Driving 12/31 to Norwalk, CT

[Anonymous]

We are planning to visit family in Norwalk, CT for the first time. Google maps has us going right through NYC. My DH and I are inexperienced at best...advice? We're in NE DC with two small kids. Will there be AM rush hour that day? How long do you think we can expect to drive? We are thinking to leave at 3 am so the kiddies will sleep. Advice?

[Anonymous]

I do the drive all the time to my parent's house. Leaving at 3 is a great choice so the kids sleep. You'll be hitting NYC traffic on the NJ turnpike between 6 and 7 so you might have some traffic.

I usually leave after dinner (7ish) and then get in around 12 -1. It generally takes me 5 to 5.5 hours from NW DC to get to Norwalk.

Things to speed up the ride:

1. Easypass- you can fly through the bridges and tolls that way.
2. On the NJ turnpike heading into NY take the local road rather than the express- it's faster.
3. Don't take 95 straight through. Once you get on the GW Bridge follow the signs to the Henry Hudson Parkway - it's all the way to the right on the bridge (either upper or lower levels) and it appears as if you're heading down into Manhattan at first but then you loop around. You pay a little extra toll on the bridge into Riverdale from Manhattan but it's so worth it. You end up taking the Henry Hudson to the Merritt Parkway and depending on where you are going in Norwalk, you can either get off at Rt 7 connector to 95 or get off directly from the Merritt. It's a prettier ride and there are no trucks on the Merritt/ Henry Hudson.

[Anonymous]

op here--thanks pp! much appreciated! happy holidays