Help a girl out! Philly to Trenton-area (including the chance to judge a crazy scheme) (best neighborhood, insurance)

[mangoimpression]

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading. I would really really love the input of some area veterans on my problem. I'm a twenty-something woman who will be relocating to the Philly area in a few months. My boyfriend has a job in Center City, I grew up in DelCo, and we're both young folk interested in a city culture, so we'd really like to live in Philly. My job, however, is in New Jersey -- about 15-20 min west of Trenton off I-195, past Hamilton.

This is not ideal, obviously, but I'm trying to figure out how to minimize the unpleasantness of the commute (I should also add that I'll probably only be at this position for a year or two). I have two questions:

1) How terrible/lengthy will driving be? Is there any alternative?

This is a reverse commute, right? How's the congestion then?

I know SEPTA has a Trenton line, but there's really no way to get from the Trenton Transit Station to the office. However -- and this might be totally insane, that's why I want some outside input -- I might soon be in possession of two cars: my old clunker (which runs decently on short trips) and the better one my brother's kindly gifting me when he moves out of town. I'd been planning on giving the clunker to charity or a recycling program or something. Instead, is there any way I could leave it at the Trenton station semi-permanently so that I could just take the R7 from Philly and then jump in the car and drive the final 15 min to work? Do you think parking options like that exist? How much might they cost?

This job comes with a huge raise from my last one, so I'm willing to spend some money to not have to drive the whole commute. The insurance on that clunker is only $350 a year. Is this completely crazy or impossible?


1) What neighborhood should we live in?

My first instinct is NoLibs/Fishtown so I could just pop on 95. Good idea? Cool place for young people?

[toobusytoday]

I think this sounds like a great idea, but have no idea if parking overnight in Trenton is safe or permitted.

It would almost be better if you could find a place within walking distance on the Trenton side to overnight your car.

[sj08054]

Trenton station parking is not free and if you want to park in the street, it's not the best neighborhood either. You could get a monthly parking that will run you $105 (I think). One thing you can check is to see if your employer does transitchek.

BTW.. Trenton station is not in the best of neighborhood. I would not park and walk around there.

[Marius Pontmercy]

It really depends on the neighborhood and parking situation. A friend of mine used to commute to an office outside Wilmington. He left his car in Wilmington and took the train from Center City.

[mangoimpression]

Originally Posted by sj08054

Trenton station parking is not free and if you want to park in the street, it's not the best neighborhood either. You could get a monthly parking that will run you $105 (I think). One thing you can check is to see if your employer does transitchek.

BTW.. Trenton station is not in the best of neighborhood. I would not park and walk around there.

Thanks everyone!

Looking into it, it seems like nexusparkingsystems.com offers monthly passes in a secure, well-lit lot for $155, which is a cost I'm totally willing to swallow (it's also probably less than the gas money I'd spend driving from Center City to Trenton every day). I know Trenton is a really rough town, but if I were parked in a garage onsite, my walk from the train to the car would be minimal. Is it so dangerous that I still should be worried? Do people get mugged regularly around the Trenton Transit Center?

[sj08054]

Originally Posted by mangoimpression

Thanks everyone!

Looking into it, it seems like nexusparkingsystems.com offers monthly passes in a secure, well-lit lot for $155, which is a cost I'm totally willing to swallow (it's also probably less than the gas money I'd spend driving from Center City to Trenton every day). I know Trenton is a really rough town, but if I were parked in a garage onsite, my walk from the train to the car would be minimal. Is it so dangerous that I still should be worried? Do people get mugged regularly around the Trenton Transit Center?

I've used that garage to park. It's a short safe walk to the station so no worry there.

As for parking in the street. I would advised against that because even if you do find a space a few blocks from the station. No sure if the people in the neighborhood would appreciate you for taking up a parking space.

[mangoimpression]

Yeah, I'd rather not park in the street for a number of reasons. The lots seems like a great option.

So given these commute options, I have to decide where to live. We're looking for a 1bdrm apt and are willing to pay up to $1800, although obviously the cheaper, the better ($1500 range would be ideal).

The R7's last stop when leaving the city is the N. Phil station -- if I lived in NoLibs, I could bike to that station, get on the R7, then drive the last 15 min (haha, this is a diverse commute). I'd also have a better commute on days I needed or wanted to drive b/c of the proximity to 95. That station isn't in a good area though, correct? Would biking home after dark be unwise?

The R7 also hits Suburban and Market East -- should I look to CC/Fairmount instead? That would make the driving commute worse, however, but hopefully that wouldn't be my primary method. For some reason, I'm not crazy about the idea of having to take the El to get to the R7, so I'd prefer if I could bike/walk that first stretch somehow. Reasonable?

Thank you all so much for the input!! Your advice is making a world of difference

[bbob]

Nolibs/Fishtown would also give you good access to I-95.You do get the contra-flow,so Trenton is about
45 min. away

[Hobokenkitchen]

Have you considered Old City/ China Town? Good access to Market East station (walkable) and still on the right side of town for driving if you needed to.

[Lucario]

Originally Posted by mangoimpression

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading. I would really really love the input of some area veterans on my problem. I'm a twenty-something woman who will be relocating to the Philly area in a few months. My boyfriend has a job in Center City, I grew up in DelCo, and we're both young folk interested in a city culture, so we'd really like to live in Philly. My job, however, is in New Jersey -- about 15-20 min west of Trenton off I-195, past Hamilton.

This is not ideal, obviously, but I'm trying to figure out how to minimize the unpleasantness of the commute (I should also add that I'll probably only be at this position for a year or two). I have two questions:

1) How terrible/lengthy will driving be? Is there any alternative?

This is a reverse commute, right? How's the congestion then?

I know SEPTA has a Trenton line, but there's really no way to get from the Trenton Transit Station to the office. However -- and this might be totally insane, that's why I want some outside input -- I might soon be in possession of two cars: my old clunker (which runs decently on short trips) and the better one my brother's kindly gifting me when he moves out of town. I'd been planning on giving the clunker to charity or a recycling program or something. Instead, is there any way I could leave it at the Trenton station semi-permanently so that I could just take the R7 from Philly and then jump in the car and drive the final 15 min to work? Do you think parking options like that exist? How much might they cost?

This job comes with a huge raise from my last one, so I'm willing to spend some money to not have to drive the whole commute. The insurance on that clunker is only $350 a year. Is this completely crazy or impossible?


1) What neighborhood should we live in?

My first instinct is NoLibs/Fishtown so I could just pop on 95. Good idea? Cool place for young people?

You could take the R3 to West Trenton (Ewing) and leave the clunker at the R3 station. Then take the car to work and back. The drive from there would be a bit longer than from Trenton, but parking at the station is free (albeit random).