July 3, 2006
What are Washington's Best Drives?
Over the weekend the British tabloid The Sun listed the world's top 10 iconic car journeys, with U.S. roads taking five of the slots:
1. Boston to New YorkAnd while we're somewhat miffed at how the Boston to New York route ranked first on this list (we're guessing they don't mean driving straight up I-95), it got us to thinking -- what are the Washington region's own iconic drives? We've always been suckers for the Rock Creek Parkway, the Whitehurst Freeway, the Bay Bridge, the George Washington Parkway, Ohio Drive, and I-66 as it escapes the suburbs and turns to the rolling hills of the Shenaondoah.
2. Las Vegas to Grand Canyon;
3. Great Ocean Road, Australia;
4. Miami to Key West, Florida;
5. Amalfi Coast, Italy;
6. Pacific Coast Highway;
7. Monaco to Nice;
8. Route 66;
9. London Embankment;
10. The Rockies, Canada.
What are your favorite drives?
|
Advertisement: DCist Continues Below!
Post a comment (Comment Policy)
Wow. Can somebody tell me what I'm missing on the Boston-New York route? I've driven that dozens of time and it's never anything except a nerve-wracking, pollution-sucking grind. The idea that it ranks four places higher that the AMALFI COAST is a mystery to me.
Speak up, people, if you know the trick here. I have to go to New England again next month and clearly there's some secret that I need to get in on ...
Wow. Can somebody tell me what I'm missing on the Boston-New York route? I've driven that dozens of time and it's never anything except a nerve-wracking, pollution-sucking grind. The idea that it ranks four places higher that the AMALFI COAST is a mystery to me.
Speak up, people, if you know the trick here. I have to go to New England again next month and clearly there's some secret that I need to get in on ...
Should be NY "to" Boston. Not the other way.
Amalfi is beautiful...if you survive it.
I'm surprised at that ranking as well. I can think of about 50 routes that are more beautiful, scenic and "iconic" than Boston to New York.
Maybe they're talking about taking 84 through the clusterf-ck that is Hartford, Connecticut. If that's the case, how about the 270 Technology Corridor? DC to Frederick should be on that list, dammit!
Miami to Key west is certainly popular with the Euro set...the causeway is like a nonstop parade of new rental convertibles filled with sunburnt blond people in pastel tanktops.
That's a mystery to me too. I grew up along that famed Boston to NYC route, and there is nothing particularly attractive to it. Hartford? Worcester? New Haven? Bridgeport?
Perhaps they mean New York to Boston by way of Litchfield County Connecticut, The Berkshires, and Vermont and New Hampshire. It might take 15 hours, but it would be better than I-84 and the Mass Pike.
As for DC, of course the GW Parkway is great, but I really like Georgetown Pike from Langley to Great Falls. Also, Route 50, once you get way out towards Middleburg is a beautiful drive.
Re: Boston to NY - I think they missed a major point of this. It's not a year round thing. But driving New England during the fall is breathtaking, and yes, it can be on 95 or any of the parkways. Connecticut also has some great little fishing villages that are neat to go through, but you have to get off 95 and go on U.S. 1 for all that.
I've done all the U.S. drives, 1,2,4,6 and 8. I have to say, if you haven't done the Miami to Key West drive, you haven't lived. Going from Island to Island, lifting off onto a bridge, back on to an Island, there's just nothing else like it.
Yeah after I posted my comment it occurred to me that they were trying to come up with a Fall foliage drive. It figures that they best they could come up with is "Boston to New York". A much better drive would be what I recommended, namely an arc from Litchfield through the Berkshires, Vermont and New Hampshire. Although in September/October you're also going to get a great view of 100 cars in a line in front of you doing the exact same thing you're doing.
The fall foliage is breathtaking on nearly every route in the Northeast, though. Sure, there are spots between Boston and NY that are probably beautiful, but I don't see any reason why it's more scenic than, say, Scranton to Hartford (driving over the Hudson near Poughkeepsie should get an honorable mention).
Anyway, we could sit here and nit-pick for days. Lists like these always generate multiple opinions...
The GW parkway is unbeatable for pleasure driving, although Ross Rd NW (just above Military Rd in rock creek park) is also quite nice. Especially after the leaves are gone in the fall, when you can really see how deep a canyon rock creek has carved over the millennia.
It's 'Shenandoah,' not 'Shennaondoah.'
And more over, it's the Blue Ridge Mountains, not the Shenandoahs. The Shenandoah river valley is west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. And the hill formations around the Shenandoah are actually not very "rolling" at all. They very level; reflecting the fact they were created by the river itself.
And it's DCist, not DeeCeeIst or any other molestation of the title.
I agree that Georgetown Pike is a good drive. The Langely end is not remarkable, but very nice. The Great Falls section is truly lovely. However, if you look at it while you're driving you'll probably crash.
Years ago, when I visited DC to find an apartment, I stayed with a friend who lived in Alexandria. I distinctly remember accidentally getting on the freeway going the wrong direction and, twenty minutes into woody Virginia area south of the city, thinking 1) this is absolutely gorgeous and 2) holy shit I'm going to hit North Carolina before there's another exit. I can't remember which road that was, though.
DC to Newark, DE via 301 on the Eastern Shore; calm, relaxing, scenic, historic. The Anti-95. Bonus points for a detour through Chestertown.
I've always been partial to MacArthur Boulevard heading toward Great Falls. Glen Echo, the Cabin John bridge and the mysterious-arched gigantic Navy facilities at Carderock are make it a great drive.
Chain Bridge Road between Nebraska Avenue and MacArthur is always nice, as is Normanstone Drive below the Naval Observatory and Massachusetts Avenue Heights.
Skyline Drive is one of the best in the area (particularly in the fall). It's a bit far from D.C., but you can make it there and back in a day-trip. Even getting down there is very nice, once you get off 66.
NY Ave. from Bladensburg Rd. to Chinatown is quite the pleasure, especially this time of year. Make sure to stop off at the Wendy's at NY & Fla. for a quaint lunch.
for iconic drives, you can't beat the beltway. round and round and round and round, at the slowest most frustrating pace imaginable.
We used to frequent that Wendy's quite a bit when I was at CUA, until my friend went through the drive-thru one time and the brainiacs behind the counter somehow forgot to put meat on his burgers. Dave Thomas must've been rolling in his grave...
Back on topic, though, I agree that MacArthur Boulevard is a nice drive. So is the Clara Barton Parkway. And while I'm partial to the Maryland side of things, I also agree that Georgetown Pike can be quite beautiful, especially in the Fall.
Since we´re being ironic....I vote for the Anacostia Freeway. Breathtaking views!
Driving the national arboreatum and the aquatic gardens is always a pleasure for me almost anytime. Driving (m)any of DC's uptown streets in late April to mid May is also a pleasure when you are watching for dogwoods, azalea and fruit tree gardens. I also enjoy the backroads of western Montgomery and Souther Fredrick and northern Carol counties
Popes Head Rd. way out in Clifton, VA. Oh my goodness the curves.
Definitely agree with Chain Bridge and MacArthur routes mentioned above, particularly during good foliage seasons (cherry blossoms, fall). Also, though generally the Beltway is the seventh circle of hell, the stretch driving from Silver Spring to Bethesda where the big white cathedral suddenly pops into view never ceases to provide a nice aesthetic break.
That mysterious facility at Carderock contains indoor wave pools where the Navy tests scale models of new hull shapes for ships and submarines. The long building there is so large that the curvature of the Earth had to be factored into its engineering when it was built in the 1930's. I used to work there and the funny thing was that most employees could get a peek at state of the art new ship and sub designs, but NOBODY was allowed to take a look at the catamaran designs for Americas Cup sailboats!
When I was at college in SW Virginia, I used to take a drive on Rt. 460 and then up through the mountains of West Virginia. West Virginia might not be good for much else, but I figured out where they were talking about those "purple mountains majesty." Breathtaking!
Route 66 is incredibly overrated, especially since most of it has been absorbed by interstates. Route 50 from Ocean City to Sacramento is a much better "Americana" drive. Most of it is still non-interstate and it passes through almost every climate and topography that America has to offer. As a plus, it passes by all the monuments in DC.
Vegas to the Grand Canyon is an iconic journey? Since when???
LA to Vegas is what should be on the list.
> Years ago, when I visited DC to find an
> apartment... I distinctly remember accidentally
> getting on the freeway going the wrong direction
> and, twenty minutes into woody Virginia area south
> of the city, thinking 1) this is absolutely
> gorgeous and 2) holy shit I'm going to hit North
> Carolina before there's another exit. I can't
> remember which road that was, though.
Yep, been there... first time in DC, got on the GW going the wrong way and next thing I knew I was in Mount Vernon. I knew I was wrong when I was on the Virginia side of the river and kept saying to myself "Oh, there'll be a bridge sooner or later to cross back over."
Iconic drives? Gotta be the one block stretch of 18th Street NW between P and Q. More patches in that one block than most streets have on their entire length! A study of colors and arrangement. Plus you get to test your car's suspension. Who needs sweeping vistas when you can drive this homage to urban survival?
This is kind of far out west, but here you go:
1) Take I-66 West to US-15 South (Exit 40, I think), near Haymarket, VA.
2) Immediate right onto VA-55. Many miles.
3) After passing US-17, go 1/2 mile and turn left onto Free State Rd.
4) Either a) make a right onto VA-647, or b) Go straight, eventually it will turn into Ada Rd. Keep going straight (5-7 miles) and you'll eventually hit VA-647. Make a left onto it.
5) After about 15-20 miles, you'll hit US-522. Make a left onto it (South).
6) Right onto US-211. Pass through the mountains. Take a drive on Skyline Drive if you want.
7) Exit onto US-340, go South (make a left at the exit).
8) Make your first right onto Mechanic St, near the bridge. It becomes Bixlers Ferry Rd.
9) Stay on Bixlers Ferry Rd (not straight onto Old Forge Rd). When the road comes to a T, left onto N Egypt Bend Rd.
10) Immediate right onto Fort Valley Rd. (VA-675)
11) It becomes Camp Roosevelt Rd. Stay on it til you see Fort Valley Rd fork off to the right... (VA-678)
12) Enjoy the next 15 miles.
13) Right onto VA-55 (East). Or turn around and go back the same way. :D
14) Left onto US-340 (North).
15) Right onto I-66 East, go home. I'd recommend looking all this up on Google maps to familiarize yourself with all the details. It's a wonderful drive.
Boston to New York beats the Great Ocean Road? I think not. Obviously our friends at the Sun have never driven through Victoria.
Route 50 between Winchester and Route 15/Gilbert's Corner is a pleasant drive through the rolling hills of horse country and countless small towns.
most challenging and fun in DC: MacArthur BLVD as it leaves DC and heads in to MD. curvy fast and fun.
prettiest and fun: Beach DR from Connecticut Ave on into DC