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Legal Diva: I might be working at the same place you do -- S&S (Manhattan, not Melville). I commute once a week from Rehoboth Beach, DE to Manhattan by car. I have a condensed work "week" (i.e., weekends overnight: three 12 1/2 hr. shifts), so I leave from DE every Friday afternoon and return home to DE on Monday afternoon. I moved there from northern NJ last year, but still have use of the family house where I used to live, and I stay/sleep/shower there between shifts each weekend. It's approximately 210 miles one way -- about a 4-hr. commute each way (or 160 miles via the Garden State Pkwy if I take the Cape May/Lewes ferry).
There was an NY Times article a few years ago about people who ride busses from New Paltz, NY into the city to commute for work. New Paltz is a bit over 80 miles away.
I commute from the Philly suburbs. It takes me about two hours each way on Amtrak. The monthly ticket is $1242 as of right now. Back in the nineties, I commuted from Long Island to Manhattan for the better part of two years. I much prefer commuting from Philly. The Amtrak trains are very comfortable and I can get a lot of work done if I'm inclined to do so. The LIRR trains on the other hand are aweful by comparison. They are very crowded during peak hours and the seats are not adjustable.
Philadelphia is a very good option for people who have been priced out of the New York housing market. You can buy a three floor row house in one of the historic neighborhoods for $700K (as opposed to $3 million+ in NYC). Or you can buy a great condo apartment in the center of the city for $600K. If you're an experienced professional, you can afford the Amtrak ticket since you're paid at a higher rate in NYC. I'll be moving back to Manhattan in a couple of months because my family is in the NYC area and my wife prefers it here, but Philly is really no worse an option (better in many cases IMO) than the NY suburbs.
My husband should thank you. I get mad at him for spending the extra money to take the Metro North from the Bronx rather than the subway even though it's only 35 min. on the subway as opposed to 20 min on Metro North. After hearing about the $1200 Amtrack fare, I think I'll lighten up about the $178 Metro North pass.
I commuted from Connecticut when I first started working in New York- out of the Bridgeport station and another 1/2 hour car ride after that. It was too long, but I made a lot of friends on the train and found a lot of camaraderie with some of my fellow commuters, so it wasn't as bad as I thought. When I moved into Manhattan, I was overwhelmed by the extra time I had (I was walking about 15 min. to work), but quickly got used to it.
I have an even shorter commute now. My work space is 2 flights up from our living space. Although I often find myself going up and down and up and down all day.
My husband should thank you. I get mad at him for spending the extra money to take the Metro North from the Bronx rather than the subway even though it's only 35 min. on the subway as opposed to 20 min on Metro North. After hearing about the $1200 Amtrack fare, I think I'll lighten up about the $178 Metro North pass.
I commuted from Connecticut when I first started working in New York- out of the Bridgeport station and another 1/2 hour car ride after that. It was too long, but I made a lot of friends on the train and found a lot of camaraderie with some of my fellow commuters, so it wasn't as bad as I thought. When I moved into Manhattan, I was overwhelmed by the extra time I had (I was walking about 15 min. to work), but quickly got used to it.
I have an even shorter commute now. My work space is 2 flights up from our living space. Although I often find myself going up and down and up and down all day.
Which area of The Bronx do you live in? (and would your husband have to take a bus to reach the subway, or are you right near a subway station?)
Which area of The Bronx do you live in? (and would your husband have to take a bus to reach the subway, or are you right near a subway station?)
We're in Bedford Park closer to the Metro North Botanical Gardens station but the 4 train at the Grand Concourse is only 5 min. walk farther. The D train would be even faster, but his walk at the other end would be a little farther. He grew up in Harlem so I think he's used to a really fast commute.
I almost always take the subway when going into Manhattan, even on the weekends when you can get the city tickets pretty cheaply. I don't mind a little extra time to sit down to read, and with the metro north you always have to be looking at the clock so that you don't miss the train.
I feel like we should save money where we can, and we've actually argued on and off about this for years.
We're in Bedford Park closer to the Metro North Botanical Gardens station but the 4 train at the Grand Concourse is only 5 min. walk farther. The D train would be even faster, but his walk at the other end would be a little farther. He grew up in Harlem so I think he's used to a really fast commute.
I almost always take the subway when going into Manhattan, even on the weekends when you can get the city tickets pretty cheaply. I don't mind a little extra time to sit down to read, and with the metro north you always have to be looking at the clock so that you don't miss the train.
I feel like we should save money where we can, and we've actually argued on and off about this for years.
Maybe he could take the (D) and then take the M42 bus or (7) train (I assume he works near Grand Central)
I have an acquaintance who moved from Brooklyn to Ashley Falls and commutes to NYC via Metro North 3 days a week. She says it's 3 hours minimum one way. (She works on the East Side).
I don't know anyone who isn't flying who can compete with this. I know that geographically, Albany, NY is further by about 25 miles, but you can also take Amtrak directly from Albany (really Rensselear). which makes this commute "easier".
I have an acquaintance who moved from Brooklyn to Ashley Falls and commutes to NYC via Metro North 3 days a week. She says it's 3 hours minimum one way. (She works on the East Side).
I don't know anyone who isn't flying who can compete with this. I know that geographically, Albany, NY is further by about 25 miles, but you can also take Amtrak directly from Albany (really Rensselear). which makes this commute "easier".
How much is her monthly commute?
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
$536 Monthly on Metro North (about 6K/yr). She does get pre-tax savings on commuting though, so realistically, she's paying +/- $300/mo. Not sure about gas costs. I do know that she paid a little over $150K for a 2500 sq ft home with 2 acres of land. Ashley Falls, Massachusetts is I believe 25-30 miles north of the Wassaic Metro North train station.
Worst is one who commuted from Allentown PA, everyday, back and forth. F that. Life is too short.
Another does 2 16-hour shifts on the weekends. He gets 32 hours but commutes once. He naps on a cot in the office between his 16-hour shifts. He has to minimize the number of his commute because he drives in from Milford, Delware. Listed as 3hrs 22mins each way, excluding traffic, but only once a week and, Milford is cheap enough that 32 of NYC hours is a nice setup there.
What's nuts is the guy who lives in northeast Bronx, 2nd last stop on the 5 train, while the linear distance is barely 20 miles, his commute is typically 1 1/2 hours each way.
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