best area for commuting to Financial District NYC? (Ardmore, Morrisville: rental, schools)

[DonaldJTrump]

What is the best area to live in for a morning weekday rushour commute to NYC FiDi, using public transportation? or combination of car/public transportation?

[1timbo1]

I think the best areas would be near 30th Street Station or Trenton/Princeton. In Center City near 30th Street Station, it's very easy to take Amtrak for a 90 minute trip to Penn Station. Near Trenton the express to Penn is roughly 75 minutes. Most people use the Princeton Junction station which has a huge parking lot. Living near Princeton during inclement weather or other issues with NJ Transit you have a better option to occasionally drive, or drive to a closer station, whereas in Philly that would be rough with any frequent repetition.

[acenturi]

Originally Posted by 1timbo1

.....In Center City near 30th Street Station, it's very easy to take Amtrak for a 90 minute trip to Penn Station.............

70 Minutes (Acela Express)

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by DonaldJTrump

What is the best area to live in for a morning weekday rushour commute to NYC FiDi, using public transportation? or combination of car/public transportation?

Fort Lee

[Philly246]

lol
My wife did the center city to Midtown commute for 3-4 months with a Amtrak (and the Acela mostly). Doing that route is totally doable (and obviously expensive)...anything else seems suicidal.

[FrankInPhilly]

Originally Posted by DonaldJTrump

What is the best area to live in for a morning weekday rushour commute to NYC FiDi, using public transportation? or combination of car/public transportation?

You didn't specify any other constraints (housing cost, schools, etc.), so solely on the basis of "commutability" I'd second the Princeton area, in part because it's closer than Philly and because you have a choice of Amtrak ($$$$) or NJ Transit ($$). Whether it's Princeton, Trenton area, or Philly, you also have the "get to the station a little ahead of time" factor - my guess is that driving to a parking lot to the Princeton, Trenton (or even Hamilton) stations will be less problematic and more reliable time-wise than it would be with 30th St Station.

[DonaldJTrump]

Housing would be rental , 1 bdrm, but studio would be best.
School no concern.
Would rather live in the PA side, lower taxes than NJ?
What about Morrisville or Yardley, right on the other side of Trenton?

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by DonaldJTrump

Housing would be rental , 1 bdrm, but studio would be best.
School no concern.
Would rather live in the PA side, lower taxes than NJ?
What about Morrisville or Yardley, right on the other side of Trenton?

The auto commute from Yardley to Princeton Jct station will be hellish, especially with the Scudders Falls bridge project for the next couple years. A much better plan would be to live in Morrisville area and use the Trenton Station.

Amtrak also runs from Ardmore to Newark/NYC. That could be an option, although probably pretty expensive (I don't know what, if any, deals Amtrak has for monthly commuters). For the financial district in Manhattan, you're best bet is to take Amtrak/NJT to Newark and then take the Path to the World Trade Center stop rather than taking the train all the way to NY Penn Station in Midtown.

[tall oaks]

You do not want to live in Morrisville! Opt for Yardley as it's still only 15 minutes to the Trenton station. Amtrak, while more expensive is the faster, more comfortable way to get to NYC as opposed to NJ Transit. There is a complete car of folks who commute each day from 30th Street station to NYC -- they've formed a club.

[timeEd32]

Regardless of where you're starting you'll want to take the train to Newark and then switch to the PATH and take that to WTC. All the trains, whether it's the express from Princeton Junction or the Acela from 30th Street, stop at Newark so you don't need to worry about making sure your train stops there.

Do you need to be in PA or near Philly for some reason? The most pleasant commute into Manhattan from anywhere is the ferry from Atlantic Highlands to downtown. You could live in Atlantic Highlands, but more preferable would likely be Red Bank which has a nice downtown. The major downside to this commute is cost, but if an Amtrak commute is on the table than this wouldn't be an issue.