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I'm moving to the NJ area with wife and new baby. Some people have recommended Chatham as a great place to look for an affordable single family home. By affordable, I mean below 500,000. However, while exploring commute, I can't seem to find a way to get to and from work at late hours. I work in the theater so sometimes work up till three or so in the morning. Can anyone advise? I'm not opposed to driving, but I hear that parking in the city is like buying a house. lol. But, I am up for any good ideas.
Moderator cut: sorry k, what you were asking would cause others to violate Terms of Service
I'm moving to the NJ area with wife and new baby. Some people have recommended Chatham as a great place to look for an affordable single family home. By affordable, I mean below 500,000. However, while exploring commute, I can't seem to find a way to get to and from work at late hours. I work in the theater so sometimes work up till three or so in the morning. Can anyone advise? I'm not opposed to driving, but I hear that parking in the city is like buying a house. lol. But, I am up for any good ideas.
Moderator cut: sorry k, what you were asking would cause others to violate Terms of Service
K
Anything below $500,000 in Chatham is pretty much a 2 car garage.
Chatham does have train service but not sure how late it runs.
Chatham has NJ Transit train service, but service from NYC to NJ ends at around 12:30 AM.
Do you work specifically in the theater district? It would be great for you if you could find a bus that goes to the Port Authority bus station because it's right outside the theater district. I don't think any NJ Transit buses go Chatham-->Port Authority. To find out what buses do go that route, you can check here:
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey - Bus Terminal and Bus Station (http://www.panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/bus/html/carriers.html - broken link)
However, I don't think any buses are still running from the Port Authority past midnight or 1 AM, at least not to the Chatham area (I could be wrong...you'd need to research that, or maybe someone here knows).
A sure bet for 24-hour transportation is the PATH train. After midnight it runs every 30 minutes. I would drive from Chatham to the PATH station in Harrison (you can find parking in the $6 range, average). It would probably be a 30-40 minute drive.
If you are considering driving all the way into NYC, that's very brave. I did that for a year when I was doing night shift. FYI, driving into Manhattan everyday will trash your car. It will also trash your soul and break your spirit. There are cheap garages to be found, but you have to have your car in and out at specific hours to get the discounted rate. The cheapest garage I ever found was on 44th St. between Third and Second Avenues. It was $10 a night after 3 PM. I'm pretty sure they've raised the rates since then.
Chatham and Madison are not affordable at all. Below $500,000 you might want to investigate Denville, Rockaway, Parsippany, etc. You could still drive to a train if that works, or just drive in directly from one of those towns.
If you decide on driving in, you might want to explore Wayne, Lincoln Park, North Haledon, etc. A little less drive time. Commuting to NYC by car from Morris County is tough except for areas like Boonton or Parsippany. Route 80 traffic breaks up nicely going eastbound in the morning once you pass the Route 287 exits. At least until Leonia.
If you can deal with a very small yard/house and a denser experience, you could even try someplace like Rutherford or Fair Lawn, or even Hasbrouck Heights. Relatively affordable, good train service, or a reasonable drive when necessary.
I second the Maplewood/SO area for your price range. You won't find mass transit at those hours of the morning, so you'll have to drive.
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