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Easiest and Least Expensive Way to get from CT to NJ?

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Super_Ideal_Rock
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I am considering driving to NJ to buy something but almost never drive out of state and so this seems a bit daunting! Would need to get to Monmouth County in NJ from central CT. Two questions:

What is the least stressful route to take (least congestion and most forgiving for not being familiar with the route)

How much do I need to factor in for tolls and I would need to go on the weekend so what times are best for this type of travel?

TIA!
 
Tolls in NJ are disgusting...lol I say this as someone who drove from MA to FL a few times. I have an EZ Pass which worked all the way to MD. Of course the biggest tolls came from NJ:rolleyes2:

Have you google mapped the drive? I'd start there to see what you'd be looking at
https://www.google.com/maps/

Also
http://www.njta.com/toll-calculator

some toll roads down here don't take cash. I had to get an sunpass for florida.
 
Thanks @Arcadian, I did Google map it but wanted to get feedback from some folks that have physically made the drive so I know what to expect you know? I might see if they are willing to meet in NY maybe so I don't have to drive in to NJ but not sure if that's an option for them.

ETA: Thank you for the toll calculator, that is very helpful!
 
HI, STEPHANIE

Don't know if you are in relatively close proximity to CT Rte 15 South, but if so, I would take that to I-287 West (you'll be on a brief stretch -- about 3 miles IIRC -- of the Hutchinson River Parkway to get to I-287), across the Tappen Zee Bridge and on to the cars-only Garden State Parkway South. Take the GSP South to Exit 129 (outside Woodbridge, NJ), where the GSP hooks up with NJ Turnpike Exit 11 & use the Turnpike to proceed farther south.

I'm suggesting that you exit the GSP at the point because that's where the southbound GSP typically becomes much more congested than the NJ Turnpike on summer weekends because of all the people heading to points along the Jersey Shore and to the Cape May area -- many of whom have gotten on the GSP via the NJ Turnpike or from the Outerbridge Crossing between Staten Island and NJ (the Outerbridge is a very popular crossing from NYC to the GSP).

But if you too will be going to a Shore town (or nearby), post back with your final destination so we can help you figure out what other viable alternatives there might be.
 
Thanks @MollyMalone that is super helpful, I am hoping that she will meet halfway or maybe in NY but for now I have to assume I have to make the trip down there all the way. If we decide to go I will come back with exactly where we need to go. Thanks so much!
 
@MollyMalone, neat, will have to look into that as I have never been, thanks for the suggestion!
 
When I drive from Connecticut to Virginia I have to go through this stretch.

My first rule is always to leave on a non-Friday and to return on a non-Sunday. If those options are available to you, please take them! they will not make life easy, but but they may make life easier. I usually drive to Virginia on a Wednesday and return on a Saturday.

I listen to the local news in the morning before I leave to hear whether there is traffic outgoing from New York City at the George Washington Bridge and then decide whether to take the GW or the Tappan Zee bridge. The GW is usually faster. (It is the shorter route.) But the Tappan Zee is faster if there is a delay on the GW. I always use the upper deck of the GW and get into the left lane to use the express lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike after the bridge.

It is a hellish route. If your friends will meet you in Tarrytown, that would be great. I already drove to VA once this summer and will do it again in August. Good luck!

Deb :wavey:
 
@StephanieLynn,
I hope that whatever you are buying is worth the drive!
Hopefully you will post photos......=)2
 
Thanks @AGBF and @stracci2000

Stracci, it's not jewelry, I only wish but I'll share pics in the Antique/Vintage forum when and if I get it.

So they are willing to meet at a Garden State Parkway rest stop. The woman selling lives in CA and her mother has these items and is a nervous driver (I can totally relate) so she won't drive to NY.

Garden State Parkway it is I guess!
 
Here's the round-up of GSP service-rest areas -- you'll see that only a few of them are accessible to drivers coming from both the north and south.
http://www.njta.com/travel-resources/service-areas-commuter-lots
Montvale comes the closest to being equidistant, but she may be reluctant to drive that far north; Cheesequake should be well within her comfort zone, but that would require you to get into the Shore traffic.

Perhaps she would be willing to meet you at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ -- way more pleasant than any Turnpike or GSP rest stop :))
http://www.simon.com/mall/menlo-park-mall
https://goo.gl/maps/qQqAFFcwEt52
 
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Ah that is good to know @MollyMalone. I am talking to her daughter and suggested that I could have UPS pick it up from her mother's house and ship it to me and of course I would pay for the shipping, that way neither one of us has to drive. That was something my SIL came up with, kind of hoping she goes for that, driving to NJ with two kids who enjoy the art of bickering won't be fun!
 
I used to live in Monmouth county and the GSP was the best way to get around. If you come down, red bank (109) is a good stopping place.
 
Thanks @AprilBaby, that's good to know because sometimes the GPS will take you completely out of the way and you wouldn't know any better not knowing the area.

I carry mine in my purse so I never have to worry about leaving it behind!
 
So as it turns out we don't have to make the drive! After I sent the seller my ideas to avoid everyone involved driving, she told me that her friend who lives in CT is visiting her parents in NJ this weekend and can pick it up and drive it back to CT! So that makes a 6 hour round trip drive with two little kids into a 2 hour round trip drive (still with the kids but hey they can read books).

Thanks everyone who had so many helpful suggestions, I appreciate every one.
 
StephanieLynn said:
So as it turns out we don't have to make the drive! After I sent the seller my ideas to avoid everyone involved driving, she told me that her friend who lives in CT is visiting her parents in NJ this weekend and can pick it up and drive it back to CT! So that makes a 6 hour round trip drive with two little kids into a 2 hour round trip drive (still with the kids but hey they can read books).
Thanks everyone who had so many helpful suggestions, I appreciate every one.
Click to expand...
WOOHOO, definitely easier than making the round-trip drive with kiddos in the car -- and given the cost of gas and tolls, quite possibly cheaper :))
 
StephanieLynn said:
I am considering driving to NJ to buy something but almost never drive out of state and so this seems a bit daunting! Would need to get to Monmouth County in NJ from central CT. Two questions:

What is the least stressful route to take (least congestion and most forgiving for not being familiar with the route)

How much do I need to factor in for tolls and I would need to go on the weekend so what times are best for this type of travel?

TIA!
Click to expand...
I used to live in Stamford and drove to visit my old lab in Somerset County regularly. I took the 95 to 287. I try to avoid driving too close to NYC as the congestion irks me.

@AGBF Long time no see. I still cherish the cherry fire opal you gave me when I was an undergrad.
 
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