Race from New York to Washington
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by The Situation Room via twitter edited by CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet 11/27/2013 10:24:53 PM
.@BrianToddCNN crosses #CNNGreatRaceHome finish line & joins @NicRobertsonCNN +@LisaDCNN ! Thanks for following along! http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BaHHTIbCIAAttkz.jpg
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Poor weather, flight delays, jammed highways -- in a nutshell, miserable pre-Thanksgiving travel conditions. Sounds like a great time for a race!
We signed up three of our own unluck ... er, intrepid reporters to see who might get from New York to the set of "The Situation Room" in Washington first: Nic Robertson in a plane, Lisa Desjardins on a train, or Brian Todd in a car.
The man going 500 mph in the air might have seemed like the obvious first choice, but this is Thanksgiving, baby, and all the long-line-missed-flight-delayed-takeoff trimmings could be in play.
Hundreds of thousands of you were traveling today, and these three joined you. Which was the fastest way to get from point A to point B on this crazy travel day? "This is the bet that everybody in the country's making right now," CNN's Tom Foreman said. "What's the quickest way to get there in difficult times?" Let's see how they did in this quite unscientific venture. Follow along here, on CNN TV, and on Twitter (#CNNGreatRaceHome). -
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 4:00:38 PMGetting ready for the off #CNNGreatRaceHome with @LisaDCNN and #BrianTodd An hour from leaving #TWC must be on #Delta flight at #LGA to #DC -
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 4:00:44 PMGood morning @LisaDCNN and @BrianToddCNN - today we race #NYC to #DC - Lisa by train, Brian drives, I fly - begins noon ET who arrives 1st
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 4:02:12 PMHey @NicRobertsonCNN , unfortunate 1 hour flight delays going dc to ny ... Doesn't sound good for your ny to dc run. fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/flyfaai… -
by Brian Todd via twitter 11/27/2013 4:03:24 PMMy Thanksgiving eve race, NY-DC, with @NicRobertsonCNN and @LisaDCNN - ends on #SitRoom . I'm betting I'll be the most fatigued and irritable. -
Turkey, football, family, shopping -- whatever. This is the Thanksgiving event you've been waiting for. Welcome to the live blog of today's race.
Here's how this is going to work. Robertson, Desjardins and Todd will start at noon ET, leaving CNN's "New Day" studio in New York. From there, Robertston will take a taxi to LaGuardia airport, Desjardins will take a taxi to Penn Station, and Todd will start driving.
They'll report their progress through tweets and Vines, which you'll see on this blog. They'll also pop up from time to time on CNN TV to report on the travel conditions wherever they are. -
by Nic Robertson via twitter retweeted by Fujiki_Heartman 11/27/2013 4:11:44 PM
#CNN race #NYC to #DC @LisaDCNN by train @BrianToddCNN drives, I fly - begins noon - making new friends - w... vine.co/v/hU0zmzLZOw3
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TODAY: looking for some RTs - I am racing the great @NicRobertsonCNN and @BrianToddCNN from NY to DC #CNNRace
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THE RACE: we'll leave live at noon, I'll get on a train, @NicRobertson will take a plane and trooper @BrianToddCNN will be in a car on 95.
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Here's the rundown of how their plans would work out, if all goes smoothly:
Robertson: Take off at 1 p.m., land in Washington at 2:20 p.m., drive to CNN offices.
Desjardins: Take a 1 p.m. Amtrak Acela train to Washington, arriving at 3:45 p.m., drive to CNN offices.
Todd: Drive from New York to CNN offices in Washington, perhaps a four-hour trip. (So, an arrival sometime after 5 p.m.)
Might not be that easy for Robertson, though. First of all, he'll need to make it to LaGuardia. He's leaving Time Warner Center in Manhattan for LaGuardia in Queens -- at least a 20-minute taxi ride. Then he needs to navigate the crowds there. Apparently he's going to go through security normally. You might think Mr. Senior International Correspondent would go through a TSA pre-check line, but not for this race, it seems.
And then there's the possibility of flight delays. Heavy winds today have caused delays averaging about an hour at LaGuardia, the FAA says. Though a delay might help him, since he's got a late start to the airport.
If he misses the 1 p.m. flight, he'll try to catch another. -
by Brian Todd via twitter 11/27/2013 4:32:12 PM30-mins and counting till the #GreatRaceHome begins! It ends on #SitRoom later. I'm racing @NicRobertsonCNN and @LisaDCNN fr. NY to DC.
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by Nic Robertson via twitter retweeted by StephGoggansCNN 11/27/2013 4:32:40 PMGood morning @LisaDCNN and @BrianToddCNN - today we race #NYC to #DC - Lisa by train, Brian drives, I fly - begins noon ET who arrives 1st
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter retweeted by CNNSitRoom 11/27/2013 4:35:16 PMHey @NicRobertsonCNN , unfortunate 1 hour flight delays going dc to ny ... Doesn't sound good for your ny to dc run. fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/flyfaai…
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by Brian Todd via twitter retweeted by StephGoggansCNN 11/27/2013 4:36:00 PMMy Thanksgiving eve race, NY-DC, with @NicRobertsonCNN and @LisaDCNN - ends on #SitRoom . I'm betting I'll be the most fatigued and irritable.
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 4:47:39 PM
We are about to get going - here are @NicRobertsonCNN and @BrianToddCNN ... Gonna smoke em GreatRaceHome http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BaF6HOrIcAAZyzd.jpg
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Train passenger Desjardins, like flier Robertson, also has a schedule to keep -- though her taxi ride should be shorter.
She'll take a taxi from Time Warner Center to Penn Station -- perhaps a 15-minute drive -- hoping to catch a 1 p.m. Acela train to Washington. If she catches that, and if there are no delays, she'll arrive in Washington around 3:45 p.m. Then it's a drive to her final destination.
Amtrak has reported no major delays systemwide. It expected to carry about
140,000 passengers, double its normal volume for a Wednesday. -
They're off! All three have just grabbed their bags and left the "New Day" studio in New York.
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 4:59:40 PM
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by Nic Robertson via twitter retweeted by pallavireports 11/27/2013 5:02:58 PMGetting ready for the off #CNNGreatRaceHome with @LisaDCNN and #BrianTodd An hour from leaving #TWC must be on #Delta flight at #LGA to #DC
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:04:00 PMIn taxi to Penn Station... Cab driver Abdul says traffic is terrible across NYC. All I know is @NicRobertsonCNN got the 1st cab - will nd it
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Right before they left, driver Todd revealed his plan:"My strategy is to lead police on a three-state high-speed chase," he joked. We think.
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 5:06:43 PM
#CNNGreatRaceHome in taxi#NYC in two minutes - now stuck in traffic at red lights Central Park west - drive... vine.co/v/hUEWvazlMq5
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 5:10:12 PM#CNNGreatRaceHome is on 8 minutes past stuck in traffic Central Park west - Delta shuttle 5919 departs 59 past hour
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:11:11 PM
At Times Square - working way to Penn station for 1p train. (Photo out window of cab as we crawl.) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BaF_f2XIIAA5PqY.jpg
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:14:21 PM
Argh! NYC traffic!!!! vine.co/v/hUEmhEWYxuu
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:19:01 PM
Out of the cab - running to train at Penn Station. vine.co/v/hUEKlYvVJa9
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Brian, that is a 3 1/2 hr drive on a GREAT day! you'll be closer to 4 1/2 to 5hrs -
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:22:02 PM
Nooooooo!!!! My train say "late". http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BaGB-uFIcAALOa3.jpg
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:23:29 PM
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 5:28:05 PM#Delta hope to make your 12.59 #NYC shuttle to #DC #CNNGreatRaceHome flight hopeful - me- has it all riding on this - so far v slow
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 5:30:43 PM
Traffic opening up #CNNGreatRaceHome still a long way from #LGAairport and my #delta flight - hope my colle... vine.co/v/hUEMi5xV9he
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my bet is on Lisa and the train, she got the easy assignment on this one
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So, Todd has quite a drive ahead of him. He'll leave New York and go through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, perhaps Delaware, and then Maryland to get to D.C. Google tells us that, in current traffic, he's looking at a drive of at least four hours and 20 minutes.Motorists in much of the eastern U.S. are facing less-than-ideal conditions today as a winter-like storm hits. Up to a foot of snow has fallen in parts of Pennsylvania. Sleet and heavy rain are hitting parts of the Northeast.Check out the conditions that airline passengers and motorists are dealing with today.
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:33:32 PMLooks like 15 min delay. Taps toe with bit of impatience. danmericaCNN: @LisaDCNN - How late? #CNNGreatRaceHome
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my money is on brian, made the drive too many times, flight will be a no go
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:38:11 PMLet me say now: my train may be delayed 15 min but if @NicRobertsonCNN makes his 1p flight it will be a miracle. Advantage: train.
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 5:38:23 PMStuck again #CNNGreatRaceHome - 37 my flight at 59 where am I 2nd and 123rd not the race I hoped for - not down - not out - still trying
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 5:40:44 PM
#CNNGreatRaceHome RFK - old tri borough bridge - faster but is is fast enough - need delay on my #delta fli... vine.co/v/hUE5zXEhJX0
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 5:45:12 PM#CNNGreatRaceHome v close to airport just hit a red light - this is real touch and go
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:46:47 PM
Still waiting for my train. Ugh. But meanwhile, I have something Nic Robertson and @briantoddcnn don't vine.co/v/hUE1OHIvqhB
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 5:47:00 PMNo disrespect to other travelers - I would like @LisaDCNN 15 minute delay would be all difference for me @BrianTOddCNN hope all good for u
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The turtle in this race, Todd the driver, is already south of Elizabeth, New Jersey, on the New Jersey Turnpike perhaps some 30 miles from his departure point. Video from his car shows he's had a pretty easy time of it so far -- plenty of clear space in the lanes."What we're surprised with is a lack of a backup here," Todd said on CNN TV moments ago. "I'm not going to get overconfident, but I like my chances right about now."
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by Lisa Desjardins via twitter 11/27/2013 5:55:15 PM
Team train: still waiting but I've drafted @cwelchCNN and @bobbikel onto my team. #CNNGreatRaceHome http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BaGJlb6IEAAYBv0.jpg
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by Nic Robertson via twitter 11/27/2013 5:55:18 PMI am on the plane - 4 minutes to spare - I still can't believe it - really - sorry #LisaDCNN and #BrianToddCNN the #CNNGreatRaceHome
