Millburn, Summit to Grand Central..drive/PATH/train? (Newark, Fairfield: house, transfer)

[cali2nyc]

Please help. I know these areas are pricey and are great commute areas for Penn Station...but hubby works by Grand Central. Should I give up on Jersey and look to Westchester or CT or is Millburn commute to GC okay? Also, how long is the trip?

[veuvegirl]

You can look on NJT for the times of the train. Summit is great for frequent trains going to and from NYC. Great town and schools.

[HeckOutOfNJ]

CT you have to pay personal property tax on your vehicle.....

Summit/Milburn is great to catch the Midtown Direct...from there you can easily find a shuttle to Grand Central.

Did it for three months....not a bad 40 minutes...sometimes less.

[elflord1973]

Originally Posted by cali2nyc

Please help. I know these areas are pricey and are great commute areas for Penn Station...but hubby works by Grand Central. Should I give up on Jersey and look to Westchester or CT or is Millburn commute to GC okay? Also, how long is the trip?

one of my coworkers (near WTC) commutes from short hills. It's about 75min door to door. Grand central should be similar, maybe slightly longer.

I doubt that CT would give you a shorter commute.

[cali2nyc]

so should I count on 1.5 hrs each way door to door from Summit to GC? Yikes.

[cali2nyc]

why are u heck out of nj?

[Appias]

What kind of a commute are you looking for (ie, no more than an hour door to door)? CT would be a longer commute, though it does have other advantages (like low property taxes). Westchester county might be a good fit if you can afford the high prices and the high taxes.

[Lusitan]

Originally Posted by cali2nyc

hubby works by Grand Central. Should I give up on Jersey and look to Westchester or CT or is Millburn commute to GC okay? Also, how long is the trip?

You're easily looking at 1.5 hours each way, door-to-door, from NJ.

The answer is: yes, you should look at Westchester and CT. If I worked close to Grand Central I would definitely focus on Westchester/CT, it makes a huge difference when you're commuting every day.

I would think you can find something in Westchester if you're considering Millburn. CT would indeed be a bit farther, but keep in mind that if given the choice between:

(A) a longer train ride from CT on MetroNorth plus a short walk to the office from Grand Central

(B) a shorter train ride on NJ Transit into Penn Station, and then having to schlep across town to Grand Central

I would pick the CT option hands-down if it were the same end-to-end commute time, or even if it were a bit longer. Commutes are easier when there is less transfer and hassle; a few extra minutes sitting on the train are worth not having to schlep across town for no reason.

[debkiwi]

I used to live in Millburn (South Mountain section). LOVED IT. Commuted to Penn Station each day and then up to midtown. Never minded the train part of the commute - enjoyed it even. In peak times its about 35-40 minutes in to Penn Station and 40-50 out. Don't think I ever had to stand.

Not sure what your situation is but when we moved there we didn't realize we were also buying into a better than great school district.

We were uncertain about whether to go to Westchester or Millburn - got off the train in Millburn on a lovely day in April "just to look" and put an offer on a house the next day. Its worth taking the train out to have a look around.

[Appias]

07:04 AM - MNEG 08:18 AM 74 minutes (transfer Newark)
07:33 AM - MNE 08:16 AM 43 minutes
08:05 AM - MNE 08:58 AM 53 minutes (transfer Newark)
08:27 AM - MNE 09:10 AM 43 minutes

This is part of the morning train schedule from Millburn to Penn Station. You should add 15-20 min for getting to the station and 15-20 to get from Penn to Grand Central.

The return schedule snapshot. Add 30-40 min for door to door.
06:16 PM - MNE 06:58 PM 42 minutes
06:18 PM - BNTNM 07:12 PM 54 minutes (transfer Newark)
06:43 PM - MNE 07:29 PM 46 minutes
07:15 PM - MNE 07:55 PM 40 minutes

Millburn has great schools, the upscale towns in Westchester have great schools and Fairfield county has great schools.