Highland Park--NYC commute? (Newark, Edison, Trenton: how much, home, buy)

[Mdude]

My wife and I are considering moving to Highland Park (NJ). We are trying to figure out what options she would have in terms of employment/graduate school, and we're wondering if it's realistic for her to look for jobs or grad. programs in NYC?

I know the closest train station is in New Brunswick. Are there people out there who have done this commute? Does everybody get a seat on the train? Is parking available at the New Brunswick station--if so, how much is it, and how much do people pay for tix if they buy a monthly pass?

The train ride is 50 mins, but you need to account for time to get there, and to get to wherever you are going within NYC. I'm curious to hear about people's experience with this commute.

Thanks!

[lammius]

Mdude, I lived in Highland Park when I was a student at RU. Depending on how far into Highland Park your place will be, it could be a schlep to get to New Brunswick station (parts of HP are actually closer to Edison station). From 5th and Raritan it's roughly a 20 minute walk to New Brunswick Station. Parking exists, but the last time I checked (2005) the waiting list at Ferren Parking Deck was 7 years long. There are bicycle racks at NB station if your wife likes to bike, and there are two NJ Transit bus routes that go from Raritan Ave to NB station (the 810 and 814 bus routes). There's a cab stand at NB station, and a couple years ago it was about $5 to take a cab to HP. I only used cabs to get home when the weather was awful.

So, adding up the time... Assume your wife walks to the station (20 minutes), gives herself 5 minutes waiting time at the station to be safe. So we're at 25 minutes by the time she boards the train. The train takes 50 minutes (65 if it's a local train). So she'll arrive at Penn Station 75 minutes after leaving home. Give 5-7 minutes to get off the platform and out of Penn Station onto a subway platform or the street. Then she has to get to wherever she's going in the City. We're getting close to 90-100 minutes at this point.

Seats can be hard to come by on many trains. The expresses NJ Transit runs have all different kinds of combinations. Some stop at Trenton, Hamilton, Princeton, New Brunswick, Newark, New York. Some stop at Jersey Ave, New Brunswick, Edison, Metuchen, Metropark, then express to Newark. Depending on the pattern your wife's regular train will take, the train could be practically empty or practically full by the time she boards in New Brunswick.

For monthly fares, go to njtransit.com. If you look at the train schedules station to station, it'll give you the timetable and the fares (one-way, roundtrip, weekly and monthly).

In sum, I'd say it can be done. It's a long commute, but I knew people who did it day in and day out. And some of my RU classmates lived in NYC and did a reverse-commute out to New Brunswick for class/work. Good luck deciding!

[RUNYYfan]

+1 on lammius' comments. The walk during winter can be hell, especially with ice along the footpath of the Albany Street Bridge and the wind that whips down the Raritan River.

As for the question about jobs and/or grad. programs in NYC, it depends upon what she is looking for. Jobs in NYC are available in certain economic niches but most are going to require either some type of certification or an advanced degree, at least right now.

In NYC, there are many colleges that have excellent graduate schools. Here are a few links for those schools:

The New School

Columbia University

Fordham University

You may also want to take a look at GradSchools.com.

Hope this helps.

[Thosepeskyfacts]

Good post lammius. Much more in tune with reality than posts I see from people claiming it's a 45-minute commute from Matawan to NYC.

[NY/NJ]

Hello all:

I will be commuting from Newark Penn Station to Route 206 & Province Rd in Lawrenceville, NJ. I would prefer to take the train, however, there does not appear to be any direct shuttles to the destination. I know there is a bus (NJ 606) that links from Princeton Junction Station. I'm curious to see if there are any other alternatives such as carpooling that will get you from the train station to Lawrenceville.