Westchester Executive Bus? (Yonkers, White Plains, Scarsdale: house, school districts, places to live)

[cleff]

Like many others posting on this forum, I am moving from abroad to NYC area. My husband will work in Times Square. Our priorities are
walkable town,
$800,000 house with 4 bedrooms/2bathrooms,
good schools,
liberal atmosphere,
commute to Midtown where husband has seat and can work while on transport (train or executive bus)

I think Montclair, Millburn or Larchmont would fit the bill. However, I am wondering about the commute. My husband's only request is that we live somewhere where he can commute and have a seat. He's enchanted with the idea of an "executive bus" (which I gather a colleague in NJ mentioned to him). Anyway do executive buses ply the way from Westchester towns (like Larchmont) or are they particular to NJ? It seems that trains are the Westchester commute options. It also seems that Grand Central station is nicer than Penn Station. He's never commuted like this before (I have) and I dont' want him to get worn down. His job is stressful enough already

If we do elect Larchmont (or another places - suggestions welcome) would he be able to get a seat on the train so he can start working right away? I guess he's aiming not to waste time while commuting, he wants to be able to have a seat and work on his laptop.

He says he prefers a longer, productive commute over a short, non-productive commute. Is this possible?

Any advice on commutes like this or places to live in order to fulfill my highly demanding criteria as well as his preference for a working commute would be most appreciated.

We've lived abroad for 15 years and grew up in San Francisco so we like liberal, artsy, relaxed...

[kletter1mann]

A close friend of mine lives in Montclair and takes the "executive bus" to Manhattan. She would give her right arm to exchange the bus for the MetroNorth service enjoyed by Westchester. The trains to GC work well and are productive.

You may want to reconsider Larchmont if you're liberal, artsy and relaxed.

[swb212]

Cross Millburn and Larchmont off your list; add Maplewood and South Orange in New Jersey. Add Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, Irvington, and Croton in Westchester. Add Piermont in Rockland. Maybe Cold Spring in Putnam but now the commute is getting long.

And forget the so-called "Executive Bus" - that's a terrible option. The traffic from NJ to Manhattan is worse than any.

[bmwguydc]

If you want a longer commute with access to the train, look to Northern Westchester. Larchmont is close-in, so it's only about 30 minutes on an express train to GCT. Larchmont is also expensive, and $800k will not go very far in town.

Katonah would fit the bill, and it's about an hour to Grand Central. There are no express trains on the Harlem Line, however, so the commute will be longer than a comparable distance on the Hudson or New Haven lines. Pleasantville offers much of what you seek as does Chappaqua, all on the Harlem Line, though the downtown in Chappaqua is smaller. $800k should work in those markets, though it's a little below the average in Katonah and Chappaqua.

The only bus I can think of that goes to NYC on a regular route is the BxM4 Bee Line bus that traverses Central Park Avenue from Yonkers to White Plains. This area is not served by the train, and the downtown area is basically Central Avenue. Also, some of the school districts are not the best, save for Edgemont, which is adjacent to Scarsdale.

ETA: Another place to consider in NNJ would be Summit, though your husband would commute through Penn. GCT is much easier since he can hop off Metro-North and take the shuttle subway to Times Square directly from Grand Central. Also, on a nice day, it's not a bad walk.