Door to Door Commutes from Suburbs (Philadelphia, Ardmore: sales, condo, how much)

[kcs2509]

We are considering a move to Philly from NYC and trying to understand door-to-door commute times. We currently live in NYC metro and commute into midtown using Metro North, and so I'm sensitive to how a 24 minute ride on Metro North can equal a 60 minute door to door commute. I'd love to understand real commutes (including whether most people drive to a station, if parking at the station takes a long time, etc.) from nearby suburbs, particularly on the Main Line but also anywhere else family-friendly with pretty good schools, and what is/are considered the fastest door to door commute(s). Looks like Media is often recommended, but seems like a pretty lengthy door to door commute using Google Maps. Thanks!

When are you moving? Considering fall 2018
Where are you coming from? NYC
Why are you moving? Job
Where will you be working? Near either Penn Medicine or CHOP
Have you been here yet? Yes, quick visits only

Will you buy or rent? Buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? house, 500k

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? PA

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married, 2 under 3
Do you prefer public or private schools? Public
Do you have pets? No
Do you want or need a yard? Yes
Are you keeping a car? Yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Calm

What do you want to be closest to?
Work 1
Shopping 4
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) 2
Nightlife 5
Train or subway stations 3

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Diverse

[NewtownBucks]

I live in Newtown, Bucks County, which is kind of an outer suburb. I commute to Penns Landing and walk from there to my office in Old City. My AM commute is about 60 mins door to door, considering driving, parking, walking, etc. Maybe 5 mins more in winter 5-10 mins less in summer. My PM commute is less, 55 mins max to get home (traffic breaks up better on the way out of the city).

[kyb01]

From Media to the University City station on septa regional rail takes about 30 minutes.

Take a look at septa.org for other regional rail trains schedules. That should help a little wrt what you door to door commute time might be like.

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by kyb01

From Media to the University City station on septa regional rail takes about 30 minutes.

Take a look at septa.org for other regional rail trains schedules. That should help a little wrt what you door to door commute time might be like.

^^^^^^This. I live in an outer suburb, and almost always take the train when I have to go in the city. If not, it would be the Schuylkill Expressway, which is my worst nightmare, especially at rush hours.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

^^^^^^This. I live in an outer suburb, and almost always take the train when I have to go in the city. If not, it would be the Schuylkill Expressway, which is my worst nightmare, especially at rush hours.

The OP mentioned using Metro North in NY. And it sounded like they would like to move into an area which kind of mimics the commute they have now.

[kcs2509]

Thanks for all the responses (your example was particularly helpful, NewtownBucks!). On rereading my post, I realized that I should have been more clear about what we are looking for!

The current state is that even with a short time on the Metro-North, the overall commute is relatively long. When people tout the "inner" suburbs of NYC they are often referring to just the time on the Metro-North (i.e. 37 minutes from Tarrytown) without adding in the time on either end. So while it might only be 37 minutes on the train, the drive/walk to train + drive around to look for parking + navigate the station + wait for the train + train ride + navigate Grand Central + wait for the subway + subway ride + navigate the station + walk to work + wait for elevator might never be less than 75 minutes. So if I have a 9am, I might be leaving at 7:30am to get in. I am trying to get a sense when people say they have very close commutes from, e.g. Narberth, is it still a similar 2x time because of these other factors on either end? I know that some of the factors (how far your house is from the station) will vary a bit but some of them (navigating parking at the station, navigating the terminal in the city) might be more predictable. Ideally, I'd love to be leaving at 8:15 or later for a 9am but maybe that's impossible?

Specifically, I'd like to understand how much time people allot to get in to work from places that are commonly referred as family-friendly with good schools (the inner Main Line suburbs, Media/Swarthmore, etc.). Thanks!

[briantroutman]

More specifically to your questions about door-to-door commute times: On the arrival end, both CHOP and Penn Medicine are about as close to the University City station as you could possibly hope—literally a couple minutes’ walk.

If commuting time is one of your major concerns and you plan to commute by rail, being along either of the two regional rail lines that feed into the city from the southwest (Media/Elwyn or Wilmington/Newark) would be the most convenient. The Thorndale line—which serves the Main Line towns (Malvern, Ardmore, Narberth etc.)—doesn’t pass through the U. City station but instead stops at 30th Street. That isn’t terribly far from CHOP and Penn Medicine, but it would be more like a 15-20 minute walk instead of 3-5 from U. City. The other lines that feed in from the north (Montgomery, Bucks Counties) would be a considerably longer ride.

The Borough of Media (“borough”, in PA terminology, is basically equivalent to “town”) is compact and very walkable, and it’s a reasonable walk or bike ride to the train station from anywhere within. Obviously travel time depends on proximity to the station: I live on nearly the opposite side of the borough, and it’s about a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute bike ride for me.

And I think that walkability is a major part of the charm of Media. It’s a complete community where you can walk to the train station, grocery store, restaurants, library...and live car-less except for weekend excursions. But that also comes at a price: Home prices are comparatively high for what you get, and homes are generally compact, on tight lots, and close to a century old (if not more). You’ll find larger and newer homes at “Media” addresses outside the borough, but you lose the walkability aspect almost the instant you pass outside the borough lines.

I’ve never had a reason to drive to the Media station, but I know that there is a modest-sized parking lot there. I do see that SEPTA’s website lists both the daily and monthly parking as “FULL”—not sure if that’s a live status update or just based on the sales of parking permits, but I’d definitely suggest you look into the availability of parking if you plan to drive.

And I think it’s safe to say about most train stations through the Philadelphia region: They were generally built in a pre-automobile era when the assumption was that people would be walking there from nearby homes. As a result, they tend to be at least a little inconvenient to get to by car with very limited parking. Local streets tend to be posted with low speed limits and lots of stop signs, and they’re often traffic clogged in the morning and evening rushes.

Both nearby school districts, Rose Tree Media (which covers the borough itself and some of the surrounding area to the north and west) and Wallingford-Swarthome (which coves the area generally south and east of Media) are very highly ranked. If you’re just looking for a home close to a train station and good schools, you’ll have several options. But in my opinion, Media borough offers the most complete combination of walkability, commutability, and community—I recommend you check it out.

[narb06]

You can definitely get under 75 minutes. 45-60 minutes door to door via public transportation might be a good estimate if you’re in the inner main line. I think many of the train stations have daily parking available before 730, if you wanted to live a bit from the station and drive to a station every morning. You do have to have wiggle room for the somewhat common septa delays.

If parking is an option at work, driving might be just as fast or faster, especially if you are in one of the inner ring suburbs. Google maps provides good estimates.

One thing to consider is everything else about life on the main line is a bit less stressful and less expensive compared to NY. Grocery shopping, kids activities, going out in the city - it all takes a bit less out of you compared to NYC IMO, including a less stressful commute.

[kcs2509]

Thank you! This is super helpful, and also really validating to hear your thoughts about everything taking a little less out of you in Philly vs. NYC, narb06.

Are there towns on the Wilmington/Newark line that are inner ring and also considered family-friendly with good schools?

[KansastoSouthphilly]

IMO the towns along the Media/Elwyn line are nicer than the Wilmington line. The towns along the Wilmington line tend to go through the less nice parts of Delco. IMO you should look at Media and Swarthmore.