I travel back and forth to Charlottesville all the time for football and I prefer the I-95 route (but then, I live near Springfield, so US-29 is way out of the way). This may not be the greatest option for Memorial Day weekend, but I post it anyway for reference on other weekends because I vastly prefer it to US-29 (fewer cops, too). Take I-95 south to Exit 130, which is the VA-3 exit; take the first ramp to go west towards Culpeper. Follow VA-3 west to VA-20; I believe it's about 15 miles and it will be a left turn with a green sign indicating the road goes to Orange and Charlottesville.

Go left onto VA-20 and follow it to the second traffic light, which is in the town of Orange. Turn left there onto US-15 south towards Gordonsville. Follow US-15 nine miles to the roundabout in Gordonsville. Take the second exit from the roundabout onto VA-231 south. Then you just follow it straight ahead; it changes numbers in Cismont, but that's irrelevant as you just keep going straight and you come out on US-250 in Shadwell, a short distance east of the mountain where Monticello is. You can then take US-250 straight into Charlottesville or take I-64 as a bypass if you want to get to the University area.

Reverse the foregoing directions for the trip home; going north, you still want the second exit from the Gordonsville roundabout.

Now for my query: I have to go out to I-81 on Friday afternoon and am wondering if anyone knows whether it's better to take I-66 or whether it would be faster--even though out of the way--to take the Dulles Toll Road, Greenway, and VA-7 to pick up I-81 at Winchester. (I'm going south on I-81 to I-64 west to the Clifton Forge area.)

Although it takes you about 30 miles west of Charlottesville, I would consider taking VA 7 to 81 south to 64 east, or to US 340 South to US 250 East. I like the scenery on 340 and 250.

I am going to Oberlin, Ohio, for Memorial Day weekend. My best friend is graduating this spring and the holiday is the date of Oberlin College's commencement. I'm leaving Sunday morning and coming back Tuesday via Interstates 270, 70, 76 and 80. I figure that since I am leaving and returning relatively late in the weekend (or outside of it), I shouldn't have that much of a problem driving.

I've long abandoned trying to go anywhere on Memorial Day (or any major holiday for that matter). I'd rather use some vacation time going on an off-peak weekend or mid-week than deal with the increased traffic, crowds and frustration.

The 95-to-3-to-20 route to C'ville is a good one. In Orange, instead of getting on 15, you can also stay on Rt. 20, and it eventually hits US 250 at Pantops.

I usually take 66 to 29S, but often it is quicker (believe it or not) to take 50 to 29.

Being a high-school teacher, I never go anywhere on Memorial Day; I just grade papers. I fear this year the traffic is coming to us in Columbia, however. I live on Columbia's "main street", Little Patuxent Pkwy, and last weekend with the wine fest the traffic and emergency vehicles were constant. Can only be worse with hfstival down the street.

We're considering going to the Mystics game Saturday night (go Minnesota! geaux Seimone!)--what's the best way from Columbia? Should we park at Greenbelt and Metro? What's Saturday night parking like in Penn Quarter (we might make a Muppets/Teaism/basketball event of it).

If anyone wants to talk specifically about their getaway plans and how they're deciding what time to leave, please e-mail me at ginsbergs@washpost.com. I'm working on an article for the newspaper and would love to talk to a couple people for it.

I believe Mr. Ginsberg is correct in his assertion that more people (that is, locals) are leaving during the "conventional" off-peak hours, but after years of studying traffic patterns in this area, I know holiday traffic in the DC area gets more than its fair share of thru-traffic, especially the eastern side of the beltway and I-95, since there is no practical bypass. So the likelihood of leaving around 5 PM on Friday means you could miss the local rush, but there is still plenty of non-locals to tangle with at that point. Just a humble opinion.

Take I-66 to the Haymarket exit (next one after the US-29 Gainesville exit when westbound on 66). Turn left onto US-15 at the top of the ramp. Go about 3 miles, turn right when 15 joins 29 southbound. Reverse order when northbound.

This avoids all of the local traffic at the Gainesville shopping areas. In five years, I bet this won't work either, but in the meantime...