We started our epic journey from Minnesota to New York City on Saturday, August 25, 2007. But the journey really started much earlier.

I reserved a 10-foot U-Haul online a few weeks prior to our move. I received a call the day before my requested reservation (Thursday) with a representative stating they would have a truck for me, but did not know where I would be able to pick it up.

That place turned out to be Wisconsin and I took home a 14-foot “Thrifty Mover.” U-Haul clearly states on their Web site that they reserve the right to upgrade the size of your truck at no additional cost based on availability, so the bigger truck was not a deal-breaker.

But, there’s something about making a trip across state lines to pick up a rental truck that irks me.

I don’t want to completely hate on U-Haul. We had a relatively new truck that was in great condition when we picked it up. It ran smoothly and we didn’t have any problems with the truck itself.

Well, now that I think about it, I guess you could call a lack of cruise control a problem with the truck itself. My rear is still sore from keeping those pedals steady for 1,196 miles.

For all of you prospective renters, a word of advice. A 14-foot truck is plenty big. If you bring the necessities and leave your uncle’s leather recliner at home, you can squeeze into a 10-footer. It might be worth keeping it on the small side for gas mileage, especially if you’re hauling across the country. We spent around $300 on gas alone.

So…onto the trip.

Wisconsin was surprisingly tolerable. I like to hate on the Badgers, but the scenery was pretty decent. Chicago was a complete disaster. It was like eating three-week old clam chowder on a 100-degree July afternoon. I accidentally made an exit off of the Interstate and wound up downtown. I guess that was a good primer for driving a big truck in Manhattan.

So, avoid Chicago if at all possible. The construction and traffic were horrific.

When we finally got to the Illinois/Indiana border, we ran into a closed interstate due to flooding. We traveled about one mile in three hours and then drove through the night, arriving in Toledo, Ohio early Sunday morning at 2:30 a.m.

It was up fairly early to start the trek across the rest of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Ohio was pretty good and Pennsylvania was absolutely beautiful. That was one scenic drive. I-80 is surrounded by a lot of trees, rivers and valleys. We ran into a little more construction but it wasn’t anything too terrible.

We arrived at our hotel in Stroudsburg, Pa., around 9 p.m. on Sunday. It was up by 5 bells on Monday to start the drive in the dark to New York City. There was a lot of traffic heading toward the city but it flowed well. Driving into Manhattan was one of the easiest parts of the trip. Getting there early probably helped a lot.

As for driving a U-Haul in Manhattan, a few words of advice:

You can park your truck on the street in certain parts of the city, but you can not leave it there overnight as it is considered a commercial vehicle. We received a $65 ticket for doing that.

Make sure you arrive early. There were a number of open spots when we arrived early in the morning, but those spots quickly filled up by 8 a.m.

Also, when returning your vehicle, make sure you call U-Haul and confirm where you can drop your vehicle off. Some places in Manhattan will not accept trucks if they are full and trust me, you don’t want to joyride around Manhattan in a 14-foot truck if at all possible.

So we made it. It was quite a journey and I’ll never forget it (as much as I might want to). I don’t know that I’d do it again or rent from U-Haul. If you can get your stuff shipped for a few hundred dollars more, it might be worth it.

If you’re driving cross-country, do:
- Bring food and water
- Bring money for toll roads
- Make a few stops to stretch
- Make sure you know the distance to the next gas station
- Allow extra time for delays (construction, floods, volcanoes, etc.)
- Bring an atlas/map

If you’re driving cross-country, don’t:
- Make fun of the locals
- Pick up drunk people
- Drive at night
- Fart in the cab if you’re traveling with someone

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 2nd, 2007 at 3:50 pm and is filed under Moving. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.