I need to also ride in RI on the way to MA

 

That's a hell of a trip and one I'd like to make but only in reverse, mASS to Ca. that is.
I know you said you're not sightseeing and just trying to get to Waltham and bang out some states and that being said, 95 is the most direct route. It is also the worst route. From congestion to extremely low pavement quality to some of the worst, most careless, thoughtless me 1st a$$hole drivers you could ever not want to meet. I drive a tractor trailer in So.New England and know the areas from Hartford to So.New Hampshire well.The road conditions just plain suck. The only times you are likely to see your speeds approach the speed limit are between the hrs. of 10 am and 1pm. Don't forget that the I-95 corridor is one of the busiest and most heavily traveled in the country. There is also A LOT of construction on 95 in mASS between Canton and Waltham where the pavement is patched and cracked and destroyed by winter and construction equiptment. I can't vouch for NY/NJ but I'd assume it's no different. When we head south out of this area on the bikes, we try to avoid all of this as much as we possibly can.
So if you find that you have a little extra time I would strongly suggest leaving DC by way of 83 to 78 in Harrisburg Pa. Take 78/81 east a few miles to 81 north to Rt. 84. Then it's Rt. 84 all the way to the mASS pike (Rt. 90). The worst of it will be Hartford and the only toll road will be 90 in mASS. My map program has DC to Rt. 20 in Waltham as 426 mi. on I-95 and 101 more miles on my suggested route. At 65+ mph thats only another 1.5 hrs. or so. This is the route we use every year to the open house in York and well worth it IMHO. The down side of this route for you would be cutting all of NJ and RI out.
What ever you decide to do I wish you luck and safety.

Dan

 

D'OOOHHHH, Sorry ,I guess I didn't know Cape May was in NJ. Guess most of my suggestion is useless. I gotta get out of New England more often.

 

Since you are doing this on 6/13 - far ahead of the typical Jersey Shore traffic on the GSP, you should be fine. I also agree that going the Garden State Parkway up to 87/287 and over the Tappan Zee Bridge on 287 is a good way to go.

 

I'm a native New Yorker but I've been living and workig in Arkansas the past 3 years (I plan to move back to NY this summer). I spend 3/4 of the year in Arkansas and about 1/4 in NY. I still have my house in Dutchess County, NY.

I'm not sure how long you have but if you want to take a really, really, really nice ride go up 87 North to 84 East (this is not the really nice part of the ride but traffic shouldn't be too bad). Take 84 East (in NY) and get off in Brewster NY route 22.

Take Route 22 North (NY) to Route 7 North in Connecticut (about 25 miles). Take Route 7 North through Conecticut. It is a two lane scenic road that runs along the Housitanic River. Stay on Route 7 through the Berkshires Mountains in Mass and continue until you hit Bennington, Vt. Once in Bennington you can go over the mountains into New Hampshire and finally into Portland Maine. You can then start heading West on 95 through New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The ride from Brewster, NY to Bennington Vermont is fantastic. two lane roads, great scenery, no traffic.

You'll need a map or GPS once you get to Bennington because i don't know the exact route. The ride from 84 East to Bennington, Vt is only about a 4 hour ride. I think you should be able to ride from NY to Maine in a day.

Speed limit on Route 22 is 55mph, speed limit on Route 7 Conn is 45 mph. It is some of the prettiest scenery in the country. Allot of hills, mountains, and farms.

I've ridden about 40 states so far and I am planning a trip from Arkansas to Cali up the PCH to Washington and back through Idaho, Montana, ND, SD nd back to Arkansas this June.

 

Wow - yeah - that is a nice ride. Have done the RT22 - RT7 into VT for lunch and back to my house in Putnam County more than once. It's a good long day trip. Scenic as they come! It does sound like he has to motor pretty hard in order to achieve his timeline/riding objectives - which is too bad. You've pretty much layed out for him a great day of riding...

 

SC has a good point for making it a nicer ride.
If you're sure you want to go direct then take the Garden State Parkway north to the end (172 miles) followed by the NYS Thruway over the Tappan Zee Bridge. Stay on Rt 287 east all the way to the end then take I-95 north. Distance from the end of the GSP to I-95 is about 20 miles. I-95 is a truck route so you'll have company all day. If you avoid rush hour it usually moves but it's all business. Nothing nice to see but the most direct route to Boston.

 

I'd suggest leaving a little earlier and hitting Americade in Lake George NY. 6/7-6/13

 

LEAVING CAPE MAY YOU WILL HIT 3 TO 4 TRAFFIC LIGHTS ON THE GSP. THE NICE PART IS THAT THERE IS NO TRACTOR TRAILERS OVER EXIT 105. I WOULD TAKE THE Tappan Zee Bridge INTO NY. UNLESS YOU WANT TO SEE MANHATTAN. KEEP IN TOUCH. BEING AN OUT OF WORK TRUCK DRIVER...I HAVE ALL THE TIME TO HELP YOU THRU THESE STATES. BTW WHY CAPE MAY? AND HOW ARRE YOU GETTING THERE? GOOD LUCK,VINNIE

 

Here are a few pics of what you'll see if you go up to Vt.