Road trip guides: driving in US cities and long-drive safety
The calculator tells you how far and how long. These go a step further: what the driving is actually like at the other end — which roads carry you in, how the tolling works, where it is realistic to leave a car, and what is worth the parking hassle once you have.
They are written for someone arriving by road rather than flying in, which is a different article from most city guides. For the trip itself rather than the destination, the road safety guides cover fatigue, winter conditions and what to check before setting off.
Driving in US cities
- Driving in Phoenix, AZ: the freeway loops, the heat and the parking What driving in Phoenix is actually like — the freeway loops, why there are no tolls, summer heat and dust storms, and where to park once and walk.
- Driving in Philadelphia, PA: the expressways, the bridges and tolls What driving in Philadelphia is actually like — the Schuylkill, the Delaware bridges, cashless turnpike tolls, and where to leave the car and walk.
- Driving in Houston, TX: the freeways, the tolls and the feeders What driving in Houston is actually like — the loops and freeways, electronic tolls, feeder roads, flooding, and where to park once and walk.
- Driving in Austin, TX: the traffic, the tolls and where to park What driving in Austin is really like — the I-35 bottleneck, the electronic toll roads, the river crossings, and where to park once and walk.
- Driving in Los Angeles, CA: the freeways, the traffic and parking What driving in Los Angeles is actually like — the freeway network, the ExpressLanes, when the traffic breaks, and where to park once and walk.
- Driving in Chicago, IL: parking, tolls and what to stop for What driving in Chicago is actually like — the expressways, electronic tolls, where to leave the car, and the sights worth the parking hassle.
- Driving in New York City, NY: the crossings, the tolls and parking What driving in New York City is actually like: the bridges and tunnels, cashless tolls, the congestion charge, and where to leave the car.
- Driving in Dallas, TX: the toll roads and where to leave the car What driving in Dallas is really like — the all-electronic toll roads, the freeway rings, the winter ice, and where to park once and walk.
- Driving in San Antonio, TX: the loops and where to park What driving in San Antonio is really like — the two ring roads, the I-35 squeeze downtown, where to leave the car, and the sights that reward walking.
- Driving in San Diego, CA: the freeways and the parking problem What driving in San Diego is actually like — the freeway network, electronic tolling, the beach parking squeeze, and where to leave the car and walk.
Road safety and trip planning
Full set on the road safety page.
- US speed limits and driving laws by state: what differs where How maximum speed limits and everyday driving rules vary between US states, and which differences an out-of-state driver should check first.
- Long-distance driving and fatigue: how far is too far in one day How far it is sensible to drive in a day, what tiredness actually does to your driving, and the breaks and planning that keep a long trip safe.
- The road trip checklist to work through before a long drive A practical pre-trip checklist for a long drive: the car and tires, fluids and documents, route and stop planning, and the weather along the way.
- Winter driving on a long trip: what changes about snow, ice and timing What changes when a long drive happens in winter: how to plan around snow and ice, why daylight matters more, and what to carry in the car.
Questions about the city driving guides
What do the city driving guides cover?
Each one is written for somebody arriving by road rather than flying in. That means the routes into the city and what makes them slow, how the tolling works and what it costs a visitor in practice, where it is realistic to leave a car, and then what is worth seeing once you have parked — grouped so you can park once and walk rather than moving the car between stops.
Why focus on driving rather than the usual sights?
Because it is the part nobody covers well and the part that goes wrong. Plenty of writing exists about what to see in a big American city; very little of it tells you which expressway backs up, whether the tolls are cashless, or whether leaving the car outside town and taking the train in is faster. That gap is what these fill.
Which cities have a guide?
The ten largest US cities by population: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas and Austin. Each has a genuinely different driving problem, which is why they are written individually rather than from a template.
Are there prices or opening hours in the guides?
No, deliberately. Prices and hours change, and a guide that carries stale ones is worse than a guide that carries none. What is described instead is the shape of each decision — the trade-offs in parking, the mechanics of the toll system, the times of day that hurt — because that stays true.
Do the guides recommend specific hotels or restaurants?
No. Named private businesses are left out entirely. Public institutions, parks, museums and landmarks are named because they are stable and verifiable; everything else is described by type and location so the guide does not become a stale directory.
How do these relate to the distance calculator?
They are the other half of the same trip. The calculator answers how far and how long; each guide picks up where the drive ends. Every city guide also lists what is within four hours' drive, so you can see the day trips before you plan one.
What if the city I want is not covered?
The calculator still works for any two US cities, and the city hub pages list distances from a place to its neighbours and to the major metros. The written guides are limited to the ten largest cities because that is where the driving problems are distinct enough to be worth a page each.
Is there anything for the drive itself rather than the destination?
Yes. The road safety guides cover long-distance fatigue, winter conditions, what to check before you leave, and how driving rules differ between states. Those are about the hours behind the wheel rather than the place at the end of them.