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Old 12-13-2008, 08:33 AM
 
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Hello
I am thinking of moving from Europe to Princeton (since the company I work for has offices in Princeton). I heard that Princeton is a very nice town, but since am early 30ies and single I have the impression that it could be a bit boring for me and would like to move to a place which is closer to NYC or if there is another fun & interesting place to live. I really enjoy cultural events, concerts, art, movies, bars, pubs, and liberally-minded people.

Do you know an area where commute to Princetone and NYC is bearable (if at all possible I would like to use public transport and no car - but not sure if this will be feasable? If possible I consider living in a place between Princeton and NYC - to commute to Princeton for work and if i feel like going out to NYC in the evening it could still be possible.. ? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot for your help
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Old 12-13-2008, 08:42 AM
 
Location: Splitting time between Dayton, NJ and Needmore, PA
1,184 posts, read 4,029,168 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1sabelle View Post
Hello
I am thinking of moving from Europe to Princeton (since the company I work for has offices in Princeton). I heard that Princeton is a very nice town, but since am early 30ies and single I have the impression that it could be a bit boring for me and would like to move to a place which is closer to NYC or if there is another fun & interesting place to live. I really enjoy cultural events, concerts, art, movies, bars, pubs, and liberally-minded people.

Do you know an area where commute to Princetone and NYC is bearable (if at all possible I would like to use public transport and no car - but not sure if this will be feasable? If possible I consider living in a place between Princeton and NYC - to commute to Princeton for work and if i feel like going out to NYC in the evening it could still be possible.. ? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot for your help
Hi there!

Princeton is a bustling town. There are several upscale eating establishments with bars. I'm sure you have heard of Princeton University. The students and faculty do tend to be "liberal" but not necessarily "open-minded" to new or different ideas. As far as "fun" I would not use that word to describe Princeton; perhaps affectatious.

NYC is much more happening. In fact, most of Central and North Jersey is going to be much more active and vibrant than Princeton.

A commute into NYC is certainly possible. There is a bus line that has a start point in Princeton to New York City. New Jersey Transit also has trains that run along the Northeast Corridor through a nearby area called Princeton Junction to NYC. A trolley from the heart of Princeton takes you to Princeton Junction. However, your commute is going to be on the order of two hours each way.

Hope this helps.
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Old 12-13-2008, 09:09 AM
 
Location: Central New Jersey
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Princeton is my area of specialty so this may sound partial but Princeton Borough (which includes Princeton University) is an exciting and vibrant area. Nassau Street and the side streets offer many interesting boutiques, restaurants, chain stores such as Talbots, Ralph Lauren, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, etc. There is a small movie theatre in town that often features foreign films. There is Palmer Square in the center of town that has interesting shops and the historic hotel/conference center. The area is really great and features a diverse community that is wonderful.

However, living in town is more expensive that some of the surronding areas. But the transportation network is such that getting from all areas surrounding Downtown Princeton is very easy.

I hope this helps.
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Old 12-13-2008, 09:11 AM
 
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On the train it's just a little over an hour to Manhattan. I lived in Princeton for a while and enjoyed it very much.
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Old 12-13-2008, 09:40 AM
 
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thanks a lot for all your replies! Mmhh.. maybe I should say that I am not used to commute at all, the longest commuting I did so far was 20 min.. so if possible i would like that commute either way will not be longer than 45min - 1 hour door to door.. and if possible the commute from NYC to where i would live should be possible 24 hours... (am I demanding too much now?).. my companys offices are close to the princeton forrestal village.. thanks a lot for your advice!
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Old 12-13-2008, 09:51 AM
 
Location: Central New Jersey
237 posts, read 1,107,910 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1sabelle View Post
thanks a lot for all your replies! Mmhh.. maybe I should say that I am not used to commute at all, the longest commuting I did so far was 20 min.. so if possible i would like that commute either way will not be longer than 45min - 1 hour door to door.. and if possible the commute from NYC to where i would live should be possible 24 hours... (am I demanding too much now?).. my companys offices are close to the princeton forrestal village.. thanks a lot for your advice!

Princeton Forrestal Village if off of Route 1 so your commute to Downtown Princeton would be about 15 minutes by automobile. Getting to midtown NYC from that point by car ( assuming no traffic delays) would probably take 1 hour.

I think you have to make a choice of whether you want to live closer to your work or closer to NYC to meet your desired travel times.
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Old 12-13-2008, 11:31 AM
 
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@NORMGLO oh, thats a tough call.. but I guess I want to be close enough to NYC so that I dont need a car if I want to go out.. (ie public transportation 24 h - not more than 45 min door to door).. I am also considering living close to princeton during the week and renting a very cheap room in NYC for the w/e- 4 walls and a mattress - but I guess even this is very expensive in NYC..... ?
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Old 12-13-2008, 01:22 PM
 
7,079 posts, read 37,841,161 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1sabelle View Post
@NORMGLO oh, thats a tough call.. but I guess I want to be close enough to NYC so that I dont need a car if I want to go out.. (ie public transportation 24 h - not more than 45 min door to door).. I am also considering living close to princeton during the week and renting a very cheap room in NYC for the w/e- 4 walls and a mattress - but I guess even this is very expensive in NYC..... ?
I don't think you're being reasonable here. 4 walls and a mattress is going to be either pricey or dangerous. Lots of people want a pied a terre in NYC, but it's really expensive, not to mention the parking (DO take the train!).

Forrestal Village can be WAY more than 15 minutes to downtown Princeton, depending on how bad the traffic is on Route 1.

How about looking in New Brunswick? It's about 50 minutes from NYC on the train, but it will be a fair haul to Princeton (by your standards...).
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Old 12-13-2008, 01:34 PM
 
Location: Central New Jersey
237 posts, read 1,107,910 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1sabelle View Post
@NORMGLO oh, thats a tough call.. but I guess I want to be close enough to NYC so that I dont need a car if I want to go out.. (ie public transportation 24 h - not more than 45 min door to door).. I am also considering living close to princeton during the week and renting a very cheap room in NYC for the w/e- 4 walls and a mattress - but I guess even this is very expensive in NYC..... ?
This can be accomplished, it all depends on how much you are prepared to spend. An option could be live in the downtown area of New Brunswick which has some nightlife and restaurants because it is near Rutgers University. The train station is nearby and the ride to NYC is within your 45 minutes. There is a great new condo building within walking distance of the train. Your trip to work in Forestal Village from this area will be a little tricky without a car (combinations of train or bus or taxi) and could take 45 minutes from New Brunswick as well.

Re very cheap rentals in NYC - it all depends on what you mean by cheap. Living in Manhattan is expensive but living on the outskirts would cost less but you then have additional travel.

Last edited by NORMGLO; 12-13-2008 at 01:39 PM.. Reason: insert
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Old 12-13-2008, 04:15 PM
 
96 posts, read 236,259 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1sabelle View Post
Hello
I am thinking of moving from Europe to Princeton (since the company I work for has offices in Princeton). I heard that Princeton is a very nice town, but since am early 30ies and single I have the impression that it could be a bit boring for me and would like to move to a place which is closer to NYC or if there is another fun & interesting place to live. I really enjoy cultural events, concerts, art, movies, bars, pubs, and liberally-minded people.

Do you know an area where commute to Princetone and NYC is bearable (if at all possible I would like to use public transport and no car - but not sure if this will be feasable? If possible I consider living in a place between Princeton and NYC - to commute to Princeton for work and if i feel like going out to NYC in the evening it could still be possible.. ? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot for your help
Check out this short but informative thread here on cd:

//www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...s-singles.html

After reading your post, I immediately thought of not only Princeton but both Red Bank and New Brunswick as towns potentially with what you may be looking for, and both towns are on the list in the above thread.

However, the commute from Red Bank to Princeton using the train is not a reasonable option at all... not a direct train line commute. But you could drive from Red Bank to Princeton... just be prepared for about an hour drive or a total 2 hour commute. Not sure if that's suitable to you.

Yet NB is not that far from Princeton. Driving on Route 1 can present a bit of traffic (driving in NJ is about traffic lol) but you can take the NJTransit to Princeton Junction which may be your stop if working in Princeton but if not, then take the "Dinky" train from Princeton Junction on into Princeton if that's your destination. Personally, I enjoy visiting NB. Theater and some of NJ's best restaurants are located in NB. It's home to Rutgers Univ so like Princeton is a university town (therefore has some liberal/progressive element) but without the "prestige." Rutgers is "Jersey's University" and Princeton has lots of students from out of state. However, Rutgers offers arts and culture venues, and is home to the New Jersey Film Festival annually.

From NB you can take the NJTransit Northeast Corridor (NEC) line into NYC - Penn Station and it would take about an hour or so I think to get into Manhattan.

I have a friend who worked in Princeton for a while and drove from North Jersey but said the drive got old. I think you have to decide what's more important... easy commute to work in Princeton or easy commute to NYC and perhaps deal with a longer commute to work (Princeton). When would you want to go into the city? Weekdays after work or just on the weekend? If you want to hang out in NYC on the weekends, then perhaps it would make sense to live closer to Princeton (or in Princeton) and then go from there into the city on the weekend. Also keep in mind the train schedules... they don't run as often as does the subway esp. during peak times. The NJTransit trains seem to run every 30 min or so.

Having said this, there are some towns closer in to NYC with easy commutes into the city that tend to draw singles for sure (nightlife etc.), and yet living in any of these places would pose a much longer commute to Princeton which you would have to do daily. Look at nos 4-10 on the list in the linked thread above. Montclair on the list is progressive with some good restaurants etc. and home to Montclair State Univ., but has a very long commute to Princeton and about an hour or so commute into NYC as well (train - I don't recommend driving to NYC).

I actually like all of the towns on the list for varying reasons. Again, you just have to decide your priorities and be prepared for a commute either way, unless you decide to live in Princeton where you'll work. Princeton offers a lot too just not the kind of "edge" you'll get in NYC... I have friends who live there and are quite happy.

Hope this helps. Good luck!
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