Live in NYC, commute to NJ, possible? (Hanover, Holland: car insurance, home)

[light.packers]

Hi Folks,
I am offered a job opportunity in East Hanover, NJ. If accepting the job, my partner and I would like to live in Manhattan (below 34th St.), NY. We are both from San Francisco; we believe that we would feel more at home in NYC. However, living in NYC means I'd commute to East Hanover, NJ daily. Could someone who is already doing this type of commute share their experience with me? I especially want to know if NJ Transit is reliable? How costly$$ is the commute? Ex-commuters can also tell me why you decided to quit and where do you live now? Thanks!

[mead]

Honestly I would advise against this. The whole living in NYC is a great idea, commuting all the way out to East Hanover, not so much. To drive it, in the best of circumstances is going to take about an hour. With some rush hour traffic I could see that easily going up to an hour and a half.

NJ transit is fairly reliable, however there is no train station in East Hanover to my knowledge. Will your company run a shuttle from a neighborhing town to your office? To get the train to that area takes slightly over an hour.

[Viralmd]

I did a reverse commute, from Manhattan to Clifton, for almost four years. Getting there in the morning was a piece of cake. Getting home is an entirely different matter. Two hours in my car (I had a car at that time) for either the Lincoln or Holland tunnel was beyond awful. I even wondered, for the first two weeks, whether I could even tolerate it. I considered quitting, that's how bad it was. Until I found the solution: George Washington Bridge. Unless the Yankees had a home game, going 22 miles out of my way got me home in less than 40 minutes.

Living down below 34th Street, however, you might find this a TRUE pain in the neck.

[mead]

Originally Posted by Viralmd

I did a reverse commute, from Manhattan to Clifton, for almost four years. Getting there in the morning was a piece of cake. Getting home is an entirely different matter. Two hours in my car (I had a car at that time) for either the Lincoln or Holland tunnel was beyond awful. I even wondered, for the first two weeks, whether I could even tolerate it. I considered quitting, that's how bad it was. Until I found the solution: George Washington Bridge. Unless the Yankees had a home game, going 22 miles out of my way got me home in less than 40 minutes.

Living down below 34th Street, however, you might find this a TRUE pain in the neck.

Yeah but the problem with the OP's plan is that East Hanover is a further 25-30 minutes drive west of Clifton.

[Viralmd]

Yes, Mead, I realize that. That's why I said that I only had to go to Clifton.

[indodoc]

Originally Posted by light.packers

Hi Folks,
I am offered a job opportunity in East Hanover, NJ. If accepting the job, my partner and I would like to live in Manhattan (below 34th St.), NY. We are both from San Francisco; we believe that we would feel more at home in NYC. However, living in NYC means I'd commute to East Hanover, NJ daily. Could someone who is already doing this type of commute share their experience with me? I especially want to know if NJ Transit is reliable? How costly$$ is the commute? Ex-commuters can also tell me why you decided to quit and where do you live now? Thanks!

I will be in the same situation as you starting June; travel from Manhattan to Denville NJ. And given the nature of my job (multiple locations) I plan to commute by car. There are a few people in the hospital that I plan to go to who do the same. According to them the morning commute is not bad but the evening commute can be long.
While making your decision make sure you also factor in tolls, car insurance, congestion charges and car parking costs. Ultimately, if you still wanna go through with getting a car you can see how it goes for a few weeks and them make a decision (provided you're not buying a new one just for the commute) whether you want to continue or move closer to your work.
Good Luck.

[light.packers]

Thank you all for the input. Once I confirm that my new employer offers shuttle service from NJ Transit station to the office, I will sell my car. I heard that car ownership in NYC is a huge stress. So, even if I need to keep the car for commute, I would park my car at a NJ Transit station; take the train from NYC to NJ, then drive to East Hanover. I also heard that there is a long waiting list for a parking spot at NJ Transit station. All and all, I really hope my new employer offers shuttle service. It helps decrease carbon footprint, too!