Montclair Bloomfield Ave commute to Midtown NYC

[lammius]

A few years ago I lived on Bloomfield Ave in Montclair, up near Upper Mountain Ave. I took the DeCamp bus to the PABT. The 33 Bus goes right down Bloomfield Ave, hooks a left onto Grove Street and hits Route 3 to the Tunnel. The trip time varies from 40 minutes to 80 minutes depending on traffic and what time you go. I got on the bus at 7:30 and was in my office in East Midtown by 9. Earlier buses get you there faster. The fare was $5.95 each way, or you could get a 40-trip book of tickets for what worked out to about $5.30/trip. When leaving NYC, realize that DURING CERTAIN HOURS there are variations of the 33 Bus. The 33-G goes down Grove Street and up Bloomfield Avenue to Caldwell (that's the one you want). The 33-Montclair (sounds good, right?) goes down Broad Street in Bloomfield and ends at Lackawanna Terminal. I think there's also a 33 280-express which doesn't make any stops east of Verona. Also, I think the 66 Bus goes down Valley Road from Upper Montclair through Montclair Center on its way to West Orange.

I walked down to the Walnut Street train station a few times as an alternative. The total trip time ended up being about the same, but from Upper Mountain I had a long walk (up-hill both ways in the snow) to the train station. I rode bikes to the station for awhile but take it from my experience and the experience of fellow commuters, there's a BIG bike theft problem at Walnut Street Station. Montclair Police won't touch the issue and NJ Transit claims that moving the bike racks or installing bike lockers presents a "security issue."

Anyway, here's the DeCamp website: DeCamp provides daily commuter service in northern NJ

[Spincycle]

Originally Posted by lammius

Montclair Police won't touch the issue and NJ Transit claims that moving the bike racks or installing bike lockers presents a "security issue."

Both entities should be pressured into making a change. After all the taxpayers are shelling out a fortune for their salaries and pensions. Pressure 'em both till something happens. Sweaky wheel gets the grease.

[Ninjahedge]

I got on the bus at 7:30 and was in my office in East Midtown by 9.

Ouch.

*crosses off Montclair as a possible residence.....*

[lammius]

Originally Posted by Ninjahedge

Ouch.

*crosses off Montclair as a possible residence.....*

Well for me it didn't work out because I worked in Murray Hill. I had an hour on the bus, then a 20-25 minute walk to get to the office from the Bus Terminal. If your job is close to the bus terminal or Penn Station, it's better. And better still if you live close to one of the train stations in Montclair, because the train is faster than the bus. I didn't use the train because I lived way out on the edge of Montclair Township, far from the rail line.

[mtoneil]

Originally Posted by lammius

Well for me it didn't work out because I worked in Murray Hill. I had an hour on the bus, then a 20-25 minute walk to get to the office from the Bus Terminal. If your job is close to the bus terminal or Penn Station, it's better. And better still if you live close to one of the train stations in Montclair, because the train is faster than the bus. I didn't use the train because I lived way out on the edge of Montclair Township, far from the rail line.

Thanks, good to know. I work at 3 Times Square so I could scratch the 20-25 minute walk down to about 3

[elflord1973]

Originally Posted by Ninjahedge

Ouch.

*crosses off Montclair as a possible residence.....*

Montclair is about as fast a commute as you're going to get from a "nice suburban town". You know those posts that talk about 30 minute commutes from suburban neighborhoods ? They're just talking about the njtransit ride.

If you want under 1hr door to desk, you'd better be in Hudson County or New York City.

[Ninjahedge]

Um....


I am in a brownstone in Hoboken now and it takes me 45 minutes to get to work....

So switching to a place that would take more time to get even as far as I am at now is not a good thing.

The other thing that is a downer is the fact that people selling homes also know that places close to the station are better. They get prohibitively expensive. Any non run-of-the-mill house with a decent layout and floor space was EASILY over $500K when we were looking.

Maybe they came down a bit, but it is still a substantial cost.....


With the kid here, however, we may be more motivated to start looking again, I am just not looking forward to any commute over 60 minutes and restricted after a certain hour (last train/last bus can limit any after-work or overtime activity).....


I just figured saying "bummer" was faster than going into all the nitty-gritty.......

[elflord1973]

Originally Posted by Ninjahedge

Um....


I am in a brownstone in Hoboken now and it takes me 45 minutes to get to work....

So switching to a place that would take more time to get even as far as I am at now is not a good thing.

It's a trade off. "Nice suburban town" means longer commute. If you want to keep your short commute, you probably should stay in Hoboken -- it's about as family friendly as you will get with a short commute.

[Ninjahedge]

My commute used to me 20 minutes, until I moved uptown and started working on the East side...