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Hello,
We are looking for an apartment in the Madison/Parsippany area. My wife would be working in Basking Ridge, and hence, we would like to find a place about 10 to 15 mts from there (not more, for sure). At the same time, I would like to be able to get to work in Hudson Street in about 30 to 35 mts (tops). What would be the ideal location?
Also, commuting to Jersey City - what are the options?
* If I were to drive, how long would it take and what would be the best times to go to work (to encounter the least traffic)?
* If I were to take NJ Transit trains (and I'm a complete novice to any kind of public transportation [anywhere] whatsoever), what would be the route be? Where would I need to board the train? Any changeover? Or is there a direct train to Jersey City, and how long would it take (point to point)?
Getting from 10 Ridgedale Avenue, Madison, NJ 07940 to Hudson Street in Jersey City - how long would this take? Need to be on I-78W for about 17 miles and then, on Rt-24W for about 3m (a total of 24 miles).
Also, if I were to take the train, what would the route be, and how long would that take? I tried to find out the route from the NJ Transit site, but got nowhere, perhaps due to my lack of understanding of public transportation in general, and no knowledge of NJ transit, in specific
I don't know about driving, but here's the directions for NJ Transit:
1. Take a Morris & Essex train from Madison to Hoboken. Get a copy of the schedule here: http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/current/r0040.pdf (broken link).
2. From Hoboken, get on the PATH train that goes to the World Trade Center. Go two stops and get off at Exchange Place. Hudson Street should be right around there. More info and schedules available here: http://www.panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/path/html/time.html (broken link). However, keep in mind the PATH runs all day long every 5-15 minutes so don't worry about trying to time these trains. They're more like subways than commuter trains.
Just eyeballing it, I would guess this will take anywhere from 1 to 1.5 hours door-to-door.
Getting from 10 Ridgedale Avenue, Madison, NJ 07940 to Hudson Street in Jersey City - how long would this take? Need to be on I-78W for about 17 miles and then, on Rt-24W for about 3m (a total of 24 miles).
Also, if I were to take the train, what would the route be, and how long would that take? I tried to find out the route from the NJ Transit site, but got nowhere, perhaps due to my lack of understanding of public transportation in general, and no knowledge of NJ transit, in specific
Hudson Street, huh? Going to work for GS???
If you can wait around 2 1/2 years, my company is currently building two 50-story towers at 77 Hudson- one rental and one condo. They'd be happy to take your reservation now....lol.
* After getting off at Hoboken, you mentioned I should take the PATH train, but I couldn't find a train that leaves from Hoboken to Exchange Place in that pdf file. Sorry if I missed it, but would you mind clarifying?
* The monthly cost if $198 (from Madison to Hoboken). I assume this is an after-tax rate (and can't be pretax). What is the parking cost at the PATH station, plus the cost to get to exchange place? I need to know all this to the last penny so that I could ask my consulting firm if they would reimburse.
* I gather, commuting by car is not really an option in the NJ-NY area, as nobody (atleast, folks that have responded to my questions) seems to taking that alternative.
I'm considering relocating from VA where I don't pay for parking, live 15 mts from my office and don't pay any tolls. So, I am trying to get an idea for how much more I should get paid to even maintain the same standard of living in NJ.
If I got paid $100K in VA - no parking costs, no tolls, 15 mts from home (so, about 10 miles each way, tops, for gas costs) - how much should I expect to get paid in NJ to maintain the same standard of living?
I understand the state tax is higher than VA, sales tax is higher and real estate tax is higher too.
The PATH trains run on a different system from NJ Transit, but I believe they share a terminal in Hoboken- you'd just walk across a platform to get from the NJ Transit train to the PATH train.
The PATH train runs direct from Hoboken to Exchange Place- I think there's only one stop in between. The cost is $1.50/ride ($3/day), and there are multi-trip tickets available, though I don't believe they save you much at all.
You mentioned parking at the PATH stations. There's isn't a parking lot/deck at the Hoboken station, and there's not a whole lot available in the way of parking in Hoboken in general. If you wanted to park in a lot there, you'd be looking at around $25-30/day, depending on what time you got in (early-bird specials).
Regarding driving into JC, many people do it, and some of the buildings on Hudson Street have garages attached which the employees can use (I don't know if they pay extra for the spot). There are also several lots/garages nearby, with similar rates to what I mentioned above, with some offering monthly discounts (still probably $400/month). You'll also be paying the Turnpike tolls of around $5/day to get from Route 78 to Jersey City. Depending on the time of day you go in and out of JC, the ride would likely be around an hour, with the occasional delays due to accidents, weather, etc.
Thanks BobKovacs. Really appreciate it. That was very useful information. So, this is what I understand so far (please correct me if something is wrong):
Driving:
* Costs about $400/month.
* Toll costs about $5 a day, so $100 a month (for 4 weeks).
* Total after-tax cost is $500/month, so about $6000/year. Pre-tax would therefore be about $8800 per year.
* Takes about 1 hour if all goes well, else we are talking about 1.5 hours.
Train:
* Costs about $200/month (upto Hoboken).
* Costs $3/day, so $60/month from Hoboken to Exchange place.
* Parking at Madison station is $2/day, so $40/month.
* Total cost is $300/month after-tax, and therefore, $5300 per year.
* Takes about 1.5 hours overall.
Please let me know if I missed any costs here. Thanks.
The only thing to consider on top of the +/- 1.5 hours of train/PATH commuting is that you haven't factored in the time to get to the train station, walk to the platform, and wait for the train. There's also the lag between getting off the train and waiting for the PATH train (they don't run in a perfectly synchronized timetable, though during rush hour it's not too bad). Given that, you're likely closer to 2 hours door to door.
You are kidding me, BobKovacs, aren't you!? 2 hours door-to-door... phew.. I thought the 1.5 hours included pretty much everything, but I guess not So, to understand this correctly -
* Apartment or house to Madison station - say, 10 mts.
* Wait for train - say, 5 mts.
* Train to Hoboken (assume it is a direct train with no transfers) - 45 mts.
* Get off train, change terminal, wait for PATH train - 10 mts.
* Train to Exchange place - 10 mts (i assume).
* Get off train, walk to building 101 on Hudson street - 10 mts.
So, this came upto 90 mts (1.5 hours). Since you mention 2 hours, did I miss anything in between here, or am I just being overly optimistic about the commute times?
Thanks again, and appreciate your inputs.
To give you a background, this is where I am coming from:
* Live in Northern VA.
* Live about 15 mts from work (25 mts if there is terrible traffic, no more). The time I go, I've done it in 13 mts (earliest).
* No tolls, parking is free.
* I've never taken public transportation ever in my life and have always driven to work, with the commute always being under 25 mts (usually 15 to 20 mts).
Given this, I'm considering if I'd be happy working in Jersey City, and if I would ever get used to the commute and whether it is going to make my lifestyle any better. The money is no different, if you add up all the costs, so I'd be relocating to NJ with pretty much the same salary (plus, all the added commute).
I do a commute between Madison and the WTC center. I can make the WTC in an hour door to door. Here's what I do - take Rt 24 to 78, then take 78 until exiting onto Route 21 in Newark. Take Route 21 to Penn Station and park. From Penn Station, take the PATH train to Exchange Place. If you leave around 7:30 AM, this trip should take no longer than 60 minutes. If you leave earlier, I think you could whittle the commute down to 45 minutes. As far as expense goes, parking around Penn Station costs around $185, the PATH costs about $42, and then factor in gas. Taking the train from Madison takes longer because you have to find parking, walk to the train, and the train does not go as fast as your car during rush hour.
Let me know if I can be of anymore help.
Royce
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