[antoluca]

Hi. I posted this issue in February and did get a few replies. My husband and I love Connecticut and particularly New Canaan. His job in in Huntington [Long Island] and there is no prospect of changing jobs. Our house is fo rsale here on long island and we really think we would like Connecticut better. Its so beautiful and all the homes are our style. Very New Englandy and simply pretty. Anyway we are still struggling with this decision because it would mean my husband would commute. He is lucky in that he has a 4-day workweek. I think the miles are about 68 miles and any time that we have driven from long island to new canaan it has taken us about 1 hour and 15 minutes. There are some terrible commutes in the New York area. Like the Belt Parkway or the BQE. People that commute by car from Long Island into Manhattan probably drive 1 1/2 hours. Does anyone know the general traffic patterns taking Throgs NEck to the I95 to New Canaan????? My husband doesn't leave work before 6:30pm and in the morning we were thinking he would be out the door at 6:30am. Its hard to know if something like this could work without actually doing it. I love what I have seen of Connecticut now the question is : is it worth it?

[skaneatelesmom]

I don't know which would bother me more, the price of gas or the time spent in the car. Probably the latter.
But then again, I grew up in CT and I did live in New Canaan for a year and can totally understand the appeal.
Best of luck to you.

[shwee]

Originally Posted by antoluca

Hi. I posted this issue in February and did get a few replies. My husband and I love Connecticut and particularly New Canaan. His job in in Huntington [Long Island] and there is no prospect of changing jobs. Our house is fo rsale here on long island and we really think we would like Connecticut better. Its so beautiful and all the homes are our style. Very New Englandy and simply pretty. Anyway we are still struggling with this decision because it would mean my husband would commute. He is lucky in that he has a 4-day workweek. I think the miles are about 68 miles and any time that we have driven from long island to new canaan it has taken us about 1 hour and 15 minutes. There are some terrible commutes in the New York area. Like the Belt Parkway or the BQE. People that commute by car from Long Island into Manhattan probably drive 1 1/2 hours. Does anyone know the general traffic patterns taking Throgs NEck to the I95 to New Canaan????? My husband doesn't leave work before 6:30pm and in the morning we were thinking he would be out the door at 6:30am. Its hard to know if something like this could work without actually doing it. I love what I have seen of Connecticut now the question is : is it worth it?

This commute has the potential of being a nightmare, especially on days when there's a major accident or bad weather. Having grown up on LI a bit further east of you (E. Setauket) and now living in Wilton (on the New Canaan line), I can assure you that while New Canaan is very nice, you would soon realize that the difference between CT and LI is not as dramatic as you might think, as least not enough to subject your husband to that commute! There are beautiful areas along the north shore of LI that I think are just as idyllic.

[JayCT]

Mapquest shows the trip to be about 62 miles and taking 90 minutes without traffic. With traffic it could take a lot longer. I am not real familar with the roads during rush hour but know that there can be issues on the Hutchinson River Parkway and at the Throgs Neck Bridge in the morning. I do not know how long those problems are. Even only 4 days a week, that would be a long commute by car. Only your husband can say for sur eif it is worth it or not. Why not take a day and stay overnight in New Canaan or Stamford and then try the commute during the time he would be driving it. Maybe that will tell you how doable the commute is. Jay

PS - Have you research LI communities that are comparable to New Canaan? The are some really beautiful towns on the island and if you could afford NEw Canaan, you can afford them.

[antoluca]

Thanks everyone. Shwee....I am glad you responded having moved yourself from Long Island to Fairfield County. Its hard to tell how a place will be without actually living there. Are there any major differences in the way of life or the people that you have noticed? Someone said that Long Island has alot more shopping for example [not that its a priority for me]. More restaurants??? Thanks so much.

[johnmike59]

Hey everyone - a newbie here and I LOVE CUPCAKE CONNECTICUT - always have and always will.

To the O.P. I don't blame you for wanting to live in New Canaan - I came up not fifteen minutes away from there and, yes, it is absolutely beautiful.

Here's a thought - what with the price of gas, your husband could drive to Stamford station from New Canaan, purchase an Amtrak train ticket to Penn Station and a L.I.R.R. ticket to Huntington out of Penn Station. Yes, it's a trek, but so is driving through Westchester, the Bronx, Queens and the North Shore.

Such is the infrastructure of the region - there was talk many years ago of a bridge over the Sound from Larchmont? - Oyster Bay - the good and wealthy folks of Oyster Bay (and, I dare say, Larchmont), saw that NEVER happened. More's the pity, for it would have made your husband's commute (and that of millions over 35 years) so much easier.

I do hope you make it to Connecticut and that you'll be very happy in New Canaan! It's gorgeous and well worth the trouble, I think. I hope my suggestion isn't too ridiculous -- just trying to help!

[shwee]

Originally Posted by antoluca

Thanks everyone. Shwee....I am glad you responded having moved yourself from Long Island to Fairfield County. Its hard to tell how a place will be without actually living there. Are there any major differences in the way of life or the people that you have noticed? Someone said that Long Island has alot more shopping for example [not that its a priority for me]. More restaurants??? Thanks so much.

Overall, I think that the differences are negligible. I think that the people around me here in Fairfield County are a little less pushy than those on Long Island, but there certainly are Type A people here as well. Shopping is comparable, although the main shopping areas in CT seem to be more concentrated in certain areas (e.g., Route 1) rather than on Long Island, where there there seem to be a lot more strip malls. There are plenty of restaurants in CT, and the variety has expanded as well.

[antoluca]

Thanks for all the advice and information. Any person that I have mentioned this to thinks the idea is CRAZY! The only reason we ever thought it would work is that my husband's workweek is four days & one night of those 4 days he would not come home. He would stay on long island at his parents because he would have to be close to the hospital [such is the life of a dr. when on call]. Perhaps him not coming home one evening would be worse than I imagine. I would hate to find that out and want out of connecticut back to long island. So because of this work schedule we thought it could be done. He would not be commuting this a normal 5 day work week. Still its a sacrafice not to be able to go home one night a week. We shall see.

[jesse rivers]

Personally, the commute could be very difficult and time consuming, also the more miles you have to spend on the road in all kinds of weather, the more chance for an accident to occur. Why don't you live in one of the upscale neighborhoods around Huntington, and buy a small weekend house in Connecticut. Then the whole family only commutes together one round trip each week, and in bad weather, you don't have to go at all. Then if your husband's job location changes at some point, you can move altogether.