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[Pete from Boston]

The thing about Labor Day:  Kids are just back in school.  They've already had the summer to do everything they wanted to do.  Labor Day traffic I don't think is nearly as bad as it was in years past.  Of course with any 3 Day weekend there will be traffic on the road, but based on your travel times Friday evening, rush hour traffic is going to be lighter (which is important near Boston), and after that you'll encounter some but not an overwhelming amount of traffic.

NJDOT doesn't do any major construction work that requires lane closures during holiday weekends, and hopefully other states don't either.  And as far as accidents go - they could crop up on any route, so you just hope they don't on the route you take!  Unless you wanted to detour around NYC by using what PHLBOS suggested, you're going to be going thru the heart of the Northeast corridor from NYC into DC between approximately 11pm & 4am.  I think you'll be fine.

The past couple years, I've usually found that Labor Day is the busiest holiday weekend, though this year is odd with all the schools starting early (why, I have no idea; the last time Labor Day was this late, they didn't need to start early...). 

Because more and more schools are hitting the panic button, and if that forecast says there's a chance of snow, schools are closed. (UGH)  Thus, open the schools earlier to build in more time in June to fit in those extra days.

They "pushed the panic button" for a lousy foot and a half or more at least a couple of days each week for about five weeks here this year.  Absolutely wrecked school calendars.  I would not expect school administrators to forget that predicament quickly

There is a slight issue every year with some jobs, such as lifeguards, because kids do go back to school or take a few weeks off before re-starting school.  But NJ can't control the entire nation in deciding when school should begin.

Public pools here seem to have mostly closed a week ago.  Sucks to be an adult in hot weather when you count on kids to keep you swimming.

[The Nature Boy]

I made the drive last night. It wasn't terrible.

I did took the Parkways and then the Tappan Zee, otherwise I didn't change from the usual route.

[PHLBOS]

Labor Day is also late this year, which will have some impact as well.

- I-684 to I-287

Have you ever used the Saw Mill to "cut the corner"?  I've found it to be somewhat shorter/faster than taking 684 all the way down.

I have used it a few times myself when I found out (in advance) that my normal route was jammed (due to an accident or construction along I-287/CWE).  While it is shorter in distance; the fact that it has a lower posted speed limit and the somewhat tighter/narrower lanes (the northernmost stretch only has a guide-guardrail strip median with little or no give and no side shoulders) can make an already long-drive a bit more stressful.   In contrast, based on 25 years of personal experience on these trips, I-684 is comparatively wide-open.

Long story short: 6 in one hand/half-dozen on the other.

[jeffandnicole]

They "pushed the panic button" for a lousy foot and a half or more at least a couple of days each week for about five weeks here this year.  Absolutely wrecked school calendars.  I would not expect school administrators to forget that predicament quickly

Public pools here seem to have mostly closed a week ago.  Sucks to be an adult in hot weather when you count on kids to keep you swimming.

I think I detect a hint of sarcasm here.

At any rate, from DC to NYC, numerous schools closed for the blizzard-that-still-hasn't-arrived last year.  Many of the kids could be found in malls, not snowed in and on sleds.  And there's a whole host of minor snow (and other weather) events that some schools will close for.

And many public pools south of New England remain open thru Labor Day weekend.

Like I said, Jersey can't control the rest of the country in how they operate.  But the Boston area isn't representative of the rest of the country either.

I made the drive last night. It wasn't terrible.

Good to hear.

[The Nature Boy]

I'm sorry about my grammar in that last post, posting from the phone was not a good move. Anyway, I found traffic to be no different than most other weekends that I have traveled. I left at around 9 am on Monday morning and only hit a traffic jam on the Merritt at the I-91 interchange. I was surprised at how well traffic flowed throughout the drive. 

I would wade into the pool discussion but I don't think I've been in a public pool since I was a kid.

[1995hoo]

Our neighborhood has two pools. One closed for the season yesterday. The other remains open for the next two weekends (but not weekdays).

I never go to either one. You know that sign, "Welcome to our OOL! Notice there is no 'P' in it!"? Well, due to little kids whose parents don't teach/supervise them properly, our neighborhood definitely has a POOL, not an OOL.

[Pete from Boston]

Our neighborhood has two pools. One closed for the season yesterday. The other remains open for the next two weekends (but not weekdays).

I never go to either one. You know that sign, "Welcome to our OOL! Notice there is no 'P' in it!"? Well, due to little kids whose parents don't teach/supervise them properly, our neighborhood definitely has a POOL, not an OOL.

We lied to a child we occasionally look over and said a boy was thrown out because the lifeguards saw the red dye that shows up when someone pees in the pool.

I think we mostly just eroded the child's trust in us.

In any case, there's so painfully much chlorine in public pools that I don't worry too much about it.

[vdeane]

Back when I was growing up, schools didn't close unless the roads were physically impassible when the superintendent got up that morning.

I imagine that the reason why most pools close/reduce hours at this time of year is because recreational swimming is widely considered a children's activity.  For adults, it's generally an exercise/competitive activity for some reason.

[jeffandnicole]

Back when I was growing up, schools didn't close unless the roads were physically impassible when the superintendent got up that morning.

I imagine that the reason why most pools close/reduce hours at this time of year is because recreational swimming is widely considered a children's activity.  For adults, it's generally an exercise/competitive activity for some reason.

Owning a pool, they are a pain to keep up after Labor Day.  Leaves are falling off trees, air temp is getting cooler, and thus water temp gets cooler.  Chemicals in a large pool are pricey when no one is using it.   I'm closing mine in less than 2 weeks, and I bet after today or tomorrow I won't be in it again, but will still have to test the water and maintain the chemicals, run the filter, etc.

For kids, they are also getting into fall activities & sports, and have less time devoted to pool activities.  Plus, they're probably tired of it.  I can hear it in my own neighborhood: Around Memorial Day, you can hear kids at other houses having a blast, jumping and splashing.  By late August, even though it's still 90 degrees, there isn't a peep coming from those other houses, except for outdoor radios.

While they're nice, pools are a pain.  Basically it's covered 8 months out of the year, and I have to tend to it multiple times a week, if not every day, when it is open.  Too much rain?  Gotta pump it out.  Too little rain?  Gotta add water.  This year it actually wasn't too bad - only once did I have to pump some water out from too much rain early in the summer, and I was able to get all the way until late-August before I had to add water again, even though it's been fairly dry in July & August.

I never go to either one. You know that sign, "Welcome to our OOL! Notice there is no 'P' in it!"? Well, due to little kids whose parents don't teach/supervise them properly, our neighborhood definitely has a POOL, not an OOL.

Something you notice in Vegas:  There's a lot of 20 & 30-something year olds in the pools.  They are in there all day, drinking their beers and margaritas.  Yet, no one ever exits the pool, all day long.  They might as well call them

All I can say is...don't drink the water!

[PHLBOS]

You know that sign, "Welcome to our OOL! Notice there is no 'P' in it!"? Well, due to little kids whose parents don't teach/supervise them properly, our neighborhood definitely has a POOL, not an OOL.

Imagine what somebody would say if the sign was missing the L instead of the P.

[noelbotevera]

You know that sign, "Welcome to our OOL! Notice there is no 'P' in it!"? Well, due to little kids whose parents don't teach/supervise them properly, our neighborhood definitely has a POOL, not an OOL.

Imagine what somebody would say if the sign was missing the L instead of the P.

OO
---

Not sure if that's your intention.

[Brandon]

You know that sign, "Welcome to our OOL! Notice there is no 'P' in it!"? Well, due to little kids whose parents don't teach/supervise them properly, our neighborhood definitely has a POOL, not an OOL.

Imagine what somebody would say if the sign was missing the L instead of the P.

Obviously, pooing is pool. 

[roadman]

While they're nice, pools are a pain.  Basically it's covered 8 months out of the year, and I have to tend to it multiple times a week, if not every day, when it is open.  Too much rain?  Gotta pump it out.  Too little rain?  Gotta add water.  This year it actually wasn't too bad - only once did I have to pump some water out from too much rain early in the summer, and I was able to get all the way until late-August before I had to add water again, even though it's been fairly dry in July & August.

Couldn't agree with you more.  Growing up, my parents had a pool.  As I got older, I became responsible for the daily and weekly maintenance.  In four letters - PITA!  As I tell people, the next time I have a house with a pool will be when I'm rich enough to pay somebody else to deal with the care and feeding of it.

[jeffandnicole]

While they're nice, pools are a pain.  Basically it's covered 8 months out of the year, and I have to tend to it multiple times a week, if not every day, when it is open.  Too much rain?  Gotta pump it out.  Too little rain?  Gotta add water.  This year it actually wasn't too bad - only once did I have to pump some water out from too much rain early in the summer, and I was able to get all the way until late-August before I had to add water again, even though it's been fairly dry in July & August.

Couldn't agree with you more.  Growing up, my parents had a pool.  As I got older, I became responsible for the daily and weekly maintenance.  In four letters - PITA!  As I tell people, the next time I have a house with a pool will be when I'm rich enough to pay somebody else to deal with the care and feeding of it.

Oh, last night, we got railroaded with a rain storm.  Received about 6"...more than we did received all summer long.

I was outside, at midnight, in the rain, pumping water out of the pool.  It was within 1/2" of the top.

[Pete from Boston]

I always figured they operated like a bathtub, spilling out through an overflow drain.

[jcn]

Say if you make the same trip on Labor Day 2018 (or later), a new alternative route will be created with the fact that by that time you'll be able to exit the NJTP at exit 6 and just simply stay on I-95 south.  But, as soon as you reach Delaware, you should take the 495 bypass that goes around Wilmington.  That new route will be much more scenic in the fact that you get to pass right through Philly.  You should avoid that route during rush hour though as 95 in Philly can be a mess during that time, but if you plan on leaving at 5 pm like you did, you will reach exit 6 at around 11 pm, and I 95 in PA shouldn't be an issue at that time, and seeing Philly at night is especially beautiful.