Does anyone commute from Philly to NYC? (York, Ardmore: living, costs)

[dentist]

I truly need an honest poll or testimonies from anyone who uses the Acela Express or other trains to commute each day to NYC from Philly or New Jersey. I am a healthcare provider and have received some job offers at a few hospitals and really want to hear from those who commute. Can it be done? Is it hard? How long have you commuted by train? In all honesty, I just don't want to live in NYC. I am 40, love the quietness of the suburbs. I also don't want the high cost of rent. Thanks so much.

[newmarlig]

I know there is a group of people that get on the Metroliner at 30th Street. They sit together and celebrate holidays. If you are in the Bucks County suburbs, you can drive (or take the R7 SEPTA train) to Trenton and take either NJ Transit, or Amtrak (but not the Metroliner or Acela).

[rcguy55]

Yes, I commute regularly to NYC from Philly mainly because my job requires me to be in two locations and Philly is the primary location.

Here are your options:

Amtrak (my favorite) is the most convenient and the fastest way to go. Trains leave out of 30th St Station and there are 2 basic Amtrak options:

Acela/Metroliner: 1hr. 12min. on average, $78-$98 depending on the time
Regional: 1hr. 23-30min. $56-$62 depending on time

Trains come into Penn. Station in New York. Trains leave every 15-30 minutes during peak hours and always at least every hour. I find it very comfortable and easy to do some work on the train. The seats are nice and there are convenient tray tables. There are 1 month unlimited commuter passes that cost around $1000 and are also convenient. Amtrak offers lots of discounts (10%-15%) if you book your ticket at least 3 days in advance if you are a AAA member and others.

SEPTA/NJ Transit (a real hassle) is a cost effective way to get you to NYC. Take the R7 from 30th St. Station/Suburban/Market East to Trenton this costs around $7-$8 and takes approx. 45 minutes. You then take NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line (NEC) to Penn. Station, this costs $11.50 and takes around 1h 30m. The connections are friendly, but it is time consuming and not very comfortable. I do not recommend this option unless you have a tight budget.

There are also the infamous Chinatown buses that now go from Philly's Chinatown to NYC's Port Authority, a little more convenient than before. They run 1 or 2 per hour and cost $12-$15 dollars. They say they can get you there in under 2 hours. Not pleasant, to say the least.

*******If you want to live in the suburbs of Philly you have these options:
There are direct Amtrak trains to NYC from two locations in the suburbs: Paoli & Ardmore. Both are great locations and fairly expensive. The tickets also tend to be slightly cheaper ($42-$56). From Paoli the time is 2 hr. 9-30min. and from Ardmore 2h 0-15min. It's so much longer than from Philly because there is a 20-30 minute stop once you reach Philly.
If you would rather live in cheaper suburbs you can take the SEPTA line from wherever that is into the city and then chose Amtrak or SEPTA/NJT from there.

To sum things up: The only sane way in my opinion is to live in Philly and take one of the Amtrak trains. If you live in Paoli or Ardmore, the extra hour can really ware you out. If this is a daily commute, as many many do from Philly to NYC, I can only recommend living very close to Philly's 30th St. Station and taking Amtrak. By the way, Amtrak also makes stops in NJ such as: Trenton, Princeton Junction, Metropark, New Brunswick, Newark.

I hope this helps!! Good luck!

[ilikepbandj]

Hi

I moved to Glen Mills last year with my wife and was just laid off. I hooked up with a nice position back in NYC (after moving from NJ to here). Now I need to commute back.

These are great posts. Anyone have any information on cheap parking at 30th street>

Any groups that travel together on a regular basis. I am interested in hearing from all.
Thanks
Mike

[juxzta1]

I've been doing it on an average four times a week for the past 14 years.If your taking acela its a real breeze. Its quick and painless unlike dental work.Im an actor so thats why I do it. However I take public transportation with all the other executives from philly who do it everyday and they dont complain so.And thats New Jersey Transit out of trenton after youve taken Septa from 30th street!!!! So Acela your sittin pretty nice! NO joke.HOpe this helps. Take the gig!! Its NYC!!!!!! TG