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Thank you so much for this really really helpful summary! Do you mind if I ask you some more questions?
1) is their an independent music culture in White Plains?
2) Are there many bookstores?
3) Do the neighborhoods have restaurants or coffee shops away from Diwntiwn?
Thanks!
Sadly, the answers are "no, no and no." If White Plains did have these things, I'd dig in and never leave
As another poster said, lower Westchester is too much of a bedroom community to sustain an arts or music scene. You have to go to the north end of the county to get anything like that. It's a shame the Peekskill schools are in such bad shape, because downtown Peekskill has a small but vibrant coffeehouse and live music culture. Croton-on-Hudson has a crunchy/artsy feel but is definitely a small town rather than a city.
Another thought: have you considered Beacon? It would be a very long train ride, but (unlike Nyack) you wouldn't have to deal with bridge traffic.
Sadly, the answers are "no, no and no." If White Plains did have these things, I'd dig in and never leave
As another poster said, lower Westchester is too much of a bedroom community to sustain an arts or music scene. You have to go to the north end of the county to get anything like that. It's a shame the Peekskill schools are in such bad shape, because downtown Peekskill has a small but vibrant coffeehouse and live music culture. Croton-on-Hudson has a crunchy/artsy feel but is definitely a small town rather than a city.
Another thought: have you considered Beacon? It would be a very long train ride, but (unlike Nyack) you wouldn't have to deal with bridge traffic.
Beacon is many times further from Manhattan than all of the places mentioned on this thread its hard to imagine it being part of the discussion. The Nyack commute would be better, even with the river crossing. At some point the time tax for being west of the Hudson is overtaken by distance.
Beacon is many times further from Manhattan than all of the places mentioned on this thread its hard to imagine it being part of the discussion. The Nyack commute would be better, even with the river crossing. At some point the time tax for being west of the Hudson is overtaken by distance.
I disagree that they're not comparable. A peak hour train from Beacon is 80-90 minutes, whereas Nyack to Midtown by car is about an hour when traffic is good. But additional drive time adds up quickly once you factor in the likelihood of rush hour congestion, and an accident anywhere along the route (especially near a bridge ramp) can seriously mess things up.
I've never done a daily commute from Nyack, but according to Google Maps estimates the rush hour traffic typically adds between 20 and 60 minutes, which seems about right from my experiences making that drive.
Which one would work better for a particular person will involve additional factors like where in the city they're going, preference for car vs. train, the length of their commute to the Metro-North station, and whether they're willing to trade a "known quantity" of additional commute time for the (relative) reliability of a train schedule that isn't affected by traffic. But they're in a roughly similar ballpark. If I worked near Grand Central and were comparing the two options, I'd be willing to trade an additional 20m each way for the ability to read/work/sleep on the train and the peace of mind of not having to deal with bridge and city traffic when things get bad.
That's my personal preference, obviously, but I think it's a reasonable comparison. And Beacon certainly fits the OP's desire for somewhere artsy.
I disagree that they're not comparable. A peak hour train from Beacon is 80-90 minutes, whereas Nyack to Midtown by car is about an hour when traffic is good. But additional drive time adds up quickly once you factor in the likelihood of rush hour congestion, and an accident anywhere along the route (especially near a bridge ramp) can seriously mess things up.
I've never done a daily commute from Nyack, but according to Google Maps estimates the rush hour traffic typically adds between 20 and 60 minutes, which seems about right from my experiences making that drive.
Which one would work better for a particular person will involve additional factors like where in the city they're going, preference for car vs. train, the length of their commute to the Metro-North station, and whether they're willing to trade a "known quantity" of additional commute time for the (relative) reliability of a train schedule that isn't affected by traffic. But they're in a roughly similar ballpark. If I worked near Grand Central and were comparing the two options, I'd be willing to trade an additional 20m each way for the ability to read/work/sleep on the train and the peace of mind of not having to deal with bridge and city traffic when things get bad.
That's my personal preference, obviously, but I think it's a reasonable comparison. And Beacon certainly fits the OP's desire for somewhere artsy.
Why do you presume that a commuter from Nyack must drive into the City? There are multiple public transportation options. Drive the 5 or so miles over the TZB to the Tarrytown station and take the train in from there. Do the same but use a TZ Express bus instead. A lot of people do either of these. Also can take a bus down 9W, or drive to Pearl River and take the Pascack Valley line in through Secaucus. All of these are better options than just driving in to the office. And will be quicker as well, and more predicable, as I am sure you will agree. Nonetheless, you may be willing to toss away 40 minutes of your life each and every work day so that you can read/sleep, ect., but I don't know many people who would agree with you. This is 40 minutes each day you are not with your kids, doing other stuff, etc.
The only reason you think they are comparable is that you are shoehorning into your analysis the idea that the guy in Nyack MUST drive his car door to door. Moreover, if your job affords you non-traditional hours, you can drive door to door and back quicker than the guy from Beacon can make just a one way trip. Nyack to midtown without traffic is easily less than an hour. Beacon is just really really far as the bird flies, so it will always be a haul no matter the circumstances.
I grew up in, and currently live in White Plains and love it. My kids go to the public schools here and they love it. I think it's a great place to live - low taxes, diverse types of housing, ethnically diverse, etc. That said, I will agree with the other posters that White Plains is lacking in the areas mentioned. We don't have coffee shops, book stores, a hip arts scene, etc etc.
But we do have one thing -- and that is one of the most central locations in Westchester. And I can get in my car and drive 5-15 minutes in almost any direction, and find those things wherever they are.... and there is not much of that around here anyway.
Do I wish that WP had these things right outside my door? Of course. But do I really need to live right next to it, or am I ok with driving a few min to get there? I'm ok with driving - especially when I look at the hefty tax bill I'd be paying to live near those coffee shops. My taxes are around $11k/year. We looked at smaller houses with smaller lots than mine in the river towns - i.e. Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, etc.. The takes were $35k in those places.
Just some more thoughts for you to consider.
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