimize this by driving up through Pa on 80 east to 287N through parts of both NJ & NY state to 95N into Ct.
Stamford is a “business / commuter” city. A number of companies who were tired of NYC taxes opened satellite offices there in the late 80’s. The northern neighborhoods are fairly affluent. The surrounding towns of Greenwich and Darien are the snob capitols of the state with some very high incomes per capita with noses so high in the air, they are frostbitten 9 months of the year

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Originally posted by two-two-niner-romeo:
^^^ This, or you could take I287 across Westchester county to I95 North to get to Stamford.

I used that route in reverse some years ago to avoid NYC. Going north, it leaves I-78 near Pluckermin, heads north on I-287 through New Jersey to Suffern in New York, then heads east (still I-287) across the Hudson River at Hyack, NY and through White Plains, eventually reaching I-95 near Port Chester; north on I-95 a short distance to Stamford, CT. (It's what I'd do--I hate NYC!) Streets & Trips says that route is about 680 miles and would take just over a day as I typically drive (about 10 hours drive time).

I you're really paranoid about NY and NJ, it is possible to bypass NJ entirely, but it is quite a bit more out of the way. You'd go north on PA-33 near Easton, briefly transfer to I-80 at Arlington Heights, and pick up US-209 outside Stroudsburg, PA; US-209 just barely stays out of NJ going through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and enters NY state at Duttonville; near Middletown, NY transfer to NY-17 going SE and head south on I-87 at Central Valley--I-287 at Suffern and onward.

flashguy

Not paranoid. I just hate sitting for hours in traffic and am too cheap to pay tolls. An extra 50 or even 100 miles would cost less in fuel than some of those tolls, and time spent moving is never wasted.

I live in Stamford. I'm trying to think of a route that would avoid tolls.

I'd get on the NJ Turnpike (although that is a toll road) because for most of the non-rush hours would be an efficient route around NYC. after that, I would AVOID the Geo Washington Bridge... not only is it ridiculously expensive ($15 or $18 now...) traffic is a nightmare getting on and getting off that bridge.

I would map yourself up to the new Tappan Zee bridge, as they've completed construction. It's about 1/3rd the price of the GWB.

Over the Tap, you'll zoom past White Plains and then take the Hutchinson/Merritt Parkway north.... which is quite pleasant and no trucks. No toll either. Many exits for Stamford off the Merritt.

Cashless tolling is pretty common in the Northeast now.

You can go see Jerry Springer.

I would not go through NYC. Stay on the west side of the Hudson until north of the city.
Many decades ago when I lived in the area I took the Tapanzee bridge in Nyack, NY, then east on the interstate to Stamford.