Best places for couples without kids to live? (New Brunswick, Montclair: transfer to, to live in)

[yttrium]

Please help. Moving from the south, we are a fairly young couple (early 30's), looking to live in a diverse, cultured environment, preferably near the Princeton or New Brunswick area with close public transportation access to Manhattan. Any suggestions are welcome & appreciated, thanks!

[tallguylehigh]

Princeton, Montclair, Hoboken instantly come to mind. To a lesser extent you have Morristown.

[yttrium]

Thanks for the reply, I should probably add that one of us will be working in the Princeton area and the other in Manhattan. So the commute from Montclair or Hoboken is probably too far for working in Princeton?

[tallguylehigh]

Originally Posted by yttrium

Thanks for the reply, I should probably add that one of us will be working in the Princeton area and the other in Manhattan. So the commute from Montclair or Hoboken is probably too far for working in Princeton?

I know there is a train line in Princeton that can take you into the city. Unfortunately, for Hoboken, or Montclair or Morristown they would all require a transfer to get down to Princeton.

http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf

[yttrium]

I know the princeton junction has an express train to Manhattan, but is it an area that is hopping with nightlife/restaurants and safe to live? I read somewhere on citydata that the New Brunswick area was better for nightlife/restaurants/entertainment.

[majesty318]

New Brunswick would be good. It's not as happening as Hoboken, but the commute into the city is reasonable, and it's not too far from Princeton.

[Viralmd]

Princeton presents a problem with respect to parking at the Princeton Junction train station: there's an approximately three year wait for a permit...

There is, however a Park-and-Ride for the bus at exit 8A of the NJ Turnpike.

And Princeton is about an hour ride from NYC. From the train you'll still have to get to your office.

[tallguylehigh]

Originally Posted by yttrium

I know the princeton junction has an express train to Manhattan, but is it an area that is hopping with nightlife/restaurants and safe to live? I read somewhere on citydata that the New Brunswick area was better for nightlife/restaurants/entertainment.

Princeton has a VERY nice downtown area, quite a bit more "polished" than New Brunswick and Hoboken, but there are lots of very nice shops and restaurants. I assume that there is a bar scene there, but not as much as in NB or Hoboken.

[Spincycle]

I'm thinking Red Bank for these folks. Train to NYC but what type of drive are we looking at from RB to Princeton?

[monack]

It's a bit of a schlep to get from Red Bank to Princeton - you would have to completely cut through the state... it'll just make it a long commute for everyone.