Upstate NY Supercharger Questions

[Struja]

Hello New Yorkers (and others). I am taking a roadtrip from Toronto (where I live) to NYC (where I lived for 14 years) in about two weeks. I am very famililar with the drive but not in a Tesla.

This is a family trip to see our friends on the east coast but we have decided to break the trip down to NYC into two days, with Binghampton as our stop over (at an EV friendly hotel).

The plan is to go east across I-90 and then south down I-81. Most of the trip planners are suggesting that I stop either at:

1. Victor

2. Waterloo

3. Buffalo

I wanted to get some opinions on which would be the best for stopping and sitting down for a meal. I see that Waterloo SC is at the Casino, but on the Casino website, all of the dining options are for 21 and older and I will have my two kids with me, neither of which are 21.

I've been to Buffalo and the food options are ok, but it is REALLY off the beaten path, which really leaves me Victor (unless I am wrong about Waterloo). So, would Victor be my best stop?

I am in a 90D, so I plan to leave at close to 100% charge, I should arrive at Victor with more than 20% of my battery. I could make it to Waterloo and even Syracuse if I drove slow, so what do you think?

 

[Bobbo8]

I would stop at Victor, then Binghamton then Rockaway NJ. When you charge in Rockaway you could make New York City and the on the return make it back to Rockaway. I made the trip to Long Island from Rochester 2 weeks ago with no problems. Victor is at the Eastview MALL. Binghamton is at a diner and Rockaway has Panera.

 

[Merican]

I agree with Bobbo8.

Victor is the better choice, your are at the mall plenty of options.

Buffalo is slightly further from 90, and it is a longer walk to anything other than Borders.

Waterloo is closest to 90 but it's at Del Lago casino, so no one under 21, however I don't know if under 21 could access the hotel area.

Syracuse is at a Holiday inn...

90 to 690 to 81 is the way I go when I'm in a hurry going to the city. If you are out for a drive 89 along Cayuga lake then 79 to 81 has some nice scenery. As does 17 / 86 across the Catskills.

Beyond that I just hit whatever charger I feel like.

 

[Struja]

I agree with Bobbo8.

Victor is the better choice, your are at the mall plenty of options.

Buffalo is slightly further from 90, and it is a longer walk to anything other than Borders.

Waterloo is closest to 90 but it's at Del Lago casino, so no one under 21, however I don't know if under 21 could access the hotel area.

Syracuse is at a Holiday inn...

90 to 690 to 81 is the way I go when I'm in a hurry going to the city. If you are out for a drive 89 along Cayuga lake then 79 to 81 has some nice scenery. As does 17 / 86 across the Catskills.

Beyond that I just hit whatever charger I feel like.

That looks like a really nice drive. If we leave Toronto early enough, that seems like a no brainer.

 

[Merican]

I just stopped at Del Lago on my way back from Buffalo and There is no age restriction at the hotel which includes a small Cafe/bar and Bathrooms.

 

[Struja]

I just stopped at Del Lago on my way back from Buffalo and There is no age restriction at the hotel which includes a small Cafe/bar and Bathrooms.

I was basing it off their website. Portico By Fabio Viviani | del Lago Resort & Casino | Seneca County, NY

 

[neroden]

Hello New Yorkers (and others). I am taking a roadtrip from Toronto (where I live) to NYC (where I lived for 14 years) in about two weeks. I am very famililar with the drive but not in a Tesla.

This is a family trip to see our friends on the east coast but we have decided to break the trip down to NYC into two days, with Binghampton as our stop over (at an EV friendly hotel).

First of all, it's "Binghamton". NO P.

The plan is to go east across I-90 and then south down I-81.

Secondly, that's the long route. Don't take it. Unless you have a reason to stop at Syracuse, it makes more sense to take one of the diagonals.

For example, NY 36, I-390 and I-86. It's both faster, and more scenic, and the roads are in better condition. Stop to charge at Erwin / Painted Post, near the Denny's. If you charge at Grimsby you can reach Painted Post easily.

Or come through Ithaca on NY 96, or NY 89, and hope the Ithaca Supercharger is open But you'd probably have to charge at Waterloo or Victor for safety, since it hasn't opened yet.

Definitely don't take the long route through Syracuse unless you have an unearthly fondness for expressways. It's well out of your way from Buffalo to Binghamton.

I wanted to get some opinions on which would be the best for stopping and sitting down for a meal.

Well, there's my opinion. I will also note that the Buffalo Supercharger is right on NY 5, which runs parallel to I-90, so it's not really out of the way if you take the country roads.

 

[Struja]

Secondly, that's the long route. Don't take it. Unless you have a reason to stop at Syracuse, it makes more sense to take one of the diagonals.

For example, NY 36, I-390 and I-86. It's both faster, and more scenic, and the roads are in better condition. Stop to charge at Erwin / Painted Post, near the Denny's. If you charge at Grimsby you can reach Painted Post easily.

Or come through Ithaca on NY 96, or NY 89, and hope the Ithaca Supercharger is open But you'd probably have to charge at Waterloo or Victor for safety, since it hasn't opened yet.

Definitely don't take the long route through Syracuse unless you have an unearthly fondness for expressways. It's well out of your way from Buffalo to Binghamton.

So, in my pre-Tesla days, I've driven the Toronto to NYC route about 50 times, so I would have NEVER gone the route through Syracuse. I totally agree with you!!! In the pre I-86 days, I use to take 17 all the way into New Jersey (I lived in Bergen County for a period of time).

What I was thinking of doing this time around was I-90 to Waterloo (hopefully grab a bite while charging) and then head down 89 on the Cayuga Scenic Byway (I've never taken this route). If I do it this way, I will arrive at my hotel (that has a Tesla Destination Charger), with plenty of range.

Do you think I-390 and I-86 is a better ride than NY 89? I've seen the I-86 ride plenty of times (and it is great) but my kids have not and they might enjoy it, but NY 89 looks like a nice ride as well.

 

[Merican]

Sounds like we should meet up in Buffalo and see who gets to Binghamton first... The charging aspect makes it interesting.

I commuted to BASF in Binghamton and no matter what way between the lakes I tried the Thruway to 81 was/still is quicker, even in the 55mph days. But for a Sunday drive it's nice.

Fwiw I have had Tesla 5 weeks and it's has 3373 miles on it between Buffalo and Williamsburg...

 

[Struja]

Ok...so we are back from the road trip and I wanted to leave a bit of feed back should anyone read this in the future.

We drove across I-90 on the way down and stopped at Waterloo (Del Lago Casino). Only one place to eat for under 21’s but my wife and I went into the casino, ordered food for the kids and brought it out. Hotel was fine with it and we ended up spending about $80 there, so why wouldn’t they be. Charging was a breeze and there was only 1 other Tesla there while we charged.

From there we drove down the Cayuga Scenic Byway which was awesome. Other than the god awful coal plant half way down the lake, it was a great drive.

From there we stayed overnight in the Fairfield Inn in Binghamton where they had one of there two Tesla charges on hold for me. Charged overnight and off the Brooklyn in the morning where I charged at Park Kwik for $9 in addition to $30 for parking.

On the way back from Long Island to Toronto we deviated from the recommended Nav route and made two stops at Tannersville and Erwin, NY. Both were fine, except Erwin might be the saddest, loneliest and depressed Supercharger I have ever been to. I wanted to give it some Prozac to bump up its mood. Not a lot of dining options at Erwin but we did sit down at Denny’s for some artery clogging dinner. We needed a 50 minute charge at Erwin so it worked out well. From Erwin, straight shot home through the back channels of New York State and we made it home with about 7% left in the battery.

A great road trip which was our longest in the Tesla and the car and Tesla infrastructure were both on point.

 

[Merican]

Glad you enjoyed the trip. fwiw the Cayuga power station in Lansing is to be decommissioned by October. Current plans are to convert it into a data center but it will still stick out like a sore thumb. The only other coal fired plant in NY is to be closed next year.