Spoiler for the big one:
Jack's instructions were quite succint but this did not stop me waking throughout the night worrying about finding the Lincoln tunnel.
If you are looking for the fastest way to get to Bloomsburg, Pa from New York City, try this:
a) Get to West 39th Street (at 9th Avenue) and take the Lincoln Tunnel (I-495 West) to New Jersey (No Toll)
b) Once through the tunnel, bear left and go up the helix (twisty ramp). Do not go to Hoboken nor Weehawken
c) At the absolute top of the ramp, try to get in the middle lane. You are looking for signs that say "ROUTE 3, Secaucus, Clifton
The exit will be to the right, but not the absolute right. (You will be in a kind of concrete conduit.)
d) Get on Route 3 WEST (The absolute left will put you on I-95 The New Jersey Turnpike, which doesn't help.)
e) Take Route 3 West until the very end. (Do not be distracted by other signs for I-95, which is the other New Jersey Turnpike.) The very end is about 7 to 12 miles distant.
• Feel free to marvel at Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Race Track
• Wave to the left when passing through Lyndhurst, NJ, where my sister lives.
• Hold your breath going over the steel-grated trestle bridge (over the Passaic River). Rutt's Hutt, the best hot dogs in New Jersey, and maybe the world, is to the right on Route 21.
f) Route 3 Merges onto US-46 West from the right. Take US-46 West.
• There will be a stone hill to the right, known as "Great Notch."
• There is a log cabin here known as the "Great Notch Inn." It is a cool Harley Biker Joint on the right.
g) US-46 runs into I-80 at town of Wayne, NJ
h) Follow signs to get onto I-80 WEST.
• This is a colossal balls up of roads and exits. The exit may say I-80/Route 23. Please pay attention. You do not want Route 23.
• Traffic is usually moving a the speed of light here.
i) Enjoy I-80. Your next turn is in Bloomsburg, Pa.
• Follow I-80 straight through New Jersey.
• Marvel at the non-majesty of the Delaware Water Gap.
• Cross the mighty Delaware River.
j) There could be a toll at the Pennsylvania State Line
k) Take I-80 to Exit 232 in Bloomsburg, Pa.
l) Go right onto Route 42
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| We were looking for the Lincoln Tunnel - it's entrance does not look like this. |
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| This is something like it. |
Nikos:
ReplyDeleteJack's instructions appear impeccable, easy peachee. Too bad he didn't send you a GPS
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Bob,
ReplyDeleteA gps would not have provided the ancilliary enroute information, unless of course it had been loaded wit Jack's voice and commentry
I think Jacks voice giving directions on the GPS is an awesome idea!!
ReplyDeleteI've read Jacks stories of whisking down roads with all these numbers...but never having had to find my way around New York I get lost just reading.
Hope you found the tunnel easily and remembered to start breathing again after the grated bridge.
And was there a toll at PA state line?
Nikos,
ReplyDeleteWe colonials live in awe of people who negotiate megacities without modern electronic aids - my hat is off to you.
A GPS with Joanna Lumley's voice would have been much better for the nerves than Jacks, I suspect :-)
Every time I've been to NYC, I left the driving to the cabbies. How they find their way around I'll never know. Actually, how anyone finds their way around the east coast is a wonder. Way too many small roads and numbers...
ReplyDeleteDear Nikos:
ReplyDeleteI learned to ride a motorcycle by the Lincoln Tunnel. It's a delightful place. Your second photo of the tunnel ramps — the helix — is the correct one. Though I trust there was not this element of traffic on it.
And as for my directions, wasn't everything where it was supposed to be? Had I known you wanted breakfast, I could have steered you through the Tick Tock Diner on Route 3.
You can't miss the Lincoln Tunnel. What I neglected to tell you was that there are no less than 10 entrances to the Lincoln Tunnel.
Next time, we can do the Jersey City saloon crawl too.
Fondest regards,
Jack/reep
Twisted Roads
Didn't Johnny Storm chase The Silver Surfer through the Lincoln Tunnel? It can't be that tricky.....
ReplyDeleteDear Nikos:
ReplyDeleteGetting around New York City is an absolute breeze, except for the weekends, when the pin heads in charge close main thoroughfares running north and south for pedestrian and bike traffic. This because the majority of streets and avenues are SIMPLY numbered.
Across the East River, in Long Island City, there are streets, avenues, lanes, roads and boulewards, which are ALL numbered. Building addresses are 23-528. You can suddenly find yourself passing Third Avenue at 25th Road, making a right onto 17th Street. I once yelled "fuck" 17,000 driving through here, in two hours.
And Boston is a madhouse... 22,000 paved streets (that go in every direction), all named Harrigan, Duffy, O'Hara, and Finn. I love driving in Omaha, Nebraska. 279th Street is a cornfield.
The nrext time you come, we'll ride bikes through Amish Country...
Fondest regards,
Jack/reep
hahaha Lincoln tunnel, to get in was not so difficult... but to get away from it... roadworks! Mrs. Nikos
ReplyDeleteBloody hell! Anyone still in one piece and in the right place after this little operation deserves a medal.
ReplyDeleteHow are you suppose to read those instructions when riding? The writing is really quite small. Or does Mrs N. shout them in your ear? And, anyway, are motorcyclists supposed to use directions?? I can't remember Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda requiring any in Easy Rider.
ReplyDelete