Monmouth County to Midtown Commute (Newark, Old Bridge: houses, to buy, live in)

[xmonger]

Hello Everyone,

I currently live in Holmdel and commute to work in downtown NYC by the following:

- by car - Route 35, to the NJT, to 78 east, to Liberty State Park & Ride

- by light rail - I take the light rail into exchange place

- by PATH - into WTC.

Yes, it is a fabulous commute. I do this because mass transit is out of the question at the times I travel. I leave my home around 8:30am and work around 7pm.

I will now be starting a job in midtown (near 5th and 42nd st) and was wondering if any of you would be so kind as to comment on what you feel will be the quickest way in?

I was thinking of taking the light rail to Pavonia Newport and then PATH into 33rd st??? Maybe drive to Journal Sq and then the PATH? Drive all the way into NYC through the Holland Tunnel?

Please help, I'd like to keep this commute to 1:30hr at any cost.

Thanks.

xmonger

[robd328]

Originally Posted by xmonger

Hello Everyone,

I currently live in Holmdel and commute to work in downtown NYC by the following:

- by car - Route 35, to the NJT, to 78 east, to Liberty State Park & Ride

- by light rail - I take the light rail into exchange place

- by PATH - into WTC.

Yes, it is a fabulous commute. I do this because mass transit is out of the question at the times I travel. I leave my home around 8:30am and work around 7pm.

I will now be starting a job in midtown (near 5th and 42nd st) and was wondering if any of you would be so kind as to comment on what you feel will be the quickest way in?

I was thinking of taking the light rail to Pavonia Newport and then PATH into 33rd st??? Maybe drive to Journal Sq and then the PATH? Drive all the way into NYC through the Holland Tunnel?

Please help, I'd like to keep this commute to 1:30hr at any cost.

Thanks.

xmonger

Same boat here, next month I'll be commuting from Manalapan to Midtown, 47th/Park.
Did you even get an answer?
I see you can go from Route 9 to Wall St area with Academy bus which would be perfect if they went Midtown, but I don't see that route on their site..Still unsure how I'd go...

[MPBsr]

The NJ Transit 139 bus goes to Penn Station.

My friend gets it at the Old Bridge Park and Ride. So I'm sure you can get it in Manalapan.

You could walk or I'm sure catch a NYC train from there.

[todd72173]

NJ TRansit 139 to Penn station ---Best route..
To downtown - Academy Wall street bus.

[Nunu38]

I am looking to move to Holmdel. When I was looking at the houses in Holmdel, one of the owners told me that I can take a bus from the PNC Art Center to Wall Street and Port Authority (42nd street). Is this true since no one mention that you can take a bus from PNC Art Center?

Any information would be appreciated. I don't want to buy a house and then realize commuting is going to be a problem for me.

Thanks.

[PeteyNice]

Academy Bus runs from the Arts Center to the PA and Wall St:
Commuter Bus New York City, New Jersey Charter Bus Transportation, Bus Tours NJ NYC

The the OP, even if this thread is 7 months old, wow what a nightmare commute. When you worked near WTC why was taking the train to Newark and then PATH to WTC out of the question?

[jimho]

I would be curious to know about any updates from this group, particularly Nunu38 and Xmonger. I am planning to move to Holmdel soon - while commuting to midtown (50th)

[xmonger]

Originally Posted by jimho

I would be curious to know about any updates from this group, particularly Nunu38 and Xmonger. I am planning to move to Holmdel soon - while commuting to midtown (50th)

Best bet is the park and ride at the PNC. You can walk to work from the Port Authority.

Alternatively, if you want to do most of the driving, you can drive to the park and ride in North Bergen and take a quick bus trip into the PA.

[jimho]

Thank you so much, Xmonger. I really appreciate your insight as I have NO experience with this. As I understand it, Academy buses go:
- From PNC to PA in "55 minutes". 8 buses between 6:30-8:30am
- From Cheesequake to PA in "45 minutes". 17 buses betwen 6:30-8:30am
This suggests some advantages with Cheesequake. But what are the REAL travel times? Are there problems getting a seat on the bus? It seems that most commuters prefer the [slower] train to the bus - why?

[xmonger]

Originally Posted by jimho

Thank you so much, Xmonger. I really appreciate your insight as I have NO experience with this. As I understand it, Academy buses go:
- From PNC to PA in "55 minutes". 8 buses between 6:30-8:30am
- From Cheesequake to PA in "45 minutes". 17 buses betwen 6:30-8:30am
This suggests some advantages with Cheesequake. But what are the REAL travel times? Are there problems getting a seat on the bus? It seems that most commuters prefer the [slower] train to the bus - why?

Actual time PNC to PA is variable due to weather/traffic conditions, but I would say expect 1:00 to 1:10 travel times most days. Cheesequake has more limitations with regard to parking spaces so I never ventured there.

As for train vs. bus, quite honestly I think people don't know better. Once you take the bus you never, ever, want to do NJT again.

Also, no problems with seats in the AM. In the PM, some days you have to stand or wait for the next bus (but if you get there 10 min before depart time this isn't an issue).


The only issue (for me) with the bus is during the summer. The PNC runs concerts (about once/wk) and you need your car out of the lot by 5 -5:30, which means you need to leave work early to catch the last bus.

Hope this helps.