Submitted by Electrical_Bed_ t3_z29zd3 in boston
Yes I am an idiot who is driving to my dad’s out in Amherst for Thanksgiving. We’re leaving from Somerville Wednesday hopefully by 8 at the latest.
Afaik the two contenders are the Pike (but ugh traffic around/up to 84) or route 2 which is objectively longer but idk.
I’m leaning towards the Pike bc it’s familiar but will I be sitting parked on 90W kicking myself for my choice?
Tell me what to do!!!
I like the route 2 route, and since the pike is going to suck the life force right out of you and take a long time anyway, you may as well go route 2
Leave at 9pm.
If you leave at 8am or 9pm I would take the pike. Rt 2 is brutal. You could also technically take rt 9 or rt 20 I think. But that’s even worse.
I was sort of thinking this myself
Yeah not route 9 — I may be a poor planner but I’m not that dumb
ETA I do want to try to get on the pike by 8:00am but am I deluding myself here
I wish that was true
It’s been many years since I made the trek out that way on a holiday but it should be letting up By 8. There are many tools to check current traffic and see if its worth waiting.
I say take 90 to spite this guy (plus more lanes, Rt 2 sucks once it's just a two-lane mess).
thanks dude I’m gonna try for it and also try to expect traffic so my road rage can take the day off. me? well-balanced? not usually but this i may be able to do
I agree, Rt. 2 becomes a very pokey road the farther west one drives. I'd opt for the Pike and choosing a good time to drive.
Right and not to jinx myself here but isn’t the speed limit on rt 2 lower than the pike?
ETA to fix sloppy punctuation
Just turn left
Honestly, who really pays attention to the speed limits in MA? :p
The real rub about 2-lanes is all it takes is one asshole not passing in the left and you've created your own traffic jam.
The 84 exit off the pike will be terrible, hopefully it doesn’t cause problems in the left lanes or if there’s an accident. I always liked 2 to 202. Might be slower, but less stressful.
If you really leave by 8am, 90W will be just fine.
Speed limits on rt 2 mostly range from 45-55 mph, but when traffic allows cars go about 60-80 mph. That being said, don't take rt 2. There are so many traffic lights between 95 and the Concord Rotary and traffic sucks. It'll take you 1.5 hrs just to get to Leominster.
Give a kid aged around 8 to 11 an old fashioned paper map of the state showing every secondary road. Draw a dot on Somerville and a dot on Amherst. Tell him or her to create a route that goes north of Quabbin Reservoir and avoids cities outside the Boston area and avoids interstates and highways and avoids routes 2, 3, 9, 20, and 30 as much as possible. Then let the kid be your navigator. If you don't have a kid, find an adult who can pretend to be a kid. Enjoy!
Gritting my teeth the whole drive will not add to the thanksgiving vibes which are to be assumed to be gothic/emotionally fraught
OMG! You’re gonna drive all that way. Must be almost 2 hours. Bring a sleeping bag and a cooked turkey to keep you alive.
BTW, try Google maps. Duh
Rt 2 goes through lots of towns. As others have said, it’s a slog until it gets past Leominster. After that, it’s downright pleasant, but can be slow through the town centers where speed limits drop. Definitely a scenic and interesting ride. I recommend it.
Motorcycle across North Africa, train across Asia. He’ll be fine.
Rt 2 for sure, especially with all that traffic on the pike. Even better if you’re coming from a way where it makes sense to avoid the Concord stretch.
>Leave at 9pm.
Exactly. Once it's too late to make it to NYC or NJ things get better.
>paper map of the state showing every secondary road. Draw a dot on Somerville and a dot on Amherst. Tell him or her to create a route that goes north of Quabbin Reservoir
At least do that in daylight so you can enjoy how pretty it is while being slow as heck.
KungPowGasol t1_ixfcunl wrote
You can’t get there from here.