[Mark_CT]

Newtown is probably 2+ hours from Queens, but it is well under 2 hrs from midtown. I'd say it's more around 1 hour 25 minutes. I live even farther from the city (northwest of Hartford) and it takes me approx. 1 hr 55 minutes to get to midtown. For me personally, I would commute to NY from even as far away as here! In morning traffic that can be 2 hrs 20 mins, but NYC salaries are definitly worth it!

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by JayCT

During rush hour, the Merritt is very busy with traffic heading into Stamford.

I live in Newtown and work in Stamford. Fortunately, I do not work conventional hours most days, so I do not often have to deal with rush hours. On those days when I have to travel the Merritt in rush hours, I feel sorry for the people who have to do it daily. It is a slow and stressful drive. Even at 11PM the road is busy, though at that hour it flows fast.

Speaking of the Merritt at night, why do so many people in Connecticut drive with their brights on even when they are in traffic? It's maybe the rudest thing you can do short of cutting somebody off. Every night I drive the Merritt there are numerous cars running high beams even though they are blinding people in oncoming traffic or in front of them. When I first moved here, I thought Connecticut drivers were the most forgetful drivers I had encountered, but later I concluded it was just rude behavior, because the kind of courtesy flash that would make most people lower their lights more than likely gets no response here.

[notjustamom]

I wonder if sometimes people think you have your brights on, even when you don't. I often get the "flash" from oncoming drivers, even though I don't have my brights on. I hate driving at night, some cars have lights that are just too bright and it does blind me.

[HeadedWest]

Originally Posted by notjustamom

I wonder if sometimes people think you have your brights on, even when you don't. I often get the "flash" from oncoming drivers, even though I don't have my brights on. I hate driving at night, some cars have lights that are just too bright and it does blind me.

That happens once in a while, but with many cars you can tell by which lights are on if they are the low beams or not.

If you get flashed a lot your lights are probably mis-aimed. Next time you get your car serviced, ask them to check.

[Rich Lee]

Originally Posted by HeadedWest

That happens once in a while, but with many cars you can tell by which lights are on if they are the low beams or not.

If you get flashed a lot your lights are probably mis-aimed. Next time you get your car serviced, ask them to check.

Possibly.

notjustamom: Are you driving a Ford truck, Ford SUV, or Jeep® vehicle? There have been complaints regarding the intensity of these vehicles' low-beam lights.

[notjustamom]

No, a Honda Pilot. My last SUV was a Chevy Trailblazer, it happened a lot with that one, too. The one before was a Subaru Forester, I rarely got flashed with that car. I do know someone else with a Honda Pilot, she says she gets flashed a lot as well.

[Arghh]

Interesting where this thread has gone.

To get back on track:

I was looking at jobs in Shelton/Danbury/Norwalk areas in FS and there seems to be many opportunities. The salaries seem comparable as well. Can someone tell me what sort of salary difference to expect if I changed from NYC to a major corporation in shelton/danbury etc? I dont' think 200k salaries are a far reach if you are already making in the 170s from NYC and bring your NYC talent to one of those companies.

[jenniboom]

where do people such as moms work in southbury ct

[flavorPacket]

Originally Posted by Arghh

Interesting where this thread has gone.

To get back on track:

I was looking at jobs in Shelton/Danbury/Norwalk areas in FS and there seems to be many opportunities. The salaries seem comparable as well. Can someone tell me what sort of salary difference to expect if I changed from NYC to a major corporation in shelton/danbury etc? I dont' think 200k salaries are a far reach if you are already making in the 170s from NYC and bring your NYC talent to one of those companies.

I lived in Newtown from 5th grade 'til college and my parents still live there. My father (also from Queens) has been working in midtown/on wall st 4 days a week for as long as I can remember. FYI, after about two years in town (we moved from Wilton), commuting got to be too much, and he got an apartment in manhattan for during the week. He and my mom now live there unless my brother or I are home.

If you drive to Purdy's/Golden's Bridge metro north stations, you can expect about a 1:25-1:50 commute one way (more for wall st). Driving in depends on traffic and can be much longer.

Salaries in Stamford will be slightly discounted for finance, but not so much that it bothers you (10% max). Shelton/Danbury, I'd say it depends on what you do. But still, nothing compares to NYC on the East Coast.

If you are in the 150-250k range, you will fit in very well in Newtown. 'Wealthy' is considered ~500k+, and is common, but not like in southern Fairfield County where that is closer to the 'norm'. If I were you, though, I'd take a good look at the public schools: they are not what they once were, and have serious problems with overcrowding.