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Old 02-23-2007, 02:20 AM
 
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Hi, my husband and I (both Brits) are looking to move from overseas to take jobs respectively in New York and Washington. We'd like to find somewhere in between that we can both commute from - we wouldn't do the journey every day but at weekends and 1-2 days during the week.

Is this a workable idea? Is PA or NJ a better bet? Any recommendations for suitable locations? Priorities would be to live somewhere attractive and not too urban with easy access to outdoor activities and with relatively easy and even commutes in both directions.

Thanks for any suggestions.
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Old 02-23-2007, 07:11 AM
 
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While Center City would be my first recommendation since the 30th Street train station would be convenient, I also recommend Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy (lots of greenery). You can take the R7 SEPTA train to 30th Street Station (about a 20-25 minute ride) and switch to AMTRAK for trains to NY and DC. In addition the R7 goes to Trenton and a connection can be made to New Jersey Transit going to NY (a longer ride, but the cost is lower)
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Old 02-23-2007, 07:13 AM
 
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New York City and Washington are further away than you might think. For example, if you lived in Philadelphia, DC would be about 150 miles/240 km southwest. New York City is about 100 miles/160 km from Philly. Granted, there are some people with political jobs who commute from Philly to DC via Amtrak ( www.amtrak.com ). There are even more people who commute to NYC from Philly on either Amtrak or using the local transit combo of SEPTA ( www.septa.org ) and New Jersey Transit ( www.njtransit.com ) . Either way, expect around a 2-hour commute from downtown to downtown by train. I wouldn't advise driving as the busy traffic on Interstate 95 that goes through all three cities can come to a sudden halt when there's an accident.

Perhaps the best mid-point would actually be in northern Delaware (New Castle County) or perhaps extreme South Jersey. Except for Wilmington, DE they are largely suburban areas. There are probably others more knowledgeable than me on the specifics.
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Old 02-23-2007, 07:15 AM
 
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Ha! Someone had a quicker post trigger finger than me.

Newmarling, I like the Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy section of Philly too. I just think it's gonna be a bear for whomever is going to be commuting to DC.
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Old 02-23-2007, 08:10 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tone509 View Post
Ha! Someone had a quicker post trigger finger than me.

Newmarling, I like the Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy section of Philly too. I just think it's gonna be a bear for whomever is going to be commuting to DC.
It will be a long ride, but simple. R7 to 30th Street and then change to AMTRAK to DC. Not something I would want to do, but doable.
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Old 02-23-2007, 08:21 AM
 
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Thumbs up Thinking Outside The Box

Johnycakes, that's a great idea! Although the cost of living in the NYC and DC burbs is higher than around Philly, it would probably be less than two people commuting from that midpoint, even accounting for a commuter plane. If anything, you can't put a price on the peace of mind that they would have.

I'm thinking that if there are any outdoor spaces in North Jersey, it might be cost-prohibitive to live there (unless our new residents are used to London-area housing). They might find themselves living out near Scranton. <waiting for SWB to chime in heh heh>

If you're comfortable commuting by car, perhaps St. Mary's County or Anne Arundel County (Annapolis) towards SW Maryland might be a good option. More chance for open spaces, a long but doable commute to DC, and reasonable distance from the BWI airport for those commuter trips to NYC.
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Old 02-23-2007, 08:26 AM
 
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Originally Posted by newmarlig View Post
It will be a long ride, but simple. R7 to 30th Street and then change to AMTRAK to DC. Not something I would want to do, but doable.
Yeah, I agree. At least it would be a direct connection. Then again, I've heard of some crazier commuting tales down here in DC.
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Old 02-23-2007, 09:04 AM
 
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Taking the Acela Express from Phila. to DC is 1 hr and 37 minutes, from Phila to NY is 1 hr 26 minutes. That’s not really so bad if you have reading to do on the train.
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Old 02-23-2007, 09:49 AM
 
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Originally Posted by newmarlig View Post
Taking the Acela Express from Phila. to DC is 1 hr and 37 minutes, from Phila to NY is 1 hr 26 minutes. That’s not really so bad if you have reading to do on the train.

Good point. For a lot of people, that's probably a productive or relaxing way to spend their time on the train. I do think that the trains and especially the Acela might be even more expensive than taking a commuter plane if done on a semi-regular basis as this couple plans to.
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Old 02-23-2007, 10:18 AM
 
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Originally Posted by Tone509 View Post
Good point. For a lot of people, that's probably a productive or relaxing way to spend their time on the train. I do think that the trains and especially the Acela might be even more expensive than taking a commuter plane if done on a semi-regular basis as this couple plans to.
Maybe, but dealing with airports is such a hassle. One way Acela fare - Philly to DC is $127.00
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