Tag Archives: San Francisco

RoadNews

Best, Worst Times to Travel This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and this year traffic may prove to be a record breaker.

Traveling I-5 can be a real pain with heavy traffic and plenty of short tempers. Here are a few tips to help make your Thanksgiving holiday voyage less stressful:

Getting There:

  • The absolute worst time to get on the road is the day before Thanksgiving (Wednesday, November 22) and if you leave in mid-afternoon (3:00 p.m.) you definitely won’t be a happy camper once you get there.
  • If you have no choice but to leave on Wednesday, make it as early as possible. Start you trip no later than 6:00 a.m. to avoid traffic delays.
  • The Sunday before Thanksgiving (November 19) is the best day to leave for your Thanksgiving road trip, the earlier, the better.
  • Thanksgiving morning is also a good time to leave, the earlier , the better.

Returning Home:

  • The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, November 24) before 6:00 a.m. is the best day and time to return from your Thanksgiving trip.
  • Saturday and Sunday (November 25 and 26) late afternoon are the worst days and times to return from your Thanksgiving road trip. Avoid being on the road between 11:00 a.m and 6:00 p.m. Traffic will be heavy during those times.
  • If you have no choice but to leave on Saturday, try leaving as early as possible (before 6 a.m.) to avoid traffic delays.

Depending on where you’re heading, and how long the trip will be, you might be able to schedule the time when you are on the road to at avoid the worst of it.

Adjust your schedule or route and consider these options:

  • Take a bypass route around large cities
  • Tune to a radio station and monitor the traffic reports
  • If you have mobile access, Use live-traffic-reports.com to monitor traffic
  • Stop at a rest area if headed into heavy traffic and wait until the worst of it has subsided
  • Avoid shopping districts (Black Friday is usually gridlocked around major shopping areas)

Drive responsibly and have a safe trip!

On the road? Why not take us with you. Our websites are mobile-friendly! Visit our growing family of exit guides:  I-4 Exit Guide, I-5 Exit Guide, I-10 Exit Guide, I-75 Exit Guide, and I-95 Exit Guide. Detailed exit service listings… discount lodging, camping, food, gas and more for every exit along the way!

Attractions, Featured

WinterFest At California’s Great America Opens November 24

The Bay Area’s newest and most immersive holiday tradition, WinterFest, opens at California’s Great America on Friday, November 24 and will entertain guests on select dates through December 30. During WinterFest, Great America will be magically transformed into a winter wonderland where guests can experience unique new features, as well as fan favorites such as skating in front of the iconic Carousel Columbia, admiring magnificent displays of lights and décor, viewing spectacular live holiday shows, experiencing 25 rides and attractions, seeing Santa’s workshop and Mrs. Claus’ kitchen, and enjoying scrumptious holiday fare at numerous dining locations.

This unmatched event will feature more than 7 million LED lights, creating such a vibrant experience that it will be visible from the International Space Station, more than 270 miles away. The winter scene will be dominated by one of the Bay Area’s tallest Christmas trees adorned with thousands of twinkling lights accompanied by giant toy soldiers greeting guests. The six-week WinterFest celebration will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with daily operations December 19-23 and 26-30 from 5pm-10pm (November 26 and December 17 from 6:30pm-10:30pm)

read more…

On the road? Why not take us with you. Our websites are mobile-friendly! Visit our growing family of exit guides:  I-4 Exit Guide, I-5 Exit Guide, I-10 Exit Guide, I-75 Exit Guide, and I-95 Exit Guide. Detailed exit service listings… discount lodging, camping, food, gas and more for every exit along the way!

Destinations

San Diego, Orange County and San Francisco Make Top 10 Memorial Day Destinations For 2014

San Diego, Orange County and San Francisco were named the second, fifth and ninth most popular destinations for 2014 Memorial Day travelers, according to a new Priceline.com survey of the top 50 destinations for the holiday weekend.

This is the 12th year that Priceline.com has published its Memorial Day travel list. The list is based on travel bookings made through its website for the upcoming holiday weekend.

The top 10 destinations, in ranked order, for Memorial Day 2014 include:

1) Las Vegas
2) San Diego
3) Orlando
4) New York City
5) Orange County, Calif.
6) Washington, D.C.
7) Miami
8) Chicago
9) San Francisco
10) Atlanta

“Last year, an unusually cold spring in many parts of the country prompted travelers to spend Memorial Day in major cities,” said Priceline.com Travel Editor Brian Ek. “This year, beach destinations large and small are back in force as travelers look to warm up and lose those memories of the polar vortex.”

The American Automobile Association (AAA), is forecasting the busiest Memorial Day travel weekend since the recession, with 36.1 million Americans traveling 50 miles or more from home, a 1.5 percent increase from last year.