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OT: Commuting into NYC

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JosephLanza

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Oct 4, 2005
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I've accepted a sales position in NYC, w/most of my accounts being in the mid-town area (between the 30's and 50's). First time working in NYC, live in Howell and trying to decide best way to get there. I'll be leaving my house around 5:30 am. Bus is about an hour, 2 miles from my house. Train from Newark or Secaucus is a quick ride but the trip there will be 45 minutes - 1 hour, then paying for monthly parking and a monthly parking spot.

Just real torn on taking the train from Newark (Secaucus parking per month is $250 higher), taking the bus from Howell (drops me off at Port Authority), or driving to Port Authority and parking my car (company giving me a vehicle). Anyone with experience I'd really appreciate your suggestions - thanks!
 
How long does it take you to get to Metropark? Train from there is about 35-45 minutes depending on which on you get. Parking was $70/month. Bus from your area early morning may not be a bad option....getting home likely will be longer than an hour.....though same can be said driving from the various train stations.
 
JosephLanza said:
I've accepted a sales position in NYC, w/most of my accounts being in the mid-town area (between the 30's and 50's). First time working in NYC, live in Howell and trying to decide best way to get there. I'll be leaving my house around 5:30 am. Bus is about an hour, 2 miles from my house. Train from Newark or Secaucus is a quick ride but the trip there will be 45 minutes - 1 hour, then paying for monthly parking and a monthly parking spot.

Just real torn on taking the train from Newark (Secaucus parking per month is $250 higher), taking the bus from Howell (drops me off at Port Authority), or driving to Port Authority and parking my car (company giving me a vehicle). Anyone with experience I'd really appreciate your suggestions - thanks!
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Try the bus first. One hour is highly optimistic from Howell, but perhaps that early in the morning, you will be OK. Driving to Secaucus or Newark to take the train sounds insane to me.
Consider the option of driving to MetroPark train station and taking the train from there. We had a tenant who lived in Belmar and did that--it was manageable.
Once in the city, will your company be picking up the cost of your cabs and transit to the clients?
Don't know how well-settled you are in Howell, but after taking the ferry out of the Highlands and Atlantic Highland to go to Sloan-Kettering, if I ever had to commute to NYC again, I would take the ferry and nothing else. Problem for you on that is it will take nearly 45 minutes to reach the ferry (free parking), but the monthly cost is about $700/month. One of the ferries drops you off at 35th street on the East side of Manhattan.
 
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Knight Shift said:
Try the bus first. One hour is highly optimistic from Howell, but perhaps that early in the morning, you will be OK. Driving to Secaucus or Newark to take the train sounds insane to me.
Consider the option of driving to MetroPark train station and taking the train from there. We had a tenant who lived in Belmar and did that--it was manageable.
Once in the city, will your company be picking up the cost of your cabs and transit to the clients?
Don't know how well-settled you are in Howell, but after taking the ferry out of the Highlands and Atlantic Highland to go to Sloan-Kettering, if I ever had to commute to NYC again, I would take the ferry and nothing else. Problem for you on that is it will take nearly 45 minutes to reach the ferry (free parking), but the monthly cost is about $700/month. One of the ferries drops you off at 35th street on the East side of Manhattan.
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One thing to consider is that you purchase a 40 ticket book (I think it's 40) when taking the ferry vs. buying a monthly pass with the bus or the train. Which means if you don't ride you don't pay, so factor in the costs of vacation or work from home when looking at the train/bus vs. boat.
 
I agree with Knight Shift, the ferry is very nice. In my view it is the most relaxing but it is expensive. I don't think you can get from Howell to NYC in an hour with any transportation alternative. I recommend doing a dry run on the bus, train from metro park, ferry, and drive. You're probably looking door to door at least 90 minutes depending on your NYC destination. I commuted for 30 years from Piscataway to NYC via NE Corridor, Raritan Valley, drive and ferry from JC, and driving. I preferred driving because it gave me the most control and flexibility but that too was pricey and I understand driving isn't for everyone. If you can, do the dry runs to get a better feel.
 
1 hour from Howell to the Port Autority is more than a bit delusional, IMO.
It takes ~45 minutes from the Old Bridge park and ride which I'm guessing is 20 miles or so closer to the city than Howell.
 
If your getting a car from the company, do they pickup parking and tolls? Leave at 5:30 am you should get into the city no problem by car. Do you have to go into the office everyday our do you go straight to your appointments? Not to many people like to have sales calls at 9 am, so you may be getting into the city later in the day.
 
if you get the 136 early, you'll be looking at an hour and 20 minutes from Howell Park and Ride by Strickland road. Coming back will be about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Expect somewhere around 2 hours door to door.

I've considered driving to Tower Center in EB, but it would be about the same amount of time and more driving.
 
RUSONIC said:
If your getting a car from the company, do they pickup parking and tolls? Leave at 5:30 am you should get into the city no problem by car. Do you have to go into the office everyday our do you go straight to your appointments? Not to many people like to have sales calls at 9 am, so you may be getting into the city later in the day.
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I drove in via Lincoln tunnel 50%, took NJT to NY Penn Sta./E train other 50%. I was in sales, so the car thing was good in terms of flexibility. I did NOT get reembursed for miles, tolls and parking when I went into the office in NYC. My customers were all in NJ. I got hammered by these costs, did not have a company car either. If you get compensated for all of the above, it will probably mitigate the horror of traffic (or go in early and leave early). Best of luck. My daily three or more hour battle with commuting is one of the main reasons I moved to NC twenty years ago.
 
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Rokodesh said:
Park at your local station --->Train to Newark ---> Path to 33rd seems like the easiest way to me, taking a bus or driving into NYC is insanity, would have a mental breakdown if I had to do that each day.
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But taking nj transit and two PATH trains is relaxing?
Why get off the train in Newark whrn you can continue on to nyc?
 
Local Shill said:
But taking nj transit and two PATH trains is relaxing?
Why get off the train in Newark whrn you can continue on to nyc?
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lol you're right. Forgot about that, when I used to take the train from Westfield on the Raritan valley line, the last stop was Newark. Totally forgot that some trains go all the way to NYC. brain fart by me
 
Take the bus. It will all in your quickest option. Driving will actually take longer as the bus has its own lane at the tunnel.
 
I used to work in nyc. I drove from Montville to park and ride in north Bergen, and then bus into port authority. Traffic didn't really back up until after exit for park and ride. I did it for flexibility in leaving nyc at night. Busses come and go to park and ride something like every 15 minutes.
 
I feel for you going to NYC from Howell every day . I commuted into the city for 3 years when I was in grad school from metropark to Newark to the path . It really sucked. Thankfully, I was able to find a job in jersey and dont have to rely on public transit.
People tell me the bus is better than the train.

If you do opt for the train, I will share with you the one rule I always followed . Let's say a local stop train was due in at 805 am and an express to follow at 812 am . Most people opt to wait for the express, but I got on whatever train showed up first because with nj transit you can never trust that the second one will actually show up . Especially once the temperature dips under 50 degrees . Frozen switches!
 
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Just started to work in the city..commuting from Morris County.

I drive into Harrison and take the PATH train in. Parking is 120 a month, PATH is 84 a month. (for 40 trips).
 
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Another option is the North Bergen Park and Ride. You'd be driving most of the trip up to the tunnel but you get off and take a bus the last 2 mile leg into the city. The bus round trip plus parking is a $10 flat fee. Parking is plentiful there even up until 8am.

I also like the idea of taking the metropark train. There are a bunch of express trains to metropark as well.
 
God Bless you Jersey folks. Love Rutgers but would never work/live north of Trenton again. And cities are for visiting, not working. You only have one life.
 
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I linenim Colts Neck and take the bus daily from PNC Arts Center. It takes 50-55mins to get to PA daily and always on time when I leave from there at times of 5:45, 6:05, and 6:20.
Coming home is an entirely different story and can be anywhere from 1hr(no traffic) up to 3hrs(accidents or beach traffic). It's not ideal but also nice to have time to yourself to read, sleep, or watch movies,
 
jtung230 said:
If you are on the road by 5:30 am, driving is your best option.
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Works for the drive in, but the drive home will suck balls unless he can leave before about 3:30 pm or after maybe 6:30 pm. And even at those times, a modest percentage of commutes home will still suck balls.

Maybe get a helicopter...
 
At 5:30 am the bus should fly into the city.

This morning my wife and I left the Matawan area at 5:45am because we had to drive in today. We were not parked until 7:15. Both the Lincoln and GWB had 20-35 min delays.

I have a friend in Manalapan who drives to the South Amboy train every day. He used to use the bus but prefers the train because sometimes the buses get backed up on the NYC side when there is an accident in the tunnel.

You can park at the Matawan / Aberdeen train at an outside lot for about $50-75 a month. the daily parking is $3 a day and fills around 7am each day. There is a multi year waiting list for the official lots that are $40 a month. The train from Matawan says it is 55 or so mins but usually is 5 or more mins late during the pm rush hour.

The boat works well too, especially for the Wall St area. it is about 40 mins from Belford to Pier 11 or about an hour to midtown.

With Secaucus you should be aware that the lot fills up everyday. It is $430 a month to park or $29 a day. There is a proposal to add more parking lots because of the overcrowding but that may take years. It seems a lot of Bergen, Passaic, and Morris County people who live in towns where there is no train station or can't get parking drive to Secaucus causing the lot to fill each day.

My suggestions:
1. try the bus for a month and see how it works 1st
2. try South Amboy or Matawan train stations 2nd
3. try the ferry 3rd
4. try Metro Park or Secaucus 4th
5. drive in to NYC 5th
 
RUfinal4 said:
At 5:30 am the bus should fly into the city.

This morning my wife and I left the Matawan area at 5:45am because we had to drive in today. We were not parked until 7:15. Both the Lincoln and GWB had 20-35 min delays.

I have a friend in Manalapan who drives to the South Amboy train every day. He used to use the bus but prefers the train because sometimes the buses get backed up on the NYC side when there is an accident in the tunnel.

You can park at the Matawan / Aberdeen train at an outside lot for about $50-75 a month. the daily parking is $3 a day and fills around 7am each day. There is a multi year waiting list for the official lots that are $40 a month. The train from Matawan says it is 55 or so mins but usually is 5 or more mins late during the pm rush hour.

The boat works well too, especially for the Wall St area. it is about 40 mins from Belford to Pier 11 or about an hour to midtown.

With Secaucus you should be aware that the lot fills up everyday. It is $430 a month to park or $29 a day. There is a proposal to add more parking lots because of the overcrowding but that may take years. It seems a lot of Bergen, Passaic, and Morris County people who live in towns where there is no train station or can't get parking drive to Secaucus causing the lot to fill each day.

My suggestions:
1. try the bus for a month and see how it works 1st
2. try South Amboy or Matawan train stations 2nd
3. try the ferry 3rd
4. try Metro Park or Secaucus 4th
5. drive in to NYC 5th
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Shouldn't take more than 40 minutes to get from Matawan to the Lincoln, meaning a 5:45 am departure gets you there around 6:30 am. I'm surprised it was already 20-30 min at 6:30 am at the tunnels (just based on me listening to traffic before I leave for work in the 6:30-7:00 am timeframe) - would've thought 5-10 min, tops. 5:30 from Holmdel is likely to be similar to 5:45 from Matawan, obviously depending on how far either person lives from the Parkway. The few times I've driven into NYC early in the morning from Metuchen, I've left around 6 am (equiv to 5:45 am from Matawan/5:30 am from Holmdel, roughly) and gotten into midtown by 6:50 am, with only minor delays at either tunnel. Maybe things have gotten a lot worse the last few years...
 
If you do decide to drive in, you can park at Edison park fast at 44 street between 8th and 9th avenue. $24 for 12 hours. A second over 12 hrs and it goes up to $48.
 
I would take the train. Then bus. NEVER drive. Commuted to the city for 13 years (FinDistrict and Times Sq) before getting jobs near home. I took NE Corridor from Princeton Jct. Looking for a new position in the city now actually, so I may start the commute again soon.
 
People complain about the commute time into the city. Yes, it can be a pain in the a$$ sometimes. For me, I would rather be able to get on a train/bus and sleep, read or get some more work done for an hour or so, than be stuck in rush hour traffic trying to get through the Holland or Lincoln, or bumper to bumper on the NJTP. Just my $.02. Good luck.
 
This thread alone reminds me why I both love and hate Jersey [laughing].
 
RU848789 said:
That's a huge part of why I live 9 miles/15 minutes from work. I love driving, for fun, but not commuting.
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Early in my career, I had an offer to join Pfizer (when Pfizer was at it's height and by far the prettiest girl at the dance). But the 2-hour commute, each way, was just something I couldn't stomach, no matter the offer. People have their limits. I have a 20-25 min commute via local and county roads. Never have to worry about traffic reports and I drive right past my daughter's school! Never want to give this up.
 
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