I-80 East Of Cleveland?

[Paul SL]

I know the route from Chicago to Philidelphia like the back of my hand, but this coming Monday, I'm driving to NYC and am unfamiliar with the I-80 beyond Youngstown.

Leaving Chicago around noon, I should hit Cleveland about 7pm EST. I'd love to stop for the evening an hour or two after that. Any recs for good road eats in that part of northeastern OH/ western PA? I love casual, ethnic and divey places.

[RI Swampyankee]

Have a safe journey. The higher elevations can get very snowy and slick this time of year.

[sydney2]

I realize this is late for the OP, but I'm curious if anyone has stayed or eaten at the Foxburg Inn www.visitfoxburg.com, in Foxburg PA. Looks like it's run by the same folks who own Gamekeepers and the Inn at Chagrin Falls, in Chagrin Falls, Oh.

[RI Swampyankee]

For years I "commuted" from Milwaukee to Providence. Lemme tell ya, after Youngstown, it's miles and miles of bugger all. I always packed a nice cold dinner plate and martini fixins for when I stopped in Clearfield or DuBois.

[nsxtasy]

"The" I-80? You must be from California! (LOL!)

I've driven that route many times. Once you get past Youngstown, Pennsylvania is sparsely populated along I-80. Maybe there are some local gems in the boonies there, but I wouldn't count on it. In any case, Pennsylvania has a separate forum here, so if you want recommendations past Youngstown, you'll have to ask there.

You can find some recommendations for Youngstown in these topics:
www.chowhound.com/topics/123874
www.chowhound.com/topics/403924

Akron is not really out of the way; it involves going south and then east to the I-80/I-76 junction, vs east and then south on the Turnpike. You can find some recommendations for Akron at:
www.chowhound.com/topics/477915

You can also go into the Cleveland area, but that *is* out of the way, at least a bit, depending on how far you're detouring. You can find lots of recommendations for Cleveland on this board, of course, such as the ones in this topic:
www.chowhound.com/topics/475662

[Paul SL]

You're right-- that part of (the) I-80 is pretty desolate, so I'll probably stop in Youngstown or thereabouts around dinner time. Then, I'll jump back on the highway and go as far as say, Williamsport before I turn in for the night. There are a couple of interesting eating spots in the Williamsport area, but they'll be closed by the time I get there.