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I'm going to study at Rutgers(new brunswick) from this coming fall semester as a graduate student and my husband and I are going to live on campus from August.
However, it is very likely that my husband is getting a job in port washington, long Island, ny. (Unfortunately, his new office is not close to port washington station.)
Is it even possible to commute from Rutgers to port washington, long Island?
If not, where would be an ideal place for us to live?
We prefer to live in NJ, though. We don't have kids, by the way.
It is possible yes, but we all know for one thing Long Island probably has the corner on TRAFFIC. Much depends on time of day also. I commuted for a few years from a GF's house we shared in "way out in the middle of LI" Suffolk Countyish to Central NJ. A good 1 1/2 hours or 2 hours each way.
Possible yes, but you def have MUCH company on the road. Also figure tolls def between NY and NJ, although if you sign up for EZPass and do a SI commute plan that tolls goes to half price as along as you drive more than 3 times per month.
If you come back through a non tolled bridge from LI to Manhattan that toll is zero but if you come back over one of the NY bridges like the Verrazano its about $16 for a round trip toll collected westbound only.
Sometimes you don't care that much about the toll depending on your sched, but add that in .
The Long Island/NJ commute is awful. There is almost -always- traffic.
If he is going to do this, he is going to want to try to arrange for hours that will allow him to work on the earlier side or later side - you want to try to avoid rush hour as much as possible. that being said - I drive weekly from the middlesex county area (near Rutgers) to Baldwin for a weekly chorus rehearsal. Even when I manage to leave mid-afternoon, I almost always run into traffic, and last night when I came home, there was construction all along the way so it took me nearly 2 hours.
It will cost him about $31/day just in tolls for the bridges to go quickest route. You always pay going into Staten Island, and you always pay leaving NJ on the toll bridges.
However, it is very likely that my husband is getting a job in port washington, long Island, ny. (Unfortunately, his new office is not close to port washington station.)
Is it even possible to commute from Rutgers to port washington, long Island?
If not, where would be an ideal place for us to live?
Thanks
I would say that it is essentially impossible to commute from New Brunswick, NJ to Port Washington, NY and have any kind of acceptable quality of life. Driving, there would be traffic in NJ, Manhattan, Queens and Long Island. The commute would be roughly $25 per day in tolls only.
It would be a little saner using public transportation. He can take NJT to NY Peen and then LIRR to Port Washington. It will be less stressful that driving but really expensive. I guess he would have to take a cab to his office in Port Washington.
I would encourage your husband to look for another job...
I commuted from New Brunswick to NYC for a few years, I had no life. I spent 3 1/2 each day commuting. Going to Port Washington would add another 90 minutes. Five hours a day commuting, not to mention the cost. Forget it!
Port Washington is on the North Shore. Not far fro the Throgs Neck. Depending on the time of day, the GW might be the quickest route. I use the term "quickest" loosely. There is no easy commute from New Brunswick to Port Washington. He will have to check the traffic reports each time he travels to and from work. I agree that one of you should consider either a different job, or a different school. Either that, or two apartments and see each other on weekends until you finish your graduate program. On a good day, it will take him 1.5 hours, but on any given day, that can turn into a 3 hour nightmare.
It us doable, NOT fun and yes many most days he will be on the road for 4 hours out of the day. Sometimes less.
If its for a few months, I would go for it but if you're talking longer term,,,,,,think.
I had another famous coworker who lived around Port Washington many years working in NYC. When he retired and switched jobs to a company in Central NJ, Somerset, he first started taking trains. I have to say it was like 3 hours each way twice a day with connections, rides etc.
He eventually moved to America, one of those central NJ towns slightly above I-78,
As I said if you are driving east over the NJ to NY Staten Island bridges more than 3 times a month you are eligible to go for the half price EZPass toll. I never did that back then.
If you are driving back to America west and want to beat tolls you ccan take something like the LIE to BQE to Willy B, Williamsburg Br, out the Holland, zero tolls all way. Maybe not quickest and have to cross lower Manhattan and out the Holland. At other times the you might not care what the toll cost is and go different ways.
I lived in LI during college years so I've been very familiar with that Willie B route many decades.
I'm confused- if you're only going to be studying but your husband is going to be working, shouldn't you both be living near his work? School only requires a few days per week, and has multiple breaks (fall, winter, spring, and summer breaks), and also usually has better hours for commuting (classes aren't 9 to 5). Your husband's life will be terrible if he has to commute to port washington from NJ, but commuting to NJ from port washington for graduate school is much less painful.
You're going to want to live in NJ for the in-state tuition benefit- just not worth living in NY. Look at places by bridges to NY- Fort Lee, Jersey City, Linden, eastern part of Woodbridge etc. Also, find a place near road/rail to Rutgers and if you're going to be driving, just pick the best lot for where you're coming from and your department.
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