Best way to NJ from Grand Central as a regular commuter?

After doing some exploring of North Jersey and Westchester, we're now looking into Fairfield County in CT. If we lived close to the Metro North rail line and my wife took the train into Grand Central, how easy would it be for her to then get to Secaucus? I think the company she'd be working with has a shuttle, which I assume runs from some sort of train/bus station.

:(

She'd have to cross town. Grand Central is on the east side at 42nd street. Penn Station is on the west side at 34th street.

She would have get on the subway at Grand Central, take it to Times Square, wait with the rush hour crowds to get on a southbound train just to go one stop. Get off at Penn Station, and deal with the rush hour crowds bording the NJ trains.

That is a commute I wouldn't inflict on people I hate. Expect it to take several hours each way.

I think Amtrak has a train that runs into Penn Station...

to getting from CT to Secaucus, NJ?

It's a nasty commute anyway you look at it. Occasionally when I worked in NYC and lived in CT/Norwalk, I had to make a commute to central jersey (Hopewell). It took nearly 4 hours! I would assume the trip to Secaucus at best would be three hour commute.

DON'T DO IT!

Or someplace like Staten Island (which Thomcat can help you with). CT is pretty much out of the question, unless she wants a 6+ hour commute each day. Seriously.

I know the NJ taxes suck, but...

:(

You couldn't pay me enough to have a commute like that.

And I don't think Metro North goes into NJ, so she might need to take a train to the WTC and then grab the PATH into Jersey from there.

But I'm not sure - your best bet is to look it up on Metro North and see if they go to Secaucus.

i can see if there is an easier way.

Penn Station is a block away.

:headbang:
rocknation

And Haruka can email you -- she knows the train and PATH schedules and lines like a conductor.

And trying looking slightly south (Cranford, Westfield) or west (Morristown, Summit) of the Newark area. It will be less painful for her to get to Secacus, and for both of you to get into NYC.

:headbang:
rocknation

for my background & experience, Stamford might be the best option for work for me.

Mario Andretti!

http://www.lehighvalley.org/page.cfm?pag=427

http://www.realtor.com/lehighvalley/nbregion2.asp?poe%3Drealtor&poe=realtor

I work with several people who live in PA. Still a bad commute, but doable.

I lived in Shelton and commuted into Harrison NJ for a little over a year - looked into the train routes, and it required 3 changes and took over 3 hours each way because of the schedules/connections. Moved to Stamford, which made it a little less onerous, but still required 3 changes and more than 2 hours. Currently live in Danbury, and commuted into Manhattan via Metro North, but took the Harlem line from Brewster rather than the New Haven line from Danbury - saved at least an hour on the commute, and nearly $100/month in monthly train fares. Down-county makes it a little easier because there are many more trains from Stamford as a main station, but also be prepared to pay at least $700K for a fixer-upper, even in this housing market. When we looked about 5 years ago, avg. price for a 3 BR/2BA in the Stamford area was over $800K - found a 3500sq ft 4 BR/2.5 BA house in Danbury at less than half of that. Our Realtor told us that the same house in Stamford would easily go for $1.1 mill.

Bottom line - It can be done, but it's not pretty.

My wife's best friend lives in Danbury, so maybe that area is an option.

And, our home in Avon would probably sell for $600-625 right now. That same home in even Danbury would be more expensive - her friend that lives there has a home similar in size in our and they paid $730 for it a year before we bought our home. Of course, if we looked in Westport or Fairfield, we'd be looking at $1.2 million or more.

The "Aunt Hack" market is one of the nicest area of town, near the Richter Park Golf Course - we live on the Northeast side of that area. Danbury is not doing too badly in terms of financial/job/business growth. Homes have devalued slightly, but not as badly as some other areas. Good houses are selling within a couple of months, ones that stay on the market longer usually have some pretty significant issues. One in my neighborhood just about 6 doors down sold in 5 weeks, another in about 10 weeks. You're right that prices here would be higher than in Avon - ours was appraised this Fall at a little over double what we paid for it six years ago, so appreciation has been good. And you're absolutely right about the prices in Westport/Fairfield. Couldn't touch those, even when we first moved to CT 17 years ago.

If you'd like to chat about the area, feel free to PM me. :hi:

they've had a brand new house on sale for well over a year now.

although you'd probably be able to get a good deal on it! It'd be interesting to see the difference between new home sales and existing home sales for this market. I must admit that I haven't done a lot of homework on that - just personal observation in my own little cluster.

I guess the builder has been pretty stubborn in not lowering the price...

inventory today without some price concessions. Guess he's one of the big guys who doesn't need the business. Or he's sooo desperate for it that he absolutely can't afford to not get "full price."

I don't think this builder is a "big" name builder like Toll Brothers. he might have bought his material when the market was better and before prices went up?

Hope you are able to find a solution that works for both of you. The drive from Stamford to Secaucus wouldn't be too horrible, if she used the Hutch to the Henry Hudson as a way to get through the city rather than going the NY Thruway (95) through the Bronx, and because the worst section of either 95 or the Merritt in CT is before you get to Stamford. Having driven that route more times than I care to count, you can bet on at least 90 minutes travel time, though.

I'm sure it's not easy. I don't think my wife leaving at 5am is an option either, as it's a struggle to get her out of bed before noon.

Merritt Parkway down to Hutchinson River Parkway to 287W, over the Tappan Zee Bridge, then down the Garden State Parkway to Secaucus. Probably about an hour in good traffic conditions, maybe 90 minutes in peak times. (Or it used to be when I lived down there).

but, I think she'd prefer not to drive if possible.

at least an hour to go from Monroe to Stamford in 1989. God only knows how long it would take now.

Beautiful, beautiful Parkway. Did you know that each of the bridges spanning the Merritt is different? A little known fun fact about it. I drove that parkway so much, I think I could do it in my sleep.

a year or two back that they were going to invest a lot into MetroNorth at least. So, hopefully that will eventually help to lead to less congestion.

I just don't know how people can live in that area nowadays on less than a combined $200K per year, though.

it's cheaper than Westchester or Bergen Counties...

WAY more coming back. 287 is a killer after work -- my 15-mile commute easily takes 40 minutes on a GOOD day -- over an hour on a bad day. And, that's not trying to brave the Merritt Parkway.

The commute isn't realistic.

every day is getting my wife & daughter out of bed in the morning.

;-)

but, i do enjoy those days on the weekend because I can get up & read the newspaper at my leisure.

Both on 42nd St, probably about half a mile walk or take a cross town bus.
There are MANY buses leaving all the time that go through Secaucus, in fact there's a Park and Ride at Secaucus.

Here's someone's answer: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070301110110AAhSz8L&show=7

and get a bus to Secaucus?

See above

but I never had to start from Connecticut. The bus itself takes less than a half hour, depending on where in Secaucus you're going. Google New Jersey Transit for bus schedules and routes. v There's a Joisey Transit train to Secaucus out of Penn Station, but there's only one stop at something called the Secaucus Junction somewhere around the Meadowlands, so she's still got to get to work from there.

The Port Authority bus terminal is on Eighth and 42nd, while Grand Central is on Lexington and 42nd. She can walk, take a crosstown bus, or the Times Square subway shuttle between them.

But she won't like it. It'll be a bear to do every day.

I don't think the complex she would be working in is too far from the Meadowlands - and, I did see a shuttle going through there while I was waiting to pick her up...so, i would assume the shuttle is coming from some commuter area nearby, be it a train or bus station, or the airport.

:bounce:

Problem solved.

for my wife.

I'm sure there's a purpose to going into Jersey. I lived in south Jersey, which I affectionately call hell on Earth. There's nice parts and not so nice parts like every where I guess. I just saw some really bad parts.

from down in South Jersey back in the day (mid to late 90s). A bit south of Atlantic City...

But, it's a lot different than crowded North Jersey.

But there is a lot of urban blight and despair, even in Atlantic City.

Useless trivia. When Gov. Corzine was in the auto accident, he was treated at the hospital I was born in.

none of them lived in AC, most were a few towns south of it... but, casino trips/excursions were a big part of things.

Wildwood was very nice when I was growing up, but that was many many years ago. I haven't been there in ages.

Camden is where I was born and that is a sad sad place. Urban blight.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade; it's nothing about you and yours, its just that the Jersey I have seen is sad. I know there is good to it and lovely places to live; its just the blight and despair is that powerful in my mind. I really am not trying to be offensive.

That commute would be insane.

actually lives in Stamford & commutes to Secaucus daily. According to mapquest, it's about 40 miles each way.

My wife didn't ask him how long it takes, however. I think she might try something like that, and just leave at an odd time in the morning (like after 9am... I don't think she could handle getting up at 4:00 or so to leave before 5am)

Right now, we're thinking of her renting an apartment down somewhere close to Secaucus (even if its in Stamford) and her commuting there during the week, and then coming home on weekends. Then, when she decides she likes the job, we can look more seriously at moving.

:sigh:

i'll have to see what we can do

Take the S train at GC to Times Square 42nd street/Port Authority

Take Bus from Port Authority to Seacacus?

-OR-

Take the S train at GC to Times Square 42nd street/Port Authority

From Times Square, transfer the 1 or 2 or 3 train to Penn Station and take the NJ Transit train to Seacacus


The one positive thing is that you never have to go outside to make this commute.

for only a 40-50 mile trip by car.

Car traffic in and around NY during rush hours is absolutely brutal.

transfers than the actual time on the train. You are totally right about how horrible the traffic is around here, but the trains aren't what they should be, either, sadly. When I looked into a very similar route for daily commuting a couple of years ago, it would have meant 2 hours and 50 minutes each way, because of availability of specific routes and transfer times. And if you get stuck with semi-express service, you might as well walk. Now as for being less stressful than driving, no question about it - I'll take the train every time, even if it adds a half hour or more to the trip. And it's still cheaper than buying gas and paying for parking, if you're in Manhattan.