Does the "Fastest route" from Charleston, SC to Boston, MA involve Pennsylvania Ave?

[hughee99]

After a debate on the way down to Charleston, SC on Thursday and Friday (for a wedding), where my GPS insisted the George Washington Bridge route in NYC would be fine (at 8:15am) and I opted to take the Tappan Zee and avoid the city altogether, I decided to follow instructions TO THE LETTER on the way back.

So at 12:30 in the afternoon, I find myself stuck in traffic on Pennsylvania Ave. trying to get on to the Anacostia Fwy. Clearly, I'm not familiar with the DC area, but does this seem right to anyone?

[struggle4progress]

1. Successful DC navigation requires careful attention to day and time of day

I've driven directly through the city in the wee AM hours to get from South to North, but most of the time I stick to Beltway -- and at rush hour I've sometimes saved myself considerable time with a long detour to avoid DC, say through Frederick MD