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Old 01-08-2015, 11:33 AM
 
11 posts, read 15,901 times
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Hi All,

Saw a couple of older threads on this but nothing too recent..

In general, how reliable are the express buses from SI to Midtown? I'm trying to avoid the 1hr and 30min commute, so I'm putting aside ferry travel for now.

Depending on location, Google Maps seems to think I can get from certain parts of SI to 5th Ave and 50th Street in 45min. Is that just a perfect world, perfect weather estimate, or are the express buses actually somewhat reliable?

Lastly, what are the best neighborhoods to look into in SI that have the nice area/good school/express bus combo.

Thanks for any and all advice.
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Old 01-08-2015, 01:21 PM
 
Location: Denver, CO
897 posts, read 1,249,330 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeekayNY View Post
Hi All,

Saw a couple of older threads on this but nothing too recent..

In general, how reliable are the express buses from SI to Midtown? I'm trying to avoid the 1hr and 30min commute, so I'm putting aside ferry travel for now.

Depending on location, Google Maps seems to think I can get from certain parts of SI to 5th Ave and 50th Street in 45min. Is that just a perfect world, perfect weather estimate, or are the express buses actually somewhat reliable?

Lastly, what are the best neighborhoods to look into in SI that have the nice area/good school/express bus combo.

Thanks for any and all advice.
That will depends how deep in SI you are.

When I commuted from Sand Lane and Ft. Cap (right by the VZ bridge) it took me 20-40 minutes to get to midtown (45th and 5th) when I left at 6:30AM. The way back was a little over an hour but I left work at 4:30PM. I took the X5/X7 or X2/X9 (from Hylan)

So it depends on a ton of factors. Sometimes, the worst of it is coming home when SI Expressway traffic bleeds into the VZ bridge and I could spend 30 minutes just on the bridge.
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Old 01-08-2015, 02:16 PM
 
11 posts, read 15,901 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ayoitzrimz View Post
That will depends how deep in SI you are.

When I commuted from Sand Lane and Ft. Cap (right by the VZ bridge) it took me 20-40 minutes to get to midtown (45th and 5th) when I left at 6:30AM. The way back was a little over an hour but I left work at 4:30PM. I took the X5/X7 or X2/X9 (from Hylan)

So it depends on a ton of factors. Sometimes, the worst of it is coming home when SI Expressway traffic bleeds into the VZ bridge and I could spend 30 minutes just on the bridge.

Thanks for the reply. Yes I assume it very much depends on location which is why the priority is to live as close as possible to the most reliable express bus/buses.

Assuming living close to VZ bridge would probably get the best results? Do the express buses that run through NJ fair much better?
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Old 01-08-2015, 02:37 PM
 
Location: Denver, CO
897 posts, read 1,249,330 times
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I personally didn't like the NJ buses but when I took them I lived by Woodrow on the south shore. I just don't like the way we have to funnel into the NJ Turnpike during rushour. The commute from Arrochar (South Beach, Midland Beach, Ft. Wadsworth are the closest known areas) wasn't terrible
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Old 01-08-2015, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Staten Island, NY
364 posts, read 706,757 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeekayNY View Post
Hi All,

Saw a couple of older threads on this but nothing too recent..

In general, how reliable are the express buses from SI to Midtown? I'm trying to avoid the 1hr and 30min commute, so I'm putting aside ferry travel for now.

Depending on location, Google Maps seems to think I can get from certain parts of SI to 5th Ave and 50th Street in 45min. Is that just a perfect world, perfect weather estimate, or are the express buses actually somewhat reliable?

Lastly, what are the best neighborhoods to look into in SI that have the nice area/good school/express bus combo.

Thanks for any and all advice.
I live in between Manor Heights & New Springville and it typically takes me approx. 50 minutes to get to 42nd Street in the morning. (X17 or X31)
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Old 01-08-2015, 03:34 PM
 
11 posts, read 15,901 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ayoitzrimz View Post
I personally didn't like the NJ buses but when I took them I lived by Woodrow on the south shore. I just don't like the way we have to funnel into the NJ Turnpike during rushour. The commute from Arrochar (South Beach, Midland Beach, Ft. Wadsworth are the closest known areas) wasn't terrible
Gotcha - thanks.


Quote:
Originally Posted by brianNYC92 View Post
I live in between Manor Heights & New Springville and it typically takes me approx. 50 minutes to get to 42nd Street in the morning. (X17 or X31)
That's good to hear - so all in all would you guys agree the express buses are mostly reliable (barring a *hopefully* rare traffic issue) Hoping the weather doesn't mess things up majorly either...
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Old 01-08-2015, 07:25 PM
 
Location: Planet Earth
3,921 posts, read 9,106,443 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeekayNY View Post
Gotcha - thanks.

That's good to hear - so all in all would you guys agree the express buses are mostly reliable (barring a *hopefully* rare traffic issue) Hoping the weather doesn't mess things up majorly either...
Honestly, I'm going to have to disagree with the other commenters who say 5th Avenue & 50th Street is regularly possible in 45 minutes. To that particular location, I would budget at least an hour, maybe more depending on when exactly you're leaving.

I live near Richmond Avenue and the Staten Island Expressway, which is one of the last stops before the bus leaves Staten Island. I take the X17J to 34th & 8th to take the subway uptown. Here's my experiences as far as typical travel time:

* If I catch the bus at 6AM, I'll get to 34th & 8th at 6:50-7AM.
* If I catch the bus at 7:30AM, I'll get to 34th & 8th at 8:45-9:00AM
* If I catch the bus at 9:15, I'll get to 34th & 8th at 10AM.

The main chokepoints are the entrance to the bus lane, and then at the exit of the tunnel (where traffic exits from the tubes onto Dyer Avenue)

I can't really speak for service running through Brooklyn at the height of rush hour, but when I take the regular X17C during off-peak (or very early in the morning), it's usually around 45 minutes to get to Park Place (where I take the subway uptown). It can be done in less time, but not consistently.

Of course, in inclement weather (or even just the luck of the draw as far as traffic is concerned), it'll take much longer. There's been times when it's taken 1 hour and 45 minutes to get to 34th & 8th.
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Old 01-09-2015, 07:49 AM
 
11 posts, read 15,901 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by checkmatechamp13 View Post
Honestly, I'm going to have to disagree with the other commenters who say 5th Avenue & 50th Street is regularly possible in 45 minutes. To that particular location, I would budget at least an hour, maybe more depending on when exactly you're leaving.

I live near Richmond Avenue and the Staten Island Expressway, which is one of the last stops before the bus leaves Staten Island. I take the X17J to 34th & 8th to take the subway uptown. Here's my experiences as far as typical travel time:

* If I catch the bus at 6AM, I'll get to 34th & 8th at 6:50-7AM.
* If I catch the bus at 7:30AM, I'll get to 34th & 8th at 8:45-9:00AM
* If I catch the bus at 9:15, I'll get to 34th & 8th at 10AM.

The main chokepoints are the entrance to the bus lane, and then at the exit of the tunnel (where traffic exits from the tubes onto Dyer Avenue)

I can't really speak for service running through Brooklyn at the height of rush hour, but when I take the regular X17C during off-peak (or very early in the morning), it's usually around 45 minutes to get to Park Place (where I take the subway uptown). It can be done in less time, but not consistently.

Of course, in inclement weather (or even just the luck of the draw as far as traffic is concerned), it'll take much longer. There's been times when it's taken 1 hour and 45 minutes to get to 34th & 8th.
Thanks much for all the details. Sounds like the express bus approach typically leaves you at the mercy of day-to-day traffic patterns which I expected, but hoped otherwise.

I doubt through Brooklyn would be that much of a difference at the height of the morning rush unless anyone says otherwise.
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Old 01-09-2015, 12:26 PM
 
Location: Staten Island, NY
364 posts, read 706,757 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeekayNY View Post
That's good to hear - so all in all would you guys agree the express buses are mostly reliable (barring a *hopefully* rare traffic issue) Hoping the weather doesn't mess things up majorly either...
The weather did mess things up today...
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Old 01-09-2015, 12:40 PM
 
Location: NYC
3,073 posts, read 5,480,647 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ayoitzrimz View Post
I personally didn't like the NJ buses but when I took them I lived by Woodrow on the south shore. I just don't like the way we have to funnel into the NJ Turnpike during rushour. The commute from Arrochar (South Beach, Midland Beach, Ft. Wadsworth are the closest known areas) wasn't terrible
I hate the NJ buses too. I also lived on Sand Lane in South Beach and I miss that commute so much! NJ is a real crap shoot and the Lincoln Tunnel is a mess the majority of the time.

The only problem with the South Beach commute was often there would be no seats left by the time it got there.
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