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Curious if anyone does a reverse commute from Brooklyn or Manhattan to Mineola or Hempstead on the Long Island Railroad?
I am considering starting a job in Uniondale. I have some concerns about the commute...
How packed are the 8 am ish trains out of Flatbush, or penn station?
What do you do once you arrive in Long Island? take a bus, cab ???
My plan so far was to take the LIRR from Flatbush to Hempstead, then grab the N16. Or Flatbush to Mineola, then hop on the N24? The Hempstead looks like it would be quicker.. less bus, and a bit more train time.
The other option would be to get a car and drive from prospect park area Brooklyn to Uniondale? Via BQE to LIE. Not sure what traffic would be like at 8am. Any alternate route suggestions!
Any estimates on time, frustration and so on would be greatly appreciated.
I am currently estimating both options at 1:10 minutes.
If you drive, consider this route... Eastern Pkwy to the Jackie Robinson Pkwy which leads to the Grand Central Pkwy. Grand Central becomes the Northern State when you hit LI. Depending on where in Mineola you need to get to, you have a couple of options of where to exit. Probably best to get off at Jericho Tpke and head west... but you could exit at Roslyn Road & go south or go down to Old Country Rd and head west from there, too. That will take you towards the county buildings & courthouses.
Traffic shouldn't be too bad at all but tyou will be going against the lights on Eastern Pkwy.
Well, in theory, LIRR trains heading to Penn Station or Flatbush Av. in the morning are the ones that get uncomfortably crowded. In your case, reverse peak trains shouldn't have that problem. Same thing in regards to driving eastward during the morning rush. The BQE before the LIE will get crowded w/ drivers heading towards the bridges and the tunnel, but after you merge w/ the LIE, it should be a clean drive out there.
I was commuting from Manhattan to Hempstead for work when I first moved here. I was told by the place of employment it would take me 45min. From door to door it took 1hr 45min on a good day. I had to take a subway to Penn St, the LIRR, and then a cab . It sucked, I don't recommend it. The LIRR was never really crowded though except on a Friday afternoon when people are coming into the city for dinner or something.
Second, you should be aware that about one-in-five places that have a "Uniondale, NY 11553" mailing address are not in Uniondale (those places are in East Garden City, to the north of Uniondale).
For those who may not be familiar with Uniondale:
Uniondale is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the north-center section of the Town of Hempstead, in the central part of Nassau County.
Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Uniondale in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of East Garden City; on the east by the Hamlet of East Meadow and the Hamlet of North Merrick; on the south by the Hamlet of Roosevelt and the Hamlet of Baldwin; and, on the west by the Village of Hempstead.
The Hamlet of Uniondale has a different border than does the "Uniondale, NY 11553" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have an "Uniondale, NY 11553" mailing address and not be in the Hamlet of Uniondale): places that have a "Uniondale, NY 11553" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Uniondale are in the Hamlet of East Garden City.
For a good set of town-by-town maps showing all the villages and hamlets in each of LI's 13 towns (3 in Nassau County and 10 in Suffolk County): Excellent Long Island Geographic Resource
I was commuting from Manhattan to Hempstead for work when I first moved here. I was told by the place of employment it would take me 45min. From door to door it took 1hr 45min on a good day. I had to take a subway to Penn St, the LIRR, and then a cab . It sucked, I don't recommend it. The LIRR was never really crowded though except on a Friday afternoon when people are coming into the city for dinner or something.
It can be rough but it's better if you live and work near the LIRR. I lived about 3 blocks from the Flatbush station and had to commute to Westbury for a month for a project. It was about 45 mins on the train and my time getting to and from the LIRR was minimal.
My dad, though, came from central NJ to Midtown for a couple of years, and though it was officially one hour on the train it took 2 hours door to door, once you added in the time spent getting from his house to the train station out there, and then getting from Penn Station to 54th and Park.
It sounds like a great commute. Your going the other way everybody else and their mother is going. But to really know you have got to do it during the times you will be commuting. Its the only way to reallyl find out. Good luck luck with it.
I looked at schedules and figured out I can take the LIRR from Flatbush, to Hempstead, and then grab the bus two stops! and woosh! I am about a 1/4 block from work!
I am also considering a Car. I had been wondering about the Jackie Robinson route that was suggested and its nice to know its a possibilty. I have asking Cab drivers...
I ploted both the BQE from the park slope area to the office and the Jackie Robinson to the office, both are about 30 miles give or take a mile.. So now I have to give it a test run, and see which way is smoother!
Thanks All!
Miss. Marshmellow28
Last edited by marshmellow28; 04-11-2008 at 01:26 PM..
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A map showing where the LIRR stations are located
