Annual Oneonta NY BBQ Chicken trip

[Mapmikey]

Yesterday I drove to Oneonta NY for my annual BBQ Chicken purchase trip (1/2 chickens are $5.50...).  I was on the road 19.5
hrs and drove 1040 miles.  I used I-95 to Chester PA (495 around Wilmington DE).  I drove the new express lanes northeast of Baltimore.  Very nice. 
The price at 5 a.m. on a Saturday is $1.19.  I drove I-476 north to I-80.  The first 29 miles of the Northeast Extension are
under construction for widening.  The parts that are finished resmble the improved parts of the main PA Tpk.  My guess is
that north of I-78 there are no foreseeable plans to widen the highway because there are a number of new overpasses that
were built to accommodate only the original 4-lane cattle chute.

Used I-80 east then I-380 north.  I-380 has some 70 mph speed limits on it.  After a brief bit on I-81 I used US 11 from
Clarks Summit to Binghamton.  They are completely rebuilding the NB lanes of the divided pat of US 6-11.  North of the US 6
split US 11 is very quiet but does have some terrific railroad bridge views.  Binghamton seemed nice.  Unfortunately there
was a festival going on which closed some of US 11 so I get to come back downtown again sometime. 

I followed I-81 from Exit 5 to Exit 8 then resumed US 11 north to NY 481.  The rural parts were lovely as was Courtland. 
Approaching Syracuse, the skyline looked all brown which is unusual IMO.  I assume a city of that size must have nice areas but US 11 does not find any of them.  Additionally, contrary to my general experience in the Empire State, US 11 is very poorly posted in Syracuse.  There are two unmarked turns NB and at least one unmarked SB turn.

I curled around 481 to use I-690 west through Syracuse to I-90.  I saw the stoplight for the fairgrounds on 690 (starts operating 8/27).  I followed I-90 east to I-790 Utica.  Accessing I-790 from either direction of I-90 is a collossal pain.  I did not see any 790 postings on the portion of the freeway not parallel to I-90.

I followed NY 8 south to US 20 east.  There are numerous NY 20 error shields in both directions between NY 8 and the NY 51 NB split.  I used NY 28 south via Cooperstown to Oneonta.  Leaving Oneonta I used the standard way home when I am running behind: I-88, I-81, PA 581, US 15, I-270, I-495, I-95.

There is still an ancient I-88 New York shield on 88 WB in Oneonta.  I got to sit 45 minutes on I-81 north of Scranton because of some sort of accident, which is not so swell when in hour 13 of one's ride.  In Scranton there are new BGSs up approaching the PA 315 exit on I-81 SB.  They all have To I-476 shields.  The first BGS has a state-named shield.  Otherwise, not much to report on the trip back...

95% of what I did from the I-476/276 jct until Oneonta was new driving for me.

New routes clinched: I-476, I-380, US 11 (PA), I-690, I-790

Mike

[Jim]

Destination for the chicken must have been Brooks?

[Mapmikey]

Destination for the chicken must have been Brooks?

Yes indeed.  Even though I didn't get home until 11:15 p.m. my wife and I ate one of the half-chickens right away.

Saw Brooks on a Food Network show several years ago and got to try it out on a trip passing through.  I've been working a road clinching ride through there once a year ever since...

Mike

[Rothman]

That's a heckuva ways to buy a $5.50 half-chicken.  Hope you got more than one!

[Pete from Boston]

Never mind the roads–how was the chicken?

[Buffaboy]

It must be good chicken if you drove all the way out there.

Re. I-790, the hope is that if AET catches on in NYSTA will do redo the interchange.  I'm sure vdeane won't mind if I link her redesign to the post.

http://www.nysroads.com/fic-thwy-aet.php

[Mapmikey]

That's a heckuva ways to buy a $5.50 half-chicken.  Hope you got more than one!

I bought 4 this time.

It must be good chicken if you drove all the way out there.

It's not much different than other road clinching rides I take which are often 17 hrs and sometimes I come home completely empty handed.  Part of the fun is coming up with new ways to get to Oneonta.  If I drove directly there and back it would be 12-13 hrs round trip.

Mike

[vdeane]

It must be good chicken if you drove all the way out there.

Re. I-790, the hope is that if AET catches on in NYSTA will do redo the interchange.  I'm sure vdeane won't mind if I link her redesign to the post.

http://www.nysroads.com/fic-thwy-aet.php

FYI, for those who don't know the exit number and don't feel like checking every single one, it's exit 31.

[Mapmikey]

It must be good chicken if you drove all the way out there.

Re. I-790, the hope is that if AET catches on in NYSTA will do redo the interchange.  I'm sure vdeane won't mind if I link her redesign to the post.

http://www.nysroads.com/fic-thwy-aet.php

FYI, for those who don't know the exit number and don't feel like checking every single one, it's exit 31.

Much much better than the current setup.  Is there any actual talk up there of going all electronic for the tolls?

[vdeane]

There's plans to convert most of the downstate barriers but I haven't heard anything upstate.