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Blackjack988

Commuting to NYC from PA

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I'm single and don't have a family or dog and already commute 1.5 hours from where I am.

 

And you'll stay that way.

 

It's a tough nut to crack. There was rail service from Lehigh Valley a long time ago but there is nothing now. I know somebody that did it for many years and it was a disaster. But he already had a wife and a dog. You make it sound like it's less of a concern for you, I think it is more of a concern. You want a family and a dog.

 

If I absolutely had to do this I would probably rent a 1 room apartment in Chatham or Madison and take the train. Stay there a few days a week or drive home when I felt like it an traffic was good.

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If I absolutely had to do this I would probably rent a 1 room apartment in Chatham or Madison and take the train. Stay there a few days a week or drive home when I felt like it an traffic was good.

My buddy lives in Lebanon, NJ. He now has an apartment in NYC. He has a wife and 2 dogs. He can't do it any other way.

 

I commuted for 11 years and won't ever do that to myself again. It was an amazing experience in so many ways. For my chosen career, it gives me a validation that can't be gotten anyplace else. The commute absolutely sucked.

 

Good luck in whatever you choose.

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Yea, driving into the city isn't even remotely appealing.  I would have to use public transit of some kind.  I'm looking at some kind of bus service out of Stroudsburg that appears to take 1 hour 20 minutes (likely sans traffic) which isn't awful.  It would add about 20 more minutes to my commute.

 

I'm currently living in Woodbridge.  I take NJTransit and it takes me about 1.5 hours door-to-door.

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There is a huge difference between commuting 1.5hrs going 30mls in traffic vs driving 70mph for an hour straight, then hitting tunnel traffic.

 

 

Man, that's a hike.  I loves guns, but from NYC to PA, that will wear you down.

 

What some people do is drive from PA to the outer reaches of NJ Transit Rail (Hackettstown, Dover, High Bridge, etc), and take the train from there.

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1 hour and 20 minutes if nothing else is on the road, not raining or snowing.  More realistically like 1.75 hours - 2 hours each way and then add on how ever much time it takes to get to your office from the Port Authority Bus Station.

 

You really have to ask yourself what type of life you'll have.  You'll be commuting 3-4 hours easily each and very work day.  Then you'll have to put in a minimum of an 8 hour day. 

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Do the math. 1.5hrs x 2 times a day x 5 days/week x 50 weeks = 750 hours a year commuting. How much is your leisure time worth? $20 an hour? Has to be more for you to spend three hours a day on the road. Say $30. That's $22,000. Or the equivalent of 46 waking-hour days per year. Plus gas and car expenses. And if you drive you don't even have the luxury of sleeping, reading, or listening to something life-enhancing. I assume you take the train?

 

Sorry, that's where you are now. You want to move even further away from work?

 

You can probably do as well if you leave Pennsylvania at 4:30 in the morning. Even then you'd have to hit the tunnels or bridge by 6:30 am or you're screwed. Have you ever hit the 495 approach to the Lincoln, the 280 approach to the Holland, or the i-95 approach to George around 7:15? If somebody sneezes in the Bronx or a box of rock lobsters tips over in Chinatown you can add an hour to the trip. Rain? Accident? Snow? You're talking three hours. You already know that.

 

I drive to Hoboken once a week from Newton. 57-58 miles. Tonight it took me 1 hr. 8 minutes with zero traffic. At rush hour it easily takes two hours. It's taken me as long as three hours. When I worked in Bloomfield and lived in Hoboken it once took me three hours to get home, hmmm, about 17 miles.

 

Someone mentioned driving part way and taking the train. Great. You can sleep on the train but Hackettstown to NY on NJ Transit is two hours and ten freaking minutes. Skip the coffee or bring some quaaludes. Plus you have to drive to H'town, and walk to your office. I would rather jump out of my basement window. 

 

Disclaimer: I have worked in my attic, mostly in my underwear, for the last 25 years. I've worked in NYC, went to HS in the city, used to love going in. Now I freaking hate it. Just my opinion.

 

If you want to move to PA for the gun culture or any other reason consider taking a $50,000 cut in pay and work out there. You'll be happier and maybe, if you frequent Kay's or Rudy's in Stroud, you'll find the woman and dog of your dreams. Unfortunately they'd probably be the same entity.

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Yeah, it's a grating commute now. Luckily most of it is on a train where I can sleep or read. 5 minute drive to the train station, 50 minutes on NJT (when it works), and about 20 minutes crosstown depending on the trains and how slow I walk. It's annoying but I get paid well, have great benefits, and love my job.

 

Moving to another company would be an option in 5 years or so because I was just promoted and want to gain some more experience in this role.

 

In theory, my company will be moving their major data center operations to Middletown in a year or two. Once that happens I'll transition down there, move closer to the office and turn my 1.5 hour commute into a 3 minute one.

 

For now. I was just looking for a way to kee my current gig but gain a cheaper cost of living and actually have rights. Looks like that's not really in the cards practically. Thanks for the advice guys!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Did New Brunswick to NYC, then Linden to NYC for over 4 years.  Got sick of it.  Was nice to be able to sleep but sometimes you couldn't find seats depending on the day/time or if there were issues (which happen more and more frequently).

 

There are buses from PA to NYC but they take over 2 hours of commute time.  4-5 hours a day commuting on a bus is outrageous.

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I had a guy who worked with us for a while that commuted from the Poconos to NYC.  I said for a while, he said it was the absolute worst idea he'd ever had.  He got sucked into buying a nice home cheap and then the bottom fell out and he couldn't sell it.  I told him rent and then rent a place closer.  I don't know what he's doing now.

 

I've commuted to Manhattan for nearly 27 years due to the nature of work I do it's really the only choice.  I commute up some weeks from Florida (this only started in the spring) and up here others.  I live in eastern Morris county--27 miles to the Port Authority from my front door.  It's a tough grind even for me.  I have to leave early to avoid traffic.  I don't know if you are an early riser or not but I'm tired of getting up at 4:00 am every day to get to work.  

 

Also all your waking hours will be at work or commuting.  No free time for friends and the activities that you like to do.  The weekends will feel very short because they won't just be for leisure as you'll be doing all the errands you couldn't accomplish all week because you were working or commuting.  

 

I have tons of experience with this and obviously am a gun enthusiast too but I wouldn't trade my life away for better gun laws.  I think you're being a bit short sighted.  

 

I don't know what you do but I'd find work in another state if possible, one you like, move there, commute there and enjoy your freedoms there.

 

I know I gave up a lot of spare time with this commute all these years but I'm retiring before my 50th birthday to go enjoy the sunshine.  

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do but don't make this choice just to get a CCW or not have to apply for firearm permits. 

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Disclaimer: I have worked in my attic, mostly in my underwear, for the last 25 years. I've worked in NYC, went to HS in the city, used to love going in. Now I freaking hate it. Just my opinion. 

 

If you want to move to PA for the gun culture or any other reason consider taking a $50,000 cut in pay and work out there. You'll be happier and maybe, if you frequent Kay's or Rudy's in Stroud, you'll find the woman and dog of your dreams. Unfortunately they'd probably be the same entity.

I didn't need to now the first part and the second part is funny--and true!

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Thread topic is pretty much the question.  Is there anyone currently doing it?  If so, how and from where?  I'm single and don't have a family or dog and already commute 1.5 hours from where I am.  I'd love to move out of this state.

 

Why not just move closer to NYC (work)? Seriously, commuting 3 hours a day is going to suck! Plus as a single guy an urban setting is a more attractive lifestyle.

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I have to agree with most that the long commute is not worth it (although we sometimes feel we have to do it). I did an average commute of 2 hours each way. At first my wife and I did it together and that made the trip great (including home baked muffins on the trip in). But traffic only increased and by myself was pretty bad. During the holiday season it only gets worse.

 

The cost of living is lower the farther you get from NY (or any big city) so see if it is really worth it to keep your current job. I wasn't willing to cut loose but I envy others that just leave and give up the rat race.

 

Tough decision to make but the commute from PA seems not practical for very long.

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I have to agree with most that the long commute is not worth it (although we sometimes feel we have to do it). I did an average commute of 2 hours each way. At first my wife and I did it together and that made the trip great (including home baked muffins on the trip in). But traffic only increased and by myself was pretty bad. During the holiday season it only gets worse.

 

The cost of living is lower the farther you get from NY (or any big city) so see if it is really worth it to keep your current job. I wasn't willing to cut loose but I envy others that just leave and give up the rat race.

 

Tough decision to make but the commute from PA seems not practical for very long.

 

That is the very risk/benefit calculation.  Is it worth living in PA for the 2A freedoms and lower costs that might offer, in exchange for the need to commute the long distance, or is it better to live in the PRNJ and be subject to those laws, but be closer to work and a larger income???  :dontknow:

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My father did it from South Jersey for 15-20 years; ending in the mid-late 1990's.  (we lived right across the river from Philly (Cinnaminson), which is close enough).  Lots of reasons for doing it, which I wont go into here, but he did it, and there's a LOT of other people in this area who do the same; mainly for the MUCH higher paycheck that NYC offers.

 

What he did, and what a lot of others do, is catch the bus at Mount Laurel.  There are busses leaving there every 15 minutes during commuter hours going non-stop to the Port Authority Bus terminal in Manhattan.  They even sell "special" monthly bus tickets, or at least they used to.

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My father did it from South Jersey for 15-20 years; ending in the mid-late 1990's.  (we lived right across the river from Philly (Cinnaminson), which is close enough).  Lots of reasons for doing it, which I wont go into here, but he did it, and there's a LOT of other people in this area who do the same; mainly for the MUCH higher paycheck that NYC offers.

 

What he did, and what a lot of others do, is catch the bus at Mount Laurel.  There are busses leaving there every 15 minutes during commuter hours going non-stop to the Port Authority Bus terminal in Manhattan.  They even sell "special" monthly bus tickets, or at least they used to.

I don't know what your father did and am not criticizing, but how much less would he have made by commuting 30 minutes to Philly?

 

I realize that some industries only exist significantly in certain locations. My father was a clothing designer. He had a 30 minute commute from Hoboken to his shop in Manhattan. He had to work there. Ironically, by the time he was let go in his late 50s he found an even better opportunity three blocks from his home.

 

Maybe I'm spoiled, but I would not commute into Manhattan for double the money I currently make. Consulting in Parsippany 25 years ago cured me of the commuting bug for all time. That's me. 

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You guys are a bunch of wimps, i drive from Manalapan to Paramus each and every day, 1.5 hours each way with light traffic, 2+ hours with heavy traffic, been doing it for over 11 years. You get used to it.

 

Sent from my LG-G4 using Tapatalk

 

 

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You guys are a bunch of wimps, i drive from Manalapan to Paramus each and every day, 1.5 hours each way with light traffic, 2+ hours with heavy traffic, been doing it for over 11 years. You get used to it.

 

Sent from my LG-G4 using Tapatalk

Notice he said you get used to it, not "it gets easier". Big difference.

 

I've done short commutes 15 mins and I'm currently doing a long commute. I'm trying to get back to a short commute.

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There's a number of people (several 100s at least) that commute from NJ to Aberdeen, MD on a semi weekly or  daily basis. Myself, I rent a room a couple nights a week there, as do a lot of people, going in together on a place, whether it be a trailer, house, apt. From my house its 2:15 door to door. I used to do one day trips there and back, but no more. I go there early week and stay afew nights and work remotely after that. Some jobs you cant do that of course

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Notice he said you get used to it, not "it gets easier". Big difference.

 

I've done short commutes 15 mins and I'm currently doing a long commute. I'm trying to get back to a short commute.

It never gets easier, but unfortunately some of us have no other choice or the choices are not worth it.  You always have to weigh the pros and cons and for some people, me included, a long commute is the most logical choice.

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