Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It's just one train, but it'll take a hot minute. You have to pass through a solid half of Manhattan just to reach Brooklyn. And then you have to stay on for a bit to get to your stop. I'd guesstimate a good, oh, 45 minutes each way at least. And this isn't taking into consideration however far you may be from the train in Astoria...
It's just one train, but it'll take a hot minute. You have to pass through a solid half of Manhattan just to reach Brooklyn. And then you have to stay on for a bit to get to your stop. I'd guesstimate a good, oh, 45 minutes each way at least. And this isn't taking into consideration however far you may be from the train in Astoria...
I hear that not only is parking a nightmare in Astoria, but that the traffic getting out of there is a nightmare, but the above link is a pretty active forum for the area and someone should be able to speak from experience.
I used to travel by N train from Pacific Street to Broadway. That took 90 minutes or more one way. Getting to Luthuran is at least another half hour, plus the walk from 4th Ave.
By car is the only reasonable way to get there.
Highway traffic is generally good everywhere before 8am. From Astoria you'll take the BQE all the way to the Gowanus Expwy. But there will be tieups at the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridge exists. Beyond that you can get caught up in the 'Cut' past Atlantic Avenue thru Red Hook/Boreum Hill; and if you make thru there then you have to traverse the interchange of the BQE/Battery Tunnel/Prospect Expressway/Gowanus Expressway. Then you've got to get down the Gowanus, which is no easy task, particularly if the Verranzano Bridge is backed up.
Personally, I will not drive thru that 'Cut' under any circumstances, no matter the time of day! NEVER! Sometimes, perhaps most times, you'll get thru. But if there is an accident or the slightest issue, you are STUCK! Nowhere to go accept sit and wait. The only thing worse is the Cross Bronx Expwy. Because its much longer.
The Interchange can be difficult to drive safely, as well as a super clog. EVERDAY for as long as I can remember there is an accident! During rush hour it is a nightmare. So is the Gowanus.
At 5pm I would avoid ALL NYC highways----PERIOD!
****
Frankly, traveling thru the streets is the better way to go. Sometimes it may add 10 or 15 minutes to your trip, but its a good tradeoff versus the chance of getting caught in highway traffic with nowhere to go. That could add an hour to your trip. Daily work commute, stick to the streets.
That said, learning your way thru the streets, most efficiently, will require someone to show you the way. One leg from Astoria is either Vernon Blvd or 21st St to McGuiness Blvd and over the bridge. You're in Brooklyn now, and from here there's a couple of ways to go. I'd give you detail, but there's too many twist and turns and I don't recal the names of the all the streets.
Experiment, that's how I learned my way around.
Luck!
****
My personal driving philosphy is that of a Shark. If I stop, I die!
The trip should take about 90 minutes. You would have to walk over to the (N), and then take it to 59th Street, and then walk over to 1st Avenue.
If you wanted to speed your trip up, you could use your transfer to take a crosstown bus (the Q18, Q19, Q69, Q102, Q104, or M60) to the subway, depending on where in Astoria you live.
At the other end, of your trip, there is the B11 bus, which travels from the 53rd Street station on the (R) line to the hospital, saving you about a 10 minute walk. However, I would only recommend it if you see the (R) across the platform at 36th Street, or else you will lose all of that time waiting for the (R).
If you plan to make the trip with the subway and 2 buses, I would suggest buying the monthly MetroCard to save money.
The trip should take about 90 minutes. You would have to walk over to the (N), and then take it to 59th Street, and then walk over to 1st Avenue.
If you wanted to speed your trip up, you could use your transfer to take a crosstown bus (the Q18, Q19, Q69, Q102, Q104, or M60) to the subway, depending on where in Astoria you live.
At the other end, of your trip, there is the B11 bus, which travels from the 53rd Street station on the (R) line to the hospital, saving you about a 10 minute walk. However, I would only recommend it if you see the (R) across the platform at 36th Street, or else you will lose all of that time waiting for the (R).
If you plan to make the trip with the subway and 2 buses, I would suggest buying the monthly MetroCard to save money.
Let me think: When you're driving, you have to be completely alert. On the highway, you have to look out for merging cars, and look for ways to get off the expressway when you're stuck in traffic.
If you take local streets, you have to make sure you don't hit a pedestrian or a streetlamp or anything.
And of course, you have to pay for gas that is approaching $5 per gallon, as well as additional maintainance.
If you take the subway, you'll have a comfortable ride once you are in Brooklyn, since the crowds are lighter (the OP would be traveling reverse-peak). Rather than be forced to pay attention to the road, the OP could zone out and listen to music.
That, plus the fact that it is cheaper than driving means that public transportation is a reasonable option.
MUCH WORSE!!!!! NYC and BQE are not for cars the traffic you will literally go nowhere The N train is way better the BQE and downtown traffic the car commute will be almost double that of the train.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
