Commuting to NYC 5 days a week (Philadelphia, Allentown: car insurance, how much, cheap house)

[Donnach]

hello All. I was hoping to get some input from all of you.
I currently work in NYC--SOHO area.
I would like to move to PA because of cheaper property tax, med insurance, homes, car insurance. (Currently living in NJ close to NY and the cost is just ridiculous)
I'm not that picky about where to live in PA (married but no kids) as long as the neighborhood is safe and there are grocery stores and other stores conveniently located.
What would be the most economical, safest area to live to be able to commute to NYC?
I don't mind being on a bus/train for an hour and a half but I refuse to drive half hour to Trenton, to only get on a train that will take to me to a bus which then takes me to the subway etc.
Also looking for a fairly inexpensive area--don't want to pay NJ prices while living in PA and then dealing with a longer commute.
Any suggestions?

[AlexisT]

You'll kill yourself commuting. There's no train service. Ask the people who bought all those cheap houses in NEPA.

[Donnach]

really? but it seems like a lot of people live in PA and commute to NY. It is doable, no?

[AlexisT]

People do it. Does that mean it's doable? Check the driving and bus times. East Stroudsburg, which is right over the Delaware, is 76 miles. It only gets further. You have a 2 hour bus ride EACH WAY, or you drive it which is worse. How much is your time worth? Frankly, I'm not sure anywhere is cheap enough for me to commute over 4 hours a day (don't forget getting from the Port Authority to SoHo, either!)

A lot of the people who do it bought based on promises of train service that never materialized, and now they're stuck.

Save up and buy in NJ (you can go further out than where you are now), or find a job elsewhere. Don't sign up for this, because if you hate it, you won't be able to get out.

[toobusytoday]

An alternative to the NEPA or Lehigh Valley is to look at Bucks County and take the train in. If you post your question on the Philadelphia forum, posters there will give you suggestions.

[wanneroo]

When I hear people wanting to do this I can't believe my ears. I can't imagine spending 2-3 hours driving to work and then the same back. When do you have time to live?

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

An alternative to the NEPA or Lehigh Valley is to look at Bucks County and take the train in. If you post your question on the Philadelphia forum, posters there will give you suggestions.

A second option is to live in the Lehigh Valley (Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area) and either A) take Trans-Bridge Bus Lines to midtown Manhattan and the MTA subways/buses from there or B) drive to either the Clinton area or Bridgewater area and take the NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line to Newark Penn Station, the PATH train to the WTC site, and MTA subways/buses from there. With the NJ Transit option, the Raritan Valley Line trains have a limited number of trips to/from the Clinton area (or more accurately just east of Clinton) but run pretty frequently to Bridgewater (which I think has free parking - the station is next to the Somerset Patriots baseball park). Trans-Bridge bus service is very frequent.

A third option is to live in the Stroudsburg-East Stroudsburg area and either A) take Martz Trailways to Manhattan (it stops in multiple locations, including I think some near SoHo) or B) drive to either Hackettstown or Dover and take the NJ Transit Morris & Essex Line to Hoboken or New York Penn Station and MTA subways/buses from there. With the NJ Transit option, I think M&E trains that go from Hackettstown only go to Hoboken, so if you wanted Midtown Direct service you'd need to go to Dover. Martz Trailways service, like Trans-Bridge service, is very frequent.

A fourth option is to take the Metro-North/NJ Transit Port Jervis Line to Port Jervis, NY. Port Jervis is just across the Delaware River from Matamoras, PA and is close to Milford, PA. (All 3 places are near the spot where PA, NJ, and NY intersect.) Those trains go to Secaucus Junction, and you could transfer from there to any NJ Transit train that goes to NY Penn Station. That trip would almost be definitely longer than the other options listed however.

I personally think commuting from the Lehigh Valley, the Stroudsburg-East Stroudsburg area, or especially the Port Jervis-Matamoras area to/from Manhattan is crazy (and being in SoHo and not midtown or lower Manhattan makes it worse), but that's just me.

[scottrpriester]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

When I hear people wanting to do this I can't believe my ears.

I can't either. People place such little value in personal time anymore.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by scottrpriester

I can't either. People place such little value in personal time anymore.

Some of us can't help it though. My commute can easily exceed a half-hour each way, and I only live 7.5 miles from my office. People in PA are spoiled---1 mile doesn't necessarily equate to roughly 1 minute for everyone.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Some of us can't help it though. My commute can easily exceed a half-hour each way, and I only live 7.5 miles from my office. People in PA are spoiled---1 mile doesn't necessarily equate to roughly 1 minute for everyone.

You mean people in the rural area's of PA are spoiled. Having lived in the outskirts of Philadelphia, we quickly learned what roads to avoid at what time of day. The OP is talking about driving into the lions den every day and thinks it will be a piece of cake.