PING: Baltimore area people

[Suburban Rhythm]

I need a plan to avoid driving on the beltway during rush hour!

I have a wedding in Ocean City, MD--

and I need to gripe about this too. It's my brother-in-law. His 2nd wedding (he's 28). Who plans a wedding, in Ocean City over 4th of July weekend?? AND, it's on the Friday, at noon!! What sense does that make!!?!?!?!

The current plan is this. Leave work early Thursday, load up the car with the wife, 2 kids and the mother in law and drive to Hanover, PA (from Pittsburgh) and stay at the brother in law's place that night. Then wake up Friday morning, and drive from Hanover to OC.

Looking at a map, seems like I can catch I-795, avoid most of 695 around Baltimore, catch 695 a little further south, and be on our way.

Is that going to work??

[Logan]

You should just kill your brother in law for planning such an event at a moronic time. Problem solved.

[JPhillips]

The outer belt won't be your problem. The nightmare is going to be the Bay Bridge.

If I were you I'd charter a plane.

[gottimd]

The outer belt won't be your problem. The nightmare is going to be the Bay Bridge.

If I were you I'd charter a plane.

Agreed. The bay bridge will be a parking lot.

If I were you, instead of this:
The current plan is this. Leave work early Thursday, load up the car with the wife, 2 kids and the mother in law and drive to Hanover, PA (from Pittsburgh) and stay at the brother in law's place that night. Then wake up Friday morning, and drive from Hanover to OC.

do this:
The current plan is this. Leave work early Thursday, load up the car with the wife, 2 kids and the mother in law and drive to Hanover, PA (from Pittsburgh) and stay at the brother in law's place for 3 minutes to catch our breath, then immediately drive to OC and we will get there just in time for the wedding.

[JPhillips]

Honestly I think you should consider moving up your timeline. You're going to have a much better chance to get across the bridge in a reasonable amount of time on Thursday night rather than Friday morning. Even if you don't go all the way to OC, you should consider getting over the Bay Bridge before Friday.

[Suburban Rhythm]

So far I like Logan's answer the best.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

So far I like Logan's answer the best.

With 2 kids and a mother-in-law, you're much better off going on Thursday night. If you do decide to stay overnight, your departure on Friday morning better be awfully early (3:30-4:00 AM). Save yourself the stress and just go down on Thursday.

[Butter]

Is there really a 4th of July weekend this year? It's on Wednesday.

[Logan]

So far I like Logan's answer the best.

It was actually my brother's idea from when he had to go to a wedding in the Hamptons on Labor Day. Solid 4 hour drive on a normal day, add in that it's on Getaway Day, and I think it took him about 9 hours to get home.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Is there really a 4th of July weekend this year? It's on Wednesday.


True...the wedding is the 6th. I just figure it's going to be a crazy weekend there.

I say if we are late, no big deal. We saw his first wedding...will be the same ceremony, just a different girl.

[Wolfpack]

Just a random thought. How about cutting over to Wilmington and going down through Delaware if Baltimore and the Bay Bridge is going to be so bad? According to Google, it'd be a half-hour longer, but obviously Google isn't accounting for the traffic.

[stevew]

This is one of those situations where you clearly "can't get away from work" and should let your wife handle it on her own if she wants to go. He's a moron for scheduling it that weekend, and to boot, it's not even his first wedding.

[stevew]

Besides, Transformers comes out that week, gotta leave yourself some flexibility to go to the movies.

[Terps]

I always take Route 1 South to get to Ocean City. I think it's the Christiana Mall exit.

[Desnudo]

So he is marrying your sister? Or your brother in law divorced your sister and is marrying someone else?

[timmyw3]

If you leave at 5:00 am on Friday morning I think you will be fine. The worst part of that 695 outer loop is the westside between 795 and 95 but if you get through it that early you'll be fine. You'd be through the Bay Bridge by 6:30.

I live in Hampstead, about 10 miles south of Hanover, and make the commute to Baltimore every morning. The worst part of your trip very well may be the stretch on 50 leading up to the Bay Bridge but on Friday morning it shouldn't be terrible especilly since the 4th is in the middle of the following week.

[samifan24]

Just a random thought. How about cutting over to Wilmington and going down through Delaware if Baltimore and the Bay Bridge is going to be so bad? According to Google, it'd be a half-hour longer, but obviously Google isn't accounting for the traffic.

We just went this way last week to get to Salisbury from the Aberdeen area and we actually saved time due to a lack of traffic. I'd recommend it.

[QuikSand]

Just a random thought. How about cutting over to Wilmington and going down through Delaware if Baltimore and the Bay Bridge is going to be so bad? According to Google, it'd be a half-hour longer, but obviously Google isn't accounting for the traffic.

This is definitely the way to go. The Bay Bridge will be a nightmare, and this isn't really that far out of your way.

[Suburban Rhythm]

We are looking at these new options.

I work with a guy who lived in Delaware for about a year, so I'll get his thoughts on that.

And I checked out Expedia etc for places in Easton, just across the Bay Bridge. $89 for the night isn't terrible, and it had a pool that my 3 year old daughter will love.

And I still think the brother in law is a moron for planning this...or more likely not planning...the way he did.

[timmyw3]

I'd actually be more concerned about the ride home depending on what day you are planning that trip.

If the stopover in Hanover is set in stone, there is no direct, easy route over to Wilmington. Trust me, you are better off going early Friday morning down 30 to 795 to 695 to 97 to 50.

[spleen1015]

Is going through DE really going to save you time? There is going to be beach traffic over there as well, especially that weekend.

Whatever your plan is, I would plan for the trip to be long and miserable.

There's nothing like being 10 years old, living in DC and going to see the grandparents who live near Salisbury every other weekend in the summer. At least now they have the bypass that goes around Salisbury. In 1988 you had to go through Salisbury.

Good luck!

[Suburban Rhythm]

Whatever your plan is, I would plan for the trip to be long and miserable.


Didn't you see earlier in the thread, my mother in law will be with us. I was expecting miserable!

We decided on the following-

We found a hotel in Easton MD for $85 through Expedia. So, I am going into work Thursday morning at the ass crack of dawn to get about 4 hours of work done. Get back home about 11:30-ish I hope, have the car loaded the night before. Load everyone up, and drive to Easton Thursday aftenoon/evening. Not going through Hanover, grabbing 68 to 70, then past Baltimore. Then leave from Easton Friday morning, I think it's something like 89 miles to OC, so even with a 15 minute break for the kids, should be fine in 2 - 2.5 hours.

We are staying through Monday morning, so if it takes us 8-10 hours with breaks to make it home, no worries. Just a long day in the car.

[spleen1015]

Good luck.

I hope you like the smell of chicken sh!t.

[JPhillips]

Good luck.

You should get a hooker and a party ball for this trip.