Road trip blues: Avoiding the top 10 worst traffic cities

Jul 16, 2012, 6 a.m.

For many, the arrival of spring and summer means the start of road trip season. But before you pack up the station wagon and hit the road, you may want to choose your route carefully -- especially if you're interested in avoiding traffic through some of the country's most congested areas. Here's a rundown of the top 10 cities with the worst traffic , as well as the worst days and times of day to be on the road in each.

Los Angeles is one of the most frequented cities in the country by road trip fanatics who come in search of all there is to discover in nearby Tinseltown. If you're headed to L.A., plan for major delays if you're on the road around 5:30pm on Thursday.
New York City streets are always busy, but if you're planning on driving in, avoid doing so on a Friday around 5:15pm.
Chicago is another city that's notorious for incredibly high volumes of traffic, which typically peaks on Friday afternoons around 5:15pm during rush hour.
Washington, D.C. has tons of historic attractions but even more traffic. Avoid the roads particularly on Thursdays around 5:30pm.
Dallas isn't a city many outsiders think of when they think epic traffic, but if you're a resident or have ever passed through on a Friday at 5:15pm, you'll know better.
San Francisco is a heck of a place to get stuck in traffic, especially on Thursday at 5:30pm when congestion is at its heaviest.
Houston doesn't lag far behind Dallas as one of the top 10 worst cities in the country for traffic, as can be evidenced by traveling through it on any Friday afternoon around 5:15pm.
Boston is a beautiful city, but if you hate gridlock, stay off its roads on Friday evenings between 5 and 7pm, lest your image be tarnished.
Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love, but there's nothing brotherly or lovely about the traffic jams you can get stuck in if you don't steer clear of nearby freeways on Friday nights at 5:15pm.
Seattle may be known as the Jet City, but once you've traversed its freeways on a Thursday night at 5:15pm, you'll be calling it Bottleneck City.