Dan - When I used to go to school at Saint Joe's in Philadelphia, I used to drive up Route 1 the whole way to school. I'd go up through Jacksonville to 1. It was a little longer, but the traffic is lighter, the scenary is better. Overall, a nice ride - until you get into Philly. Then it's a mess.

Here's a way to avoid the NJ Turnpike when travelling to New York/New England:

To New York:

Take I-83 North to I-81 North in Harrisburg. Go 20 miles on I-81 and exit at I-78 North. Take I-78 through PA and NJ to the Holland Tunnel. It's about 60 miles longer than taking I-95 and the NJ Turnpike, but the only toll you will encounter is at the Holland Tunnel.

To New England/Boston:

Take the same route to I-78. Exit at I-287 North in New Jersey. Take I-287 across the Tappan Zee Bridge and White Plains. I-287 merges with I-95 near Connecticut. The only toll that you will encounter between Baltimore and Boston is at the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Came back that way last week after going to a christening in Wilmington. My father-in-law is the ultimate shunpiker. We even got off 95 and went across the 40 bridge to avoid the toll over the Susquehanna on the way up.

I'd previously been up 1 over the dam to get to Delaware Park with him as well.

The drive back from around the Brandywine battlefield area and all the way back down to the border was a nice one.

We've been using that Route 1 shun for years. My husband grew up in Philadelphia, and we have family and friends all over that area. You can continue on Route 1 almost to Media and head north to pick up the Blue Route, which isn't a bad way to get to Valley Forge and other points west of Philadelphia. There used to be a convenience store in Maryland called Landhope Farms (now has a different name) where you could get a good cup of coffee and an ice cream.

My prized shunpike involves driving out to Frederick in order to get to the area around Dulles Airport. Take US 15 south through Leesburg. It's almost twice the distance as you'd drive doing 95/495, but in terms of the time it takes, it's very close. You can take White's Ferry across the Potomac if you've a mind to.

I also drive to Massachusetts and up into Maine by going to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on I-83/81 and cutting east through the Delaware Water Gap on I-84. It more or less lands you in New Haven. You can completely ignore the New Jersey Turnpike and New York City. This would be advanced shunpiking, and we've only done it when we've had vacation time.

My motivation for all of this is that I hate sitting in traffic worse than just about anything else.

Like Anne, I "run the 80's" (83/81/84) going to Springfield, MA each year. A friend of mine from the Harrisburg area usually rides with me, so it works out quite well.

It's about 60 miles more than going through NYC/NJ, but the only toll is $1.00 for the Poughkeepsie bridge, vs $20.00+ for I-95. The route is a lot more scenic, and even though it uses more gas, the extra gas is still less expensive than the tolls.