# Routes home to NYC



## Lionnutz (Jul 24, 2014)

Hello my PCD is coming up in a few weeks. Been reading route suggestion home and I will probably take 81. 

My plan is to leave PCD by 3 (maybe earlier since I did ED already). Ideally would like to drive until no later than 7ish and stop off to eat and rest and finish the drive the following day. Any suggestions where is an ideal place to stop? I'd prefer accommodations on the nicer side. 

Would also love suggestions for good places to eat along the way back.


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## rmr927 (Oct 8, 2014)

I live in NJ and I've got a PCD delivery scheduled for Dec 19th. My plan is to stay at the at the Marriott until Saturday and then depending on the weather, head back via Blue Ridge Parkway. The cars going to have summers on so I've got to do some research on the roads before I head that way. Any chance of snow and I'm heading back up boring 95.

Here's the route the PCD gives to get to the Blue Ridge Pkwy.

Directions to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Asheville, NC:

Right out of the Performance Center onto Hwy 101
Left at the Hot Spot gas station onto E. Poinsett
Go about 3/10 of a mile and turn right onto Hwy. 14
After about 13 miles, turn left at the 4-way stop onto Hwy. 11 (a Spinx gas station will be on your right)
You will cross over Hwy. 25. After this intersection, you will come to a stop sign, bear right and continue onto Hwy. 11
In approximately 5 miles, Hwy. 11 will bear to the left; however, you will bear to the right onto Hwy. 276. Hwy. 276 will take you to Caesar's Head (on your left) which will have restroom facilities and a great overlook point for a nice view. You will continue on Hwy. 276 to Brevard
Once in the Town of Brevard, you will turn to the right in the middle of town and continue on Hwy. 276.
Brevard College will be on your right and Hwy. 276 will become Hwy. 64.
In approximately 4 - 5 miles, you will come to an intersection. At this intersection you will turn to the LEFT onto Hwy. 276 (into the Pisgah National Forest).
At the top of the mountain on Hwy. 276, you will turn right onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.
In just a few miles, the Pisgah Inn/Restaurant will be on your right. (A great place to stop over for a meal with a priceless view!)
You can stay on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville, NC. Here you can pick up both I-40 and I-26


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## alee (Dec 19, 2001)

I used Charlotte, NC as my stop. I did ED/PCD... I was out by 3. The activities of the day are a lot of fun but left me more tired than I expected... it was a short drive, got a good night's sleep in NC and started the next day early and made it to NYC that evening.

I took 81 home... roads kind of sucked. I despise 95, but suspect it would have been a better drive.


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## Lionnutz (Jul 24, 2014)

Thanks for the advice I didn't really think about being tired after doing all the activities. 

When u drove 81 can u describe what u mean by terrible roads? Potholes?


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## BK1965 (May 20, 2013)

I81 is a two lane interstate through the mountains. There are a fair amount of trucks that travel it and they try to pass each other going uphill so it slows things down sometimes. That being said, the traffic on I95 is HORRIBLE and not fun at all. I would use I81. Roanoke, VA is about 4 hours north from Spartanburg and they should have some nice hotel options.


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## Lionnutz (Jul 24, 2014)

BK1965 said:


> I81 is a two lane interstate through the mountains. There are a fair amount of trucks that travel it and they try to pass each other going uphill so it slows things down sometimes. That being said, the traffic on I95 is HORRIBLE and not fun at all. I would use I81. Roanoke, VA is about 4 hours north from Spartanburg and they should have some nice hotel options.


Thanks was actually looking at the double tree in Roanoke as an option. 4 hours seems doable since I have a guest coming with me. Location is great as we can walk to the downtown area from the hotel to go out and about if we r up for it. Has anyone stopped over in Roanoke and can offer suggestions on places to eat or do for the evening?


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## BK1965 (May 20, 2013)

Just check into the traffic in the Charlotte area when you are planning to leave. Believe it or not,at rush hour, it can be heavy!


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## Lionnutz (Jul 24, 2014)

No traffic traveling through the Charlotte area. Arrived in Roanoke to spend the night at around 7pm and got to go into downtown for dinner. A lovely downtown area. 

PCD was such a blast!! It's something that should be experienced by every owner who purchases a new BMW. If only it were a 2 day event...


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## BK1965 (May 20, 2013)

Glad you had a good trip and a great experience! Enjoy the car!


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## JKing3 (Oct 24, 2005)

LionNutz - How was i81? Where the trucks bad? Deciding on i81 or 95.

Thanks.

J


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## Kamdog (Apr 15, 2007)

JKing3 said:


> LionNutz - How was i81? Where the trucks bad? Deciding on i81 or 95.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> J


81 all the way, no doubt. Then branch off at 84 and take that into New England, unless you are low down in CT. Gas up in Matamoras, PA before hitting NY. You will avoid the whole mess of 95, DC, Bawlimore, Jersey Tpk, GW bridge, and the Cross Bronx. If you are low down in CT, get off 81 at 80, take that to 287 across the TZ bridge into 95.

Your GPS might tempt you to take 78 through PA, but don't do it. _That_ road is crap. Poor surface, truck traffic, narrow lanes, and lots of traffic through small cities.


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## Lionnutz (Jul 24, 2014)

I81 is the way to go. It's much better than i95. 81 is only 2 lanes so U might occasionally have to deal with trucks using the left lane to pass slower traffic that can hold you up a bit.


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## JKing3 (Oct 24, 2005)

Thanks. 81 it is. Headed to New Hampshire seacoast / boston , so the 81 to 84 seems like a good path. I see what you mean about it wanting me to go 78. Thanks for the tip.

I plan to stay in Roanoke or Harrisonburg. Depending on what time I get out and traffic.

J


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## Lionnutz (Jul 24, 2014)

JKing3 said:


> Thanks. 81 it is. Headed to New Hampshire seacoast / boston , so the 81 to 84 seems like a good path. I see what you mean about it wanting me to go 78. Thanks for the tip.
> 
> I plan to stay in Roanoke or Harrisonburg. Depending on what time I get out and traffic.
> 
> J


Roanoke was very pleasant. I left PCD around 230. Then Stopped by the museum in front of the BMW logo and fountain for a picture with the car. I got into Roanoke around 7ish, a touch under 4 hours of driving. They had started putting up Christmas decorations up when I was there and was very nice in town.

Stayed at the hotel Roanoke by double tree Hilton. They have a pedestrian bridge to walk over into the downtown area. Very convenient.


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## Wine-O (Feb 17, 2010)

JKing3 said:


> Thanks. 81 it is. Headed to New Hampshire seacoast / boston , so the 81 to 84 seems like a good path. I see what you mean about it wanting me to go 78. Thanks for the tip.
> 
> I plan to stay in Roanoke or Harrisonburg. Depending on what time I get out and traffic.
> 
> J


If you did ED followed by PCD, you will probably get underway from the Performance Center sometime around 1:30-2:00pm. If not, then probably 3:00pm. Harrisonburg may be a reach (5 1/2 hours). If you do happen to stop there, I can recommend having dinner at the Local Chop & Grill House.


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## JKing3 (Oct 24, 2005)

Thanks for the tips! 

I think I saw a post about the chop house form you on another thread. This is one of the reasons I want to make it to Harrisonburg. I would be arriving after their regular dinner hours, so I would be using the bar area. Still may be worth the further drive. I figure, with hotel checkin depending on where I stay, I could be at the bar just around 9:30ish. They close at 11, so I may be cutting it too close. 

Any harrisonburg hotel recommendations?

J


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## Wine-O (Feb 17, 2010)

JKing3 said:


> Thanks for the tips!
> 
> I think I saw a post about the chop house form you on another thread. This is one of the reasons I want to make it to Harrisonburg. I would be arriving after their regular dinner hours, so I would be using the bar area. Still may be worth the further drive. I figure, with hotel checkin depending on where I stay, I could be at the bar just around 9:30ish. They close at 11, so I may be cutting it too close.
> 
> ...


There's a Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn right off the highway.


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## Kamdog (Apr 15, 2007)

I stay at Marriott chains and Hilton chains when I travel. My days at a Motel 6 are well behind me. The Double Tree cookies are good.


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## JKing3 (Oct 24, 2005)

Home - Fun time, easy drive home. Even with some bad weather. I81 was a really nice road. I did 81 to 84...

Thanks for the tips again.

J


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## razzy530 (Nov 8, 2005)

Kamdog said:


> I stay at Marriott chains and Hilton chains when I travel. My days at a Motel 6 are well behind me. The Double Tree cookies are good.


I second your comments!!


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## boi222 (May 31, 2007)

for those that did PCD and lived in NYC, how did the DMV paperwork work? My dealer is saying they will send the papers to my local DMV and I will have to go into the DMV to finish. I haven't been in the DMV in years since I received my license, but I would be surprised if they actually can receive documents at the local DMV and process it and have it ready for you to pickup.

I also have plates that I want to transfer over, any feedback for those that did is greatly appreciated.


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## Lionnutz (Jul 24, 2014)

boi222 said:


> for those that did PCD and lived in NYC, how did the DMV paperwork work? My dealer is saying they will send the papers to my local DMV and I will have to go into the DMV to finish. I haven't been in the DMV in years since I received my license, but I would be surprised if they actually can receive documents at the local DMV and process it and have it ready for you to pickup.
> 
> I also have plates that I want to transfer over, any feedback for those that did is greatly appreciated.


I live in NYC and did PCD and I also transferred my plates.

I took my plates down to PCD with me for them to put it on there. After driving back from PCD I had to take my car to the dealers service department for them to do the inspection and get the inspection sticker. After that I drove to the dealership for them to give me the temp registration sticker. according to my title the car wasn't registered until the day I got the temp reg sticker. The dealer for me took care of everything as ar as the DMV goes.

on a side note it did make me wonder that I technically drove 700+ miles in a car with my own plates that hadn't been officially registered to the new car until after I got back to NY :dunno:.


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## boi222 (May 31, 2007)

Lionnutz said:


> I live in NYC and did PCD and I also transferred my plates.
> 
> I took my plates down to PCD with me for them to put it on there. After driving back from PCD I had to take my car to the dealers service department for them to do the inspection and get the inspection sticker. After that I drove to the dealership for them to give me the temp registration sticker. according to my title the car wasn't registered until the day I got the temp reg sticker. The dealer for me took care of everything as ar as the DMV goes.
> 
> on a side note it did make me wonder that I technically drove 700+ miles in a car with my own plates that hadn't been officially registered to the new car until after I got back to NY :dunno:.


Thanks! My situation makes it a bit more difficult since my dealership is in California that I am buying from, so Im challenged with what the dealership can do.

I see a lot of people on here buying from out of state dealerships, so really hoping someone here can chime in on how this was handled for them.


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## 3581512 (Feb 23, 2013)

boi222 said:


> Thanks! My situation makes it a bit more difficult since my dealership is in California that I am buying from, so Im challenged with what the dealership can do.
> 
> I see a lot of people on here buying from out of state dealerships, so really hoping someone here can chime in on how this was handled for them.


I'm curious about this also


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## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

I just got back from my excursion. We stopped in Asheville after doing PCD and turning in our previous lease in Greenville. Asheville was just a short drive away and a great place to stop - tons of hotels in all price and luxury ranges and a downtown full of trendy bars and restaurants. That said, as an old geezer we stayed in the more staid south end of town near the Biltmore and enjoyed a great Mexican deal on the patio at The Cantina in Biltmore Village. The next day we drove the Blue Ridge up to elevations well above a mile above sea level. Some gorgeous views but after three hours they got a bit boring. We then just bailed-out on a local highway that eventually put us in Tennessee for a few miles. Then we made our way to Fredericksburg, VA to see all the Civil War battlefields (four) in that area.


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