sooo is commuting to NYC from Wescosville really crazy? advice? (Allentown: houses, living)

[jp8276]

i figured it would be only for about 6 months to a year.....and i need to go to the Gramercy Park area of NYC.....i figure it would be about 2hrs and 10 minutes.....anyone have any advice? good or bad? any info on actually commuting times?

[thelazyone]

Originally Posted by jp8276

i figured it would be only for about 6 months to a year.....and i need to go to the Gramercy Park area of NYC.....i figure it would be about 2hrs and 10 minutes.....anyone have any advice? good or bad? any info on actually commuting times?

good luck with that. I did two hour one way to rockland county and i've now been out of work since October.

[toobusytoday]

My only suggestion is an obvious one, and that's to try to get to the tunnel before 7 am. Good luck with that commute. I think it's going to get old really fast.

[DCC77]

I'm not sure if you are planning on driving or taking the bus up there every day, but I don't think it's crazy if you take the bus from the Charcoal Diner up there and back. There are commuters that do that every day, and the ride takes about 1.5-2 hours depending on traffic. I go up to the city occasionally for work (trade shows) and I see people using the bus ride to get some "me" time, like reading, knitting, or even working! Some people sleep, too.

[Lehigh Valley Native]

I commuted from Orefield(north of Allentown) to Philly for almost 6 years. 90 minutes on a good traffic day, hours upon hours on a bad traffic day.

That long of a commute really kills you in the long term. When the weather is bad, it is even worse. I don't want to think of the amount of my life I wasted sitting in a car driving to work, but some times you do what you have to. I made it easier by listening to books on tape.

If it is only going to be 6 months to a year, you will be fine and it is very manageable. But, I would not recommend it for the long term.

[jp8276]

thanks all.........we are thinking about moving out there from NJ for family and house price reasons (i took a huge hit on my house and need to recoop) and i probably will be doing it from 1.5 - 2 years..... i have flexible hours and can stay up in the NJ area a couple of nights but even that location is 1.5 from where i need to go......not sure what to do

[Anna_K]

It's a tough situation.

My husband and I have separate houses for that very reason: the awful commute. He lives near his job in Rahway and I live near Bath in PA. He comes home Friday evenings and leaves at 5:00 AM Monday mornings. Any later than that and he gets caught up around Clinton on 78 for 45 minutes. On Fridays, he either leaves by 3:00 Pm or waits until 6:00 PM. The drive is 2 hours when traffic moves well.

Maintaining two places is very expensive but the alternative is him being on the road 4 hours every single day, leaving before daybreak and coming home after dark, no time together, no time for himself, just driving, sleeping, working, and driving some more. The danger inherent in such a commute and the stress on him was the deciding factor in our choice of these unconventional living arrangements. It's not doing much to build up the savings account but we've managed to hold on to our sanities.

If we had to make the daily commute, we'd opt for the bus. You can find ways to make use of that time. You would still be mostly an absentee spouse and father during the week though, not an easy life.

[keithlantz]

If you have flexibility with your hours the commute can actually be okay. If you can start work at 9:30-10AM in NYC, you can take a LATER bus and actually miss alot of the worst traffic on Rt. 78 (near Clinton is the worst). I commute to NYC on Transbridge since they have Wi-fi and I can get some work done (or take a nap or read). I beats driving, but it does bite into your time at home. If you can work from home 1 day a week as well, it would be helpful.