Gary ... when I worked my 'day gig' I had to travel to Harrisburg PA a number of times a year. US Air cost $800+ to fly from Providence to Phila, then hop on a 'puddle jumper' to Harrisburg ... Southwest came into Providence and charged $99 to Baltimore ... so my colleagues and I would fly into Baltimore, rent a car, have lunch at the Inner Harbor, then drive to Harrisburg, all at about the cost of one flight on US Air ... the ONLY problem was negotiating the Baltimore Beltway ... not only was there ALWAYS 'too much rubber and not enough concrete', but that road was ALWAYS under construction ... I understand you wanting to avoid it as much as possible ...

On the other hand, having worked in Manhattan for 17 years and commuting from Staten Island, I faced traffic like that EVERY day ...