Commute to UES; family with kids; brainstorming alternatives to Westchester Co. (Union: condo, home)

[MovingFromPhila]

My husband is considering a job on the Upper East Side. We're hoping to buy a 3+ bedroom single family home in a decent school district. Budget is $600K - $650K. Several towns in Westchester seem like good options, but we're city people at heart and we like our close-knit, family-oriented neighborhood here in Philadelphia. Forest Hills seems popular in the forums...what about other parts of Queens? Is New Jersey even an option? We need to keep his commute under an hour. Thank you for any help you can offer!

[mc33433]

Forest Hills is convenient to the UES as the F train goes to 63rd and Lexington. Station to station, it's about 20 minutes. From there your husband could hop on a bus or take the 6 depending on where on the UES he is working.

[gimme it]

Former Manhattanites tend to like Montclair, NJ. Some people live right across the river in NJ. Lots of nice places very close to Manhattan. It has a NY vibe. Forest Hills is pretty, but lacking something. You might want to look into Park Slope in Brooklyn or maybe Cobble Hill. Go to Insideschools and check out the public school situation. Good school zones are key to happiness with children.

[citylove101]

From NJ across the George Washington Bridge you can easily be on the Upper East Side in an hour, even during rush hours--though there will definitely be some traffic. Towns with easy access to the bridge include Ft. Lee, Tenafly, Teaneck, Closter, Edgewater, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs and Alpine--though housing in the latter two could be over your limit. All have decent schools except for the HS that serves Englewood Cliffs, which is in Englewood NJ and not that great. The Cliffs and Alpine are the most suburban of this group. The others have small walkable downtowns. Not NYC, but defintely a cut above most suburbs.

Montclair is a lovely and sophisticated town--the Upper West Side with lawns--but its in Essex county, which would be quite a schlep to the UES, either driving or by public transit. My guess is more than an hour. Montclair is also infamous for its high property taxes.

[likeminas]

My vote goes to Forest Hills.

It's very nice (lots of green spaces), safe and very accesible (two express trains and LIIR) especially if you're going to midtown/Penn Station.

[spirits]

driving from NJ to the UES will be brutal, I would not advise it. I would suggest Forest Hills as well, very nice, safe community. Commute should be around 45 min and no driving needed.

[Febtober]

If you're still interested in Westchester, I used to live in Harrison, right across from the Metro North station. I just did a quick informal search on Craigslist and found a few properties that may match what you're looking for in your budget.

I really liked it; it was a nice neighborhood where everyone was out and about and you could walk to most little delis and shops and things that would need on a regular basis. Most trains to 125th take about 35 minutes, although they also run expresses that get down to 24 minutes. From 125th you can hop on the 4/5/6 to wherever on the UES you need.

An hour might be cutting it close depending on exactly where you're going, but I bet you could make it. Or Google says you can drive it in about 35-40 minutes, but I rarely drove that route, so I can't comment on if that's accurate or not.

[nybbler]

NJ is probably not a good choice for a commute to the Upper East Side, except Hoboken and Newport, neither of which has the school district you're looking for.

[WithDisp]

Ummm. Don't let you kid go to the NYCDOE.

[bigappleguide1]

how about living in the williamsburg section of brooklyn? there are new condo buildings with spectacular city views convenient to everything. the L subway at Bedford Ave is only 3 stops to Union Square where a quick transfer to the #4-5-6 trains take one to the upper eastside.
In Westchester, i'd look at the towns of Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Scarsdale, Mamaroneck, White Plains. No furthur north than white plains though...the metro north will leave you off at Grand Central Station where you can catch the #4-5-6 lines to the upper eastside.