Commuting to NYC

[zokudu]

I've recently gotten a lead on a job I am very interested in but it is in NYC. I live in the Trenton area, which as far as I can tell is at least a 2 hour commute by train every day. I would be willing to relocate but to be perfectly frank I don't want to live in the city, maybe just a bit closer.

Does anyone here commute into NYC via train? Is it really terrible or manageable? This job is several rungs higher than I anticipated being able to achieve at this point in time so I really want to take it at least for a little while to gain experience. At least 2 years or so.

Good decision or bad decision?

 

[Hacp]

Lots of people in NYC commute to work. One hour is tolerable. Two hour is nuts. Trenton is definitely too far away.

 

[Rakehellion]

Just move to the city.

 

[Rakehellion]

Even if you live in the city, you have to commute to the city every day.

 

[yuchai]

2 hours is too much.. I have 50-60 min commute and I just cannot imagine being able to handle much more than that

 

[Markbnj]

My brother did that from Princeton Junction for 15 years or so. He never mentioned it being a lot of fun.

 

[blackdogdeek]

I know several people who spend about that much time on the train from the Princeton, NJ area. They've been doing it for years but they are married with kids. If I were single I'd never put up with that commute.

 

[MrSquished]

get a place in Jersey City near a Path station. It runs 24/7. If you are near Grove Street Path station you can be at the World Trade Center within 10 minutes during rush hour.

Jersey City is huge and there are a few bad areas but people don't realize is that there are many great areas. Construction is going up everywhere. There are several great areas my favorite is historic downtown. Very vibrant neighborhoods, lots of great restaurants, access to parks, full of young professionals and young families.

I am a real estate agent there - two of my colleagues landed a brand new luxury building with 135 units. Studios started at like 2,100 a month - 1 bedrooms at mid 2K, 2 bedrooms at mid 3k. they rented out 90% of the units in 2 weeks. people are flocking to JC.

keep in mind that is a luxury building pricing structure. i looked at some 2 bedroom rentals recently for two guys, and those ranged from 1800-2300 - not in luxury buildings.

keep me in mind if you are thinking of moving up because your commute from Trenton is ridiculous. when i moved to Jersey City cause I got a job in Manhattan my commute from Wayne was close to 1.5 hours each way in rush hour traffic. moving to JC cut that to 30 minutes. so i saved 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year. So I got roughly 21 days of my life back a year.

 

[jpiniero]

Yeah, that's the one thing I noticed about NYC. Commuting sucks even with the best mass transit system in the US.

Never been there, but Jersey City seems close enough that it wouldn't be too bad. 2k for a studio seems pretty steep though, albeit I imagine the Wall Street types could afford that.

 

[halik]

get a place in Jersey City near a Path station. It runs 24/7. If you are near Grove Street Path station you can be at the World Trade Center within 10 minutes during rush hour.

Jersey City is huge and there are a few bad areas but people don't realize is that there are many great areas. Construction is going up everywhere. There are several great areas my favorite is historic downtown. Very vibrant neighborhoods, lots of great restaurants, access to parks, full of young professionals and young families.

I am a real estate agent there - two of my colleagues landed a brand new luxury building with 135 units. Studios started at like 2,100 a month - 1 bedrooms at mid 2K, 2 bedrooms at mid 3k. they rented out 90% of the units in 2 weeks. people are flocking to JC.

keep in mind that is a luxury building pricing structure. i looked at some 2 bedroom rentals recently for two guys, and those ranged from 1800-2300 - not in luxury buildings.

keep me in mind if you are thinking of moving up because your commute from Trenton is ridiculous. when i moved to Jersey City cause I got a job in Manhattan my commute from Wayne was close to 1.5 hours each way in rush hour traffic. moving to JC cut that to 30 minutes. so i saved 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year. So I got roughly 21 days of my life back a year.

Hoboken or JC for the win. You also save on city tax.

 

[MrSquished]

Yeah, that's the one thing I noticed about NYC. Commuting sucks even with the best mass transit system in the US.

Never been there, but Jersey City seems close enough that it wouldn't be too bad. 2k for a studio seems pretty steep though, albeit I imagine the Wall Street types could afford that.

it's a luxury building that's why. tons of amenities. but there are 2 bedrooms in that price range in smaller buildings.

if you are near the grove st path your commute to manhattan is so short. plus if you like to go out into the city with it's 4am last call time, the path is 24/7 so it accommodates that kind of lifestyle too.

hoboken is nice but to me it's too vanilla and gentrified and overpriced. however anyone who wants to see a place in Hoboken, I am glad to show them. there are a lot of positives there. for now, price-wise, JC is way more reasonable, much more varied ethnically and culturally. but as a realtor, i would show any home in any neighborhood to anybody.

the hoboken bar scene is full of the jock/guido mentality. JC has some better vibes.

 

[Dari]

What's wrong with living in NYC?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I can't imagine having to drive more than 15 minutes back and forth every single day. With the price of gas it's probably also not worth it. Time is money. If 4 hours per day is wasted on driving in traffic think of what you could be doing in that 4 hours to make money.

 

[MrSquished]

What's wrong with living in NYC?

nothing. if you have the money to do so. manhattan prices are nuts. brooklyn and queens have some good neighborhoods but they will most likely be more expensive than JC. depending upon where you are working, the commute from JC is often much faster (especially if you work in the financial district)

if you work midtown it's faster from JC than brooklyn but can be a bit longer or the same as from good parts of Queens.

 

[ultimatebob]

Even if you live in the city, you have to commute to the city every day.

Well, yeah... if you live in Brooklyn

If this job paid $$$, he could afford an decent apartment in Manhattan to live in. Unless it's a lawyer/doctor/stock broker job, though, it's probably not worth it.

 

[zokudu]

It's an IT Security job. I don't know salary quite yet but obviously I would have to take the cost of living in norther NJ or NYC into account when negotiating or choosing to accept the position.

 

[MrSquished]

It's an IT Security job. I don't know salary quite yet but obviously I would have to take the cost of living in norther NJ or NYC into account when negotiating or choosing to accept the position.

good luck on your new job fortunes.

keep me in mind if you choose to focus on the JC/Hoboken markets. Even if not, I can find you the best realtor for you in your chosen area to live and if you close with them I get a referral fee out of their commission, so I am motivated to find you a top realtor.

i don't just want this one deal, i want your referrals down the road. i'm a longer term thinking agent.

good luck with the whole shebang. nice to see you finding upward mobility in this job market. cheers!

 

[Dari]

nothing. if you have the money to do so. manhattan prices are nuts. brooklyn and queens have some good neighborhoods but they will most likely be more expensive than JC. depending upon where you are working, the commute from JC is often much faster (especially if you work in the financial district)

if you work midtown it's faster from JC than brooklyn but can be a bit longer or the same as from good parts of Queens.

Fair enough, but the OP never stated why he doesn't want to live in the City. Doesn't make sense to eat, work, and play in the City but live elsewhere. Doubly so if you're young. WTF would you want to live in a bordertown if its main attraction is proximity? To save money when you start a family? IMHO, it's better to live in the City so you can put in the hours required to move up that corporate ladder. The accelerated pay increases will more than pay for the higher expenses compared to living in NJ. I mean, can you imagine doing something you love only to have to leave by 16:30 because you have to catch a goddamn train to NJ? WTF? May as well work in NJ.

 

[MrSquished]

Fair enough, but the OP never stated why he doesn't want to live in the City. Doesn't make sense to eat, work, and play in the City but live elsewhere. Doubly so if you're young. WTF would you want to live in a bordertown if its main attraction is proximity? To save money when you start a family? IMHO, it's better to live in the City so you can put in the hours required to move up that corporate ladder. The accelerated pay increases will more than pay for the higher expenses compared to living in NJ. I mean, can you imagine doing something you love only to have to leave by 16:30 because you have to catch a goddamn train to NJ? WTF? May as well work in NJ.

you should read more before you post. as i stated living in JC/Hoboken is a faster commute to various parts of NYC than anywhere in NYC.

and I have been focusing on the PATH train, which runs 24/7, so no worries about following NJ transit, LIRR or Metro North schedules.

I am amazed you discount proximity as a non-factor. Really? A faster commute is a bad thing cause it's in a different state. and it's not just proximity, these areas have fantastic amenities and attractions - from parks to restaurants and bars. really not sure what you are jabbering about. it seems like you just kinda skimmed the thread and barely ingested any of it.

like I said nothing wrong with picking manhattan if your income dictates it. the space you will get living in many parts of NYC vs the JC side is huge. some people don't want to live in a box. it all depends on the OPS salary.

 

[Dari]

you should read more before you post. as i stated living in JC/Hoboken is a faster commute to various parts of NYC than anywhere in NYC.

and I have been focusing on the PATH train, which runs 24/7, so no worries about following NJ transit, LIRR or Metro North schedules.

I am amazed you discount proximity as a non-factor. Really? A faster commute is a bad thing cause it's in a different state. and it's not just proximity, these areas have fantastic amenities and attractions - from parks to restaurants and bars. really not sure what you are jabbering about. it seems like you just kinda skimmed the thread and barely ingested any of it.

like I said nothing wrong with picking manhattan if your income dictates it. the space you will get living in many parts of NYC vs the JC side is huge. some people don't want to live in a box. it all depends on the OPS salary.

Why on earth would the OP live in Brooklyn if his job is in Manhattan? Who does that? He should just find a place a couple of blocks away or within 15 minutes. That way, should something go wrong, he can just walk to work. I know a lot of people that choose the long commute route instead of the dedication route and are still getting incremental raises. Those that put in the hours and stay until midnight or weekends move up faster. Bosses notice that dedication and reward accordingly. He'd be taking a huge risk by moving to Brooklyn, let alone Jersey City, if his job was in Manhattan and he wanted to dedicate his time to his career.

EDIT: I know of quite a few new recruits that live on Water St. or Maiden Lane, just a block or two from where our office is. I live in Chelsea, which I would consider far but I have a family so there is justification. All I am saying is that people should dedicate their lives to their careers. There is no better way to be more productive.

 

[MrSquished]

Why on earth would the OP live in Brooklyn if his job is in Manhattan? Who does that? He should just find a place a couple of blocks away or within 15 minutes. That way, should something go wrong, he can just walk to work. I know a lot of people that choose the long commute route instead of the dedication route and are still getting incremental raises. Those that put in the hours and stay until midnight or weekends move up faster. Bosses notice that dedication and reward accordingly. He'd be taking a huge risk by moving to Brooklyn, let alone Jersey City, if his job was in Manhattan and he wanted to dedicate his time to his career.

you are pretty clueless. real estate in Manhattan prices are insane. you think it's that easy to just find a place a few blocks from your job? to have that kind of flexibility you'd have to have an income in the 150K plus range at the least. if you don't want to live in a box. maybe he does, but he hasn't posted his income yet.

seriously, you just don't know the market and should probably back out of the conversation. the amount of successful people that live in Brooklyn, Queens, Hoboken or JC for jobs in Manhattan is huge (not to mention the burbs if they don't mind the commute time)

 

[jjsbasmt]

Lived 25 yrs in Mt Holly and had several people from my development that commuted to NYC daily without any major issue. Sure a 4:30 am wakeup and sometimes home around 7 pm or so, but the salary made the trip worth it. NYC wages and living in South Central Jersey. Some would catch a bus and others would take the train, or some combo of both. Train from Trenton would be easy for you, unless you don't drive and getting to and from the Trenton station would be a pain.

 

[Dari]

you are pretty clueless. real estate in Manhattan prices are insane. you think it's that easy to just find a place a few blocks from your job? to have that kind of flexibility you'd have to have an income in the 150K plus range at the least. if you don't want to live in a box. maybe he does, but he hasn't posted his income yet.

seriously, you just don't know the market and should probably back out of the conversation. the amount of successful people that live in Brooklyn, Queens, Hoboken or JC for jobs in Manhattan is huge (not to mention the burbs if they don't mind the commute time)

If the OP is looking for a job then I guess he can live wherever he wants. But if this is a career move and he is dedicating his life to this industry then it's better to make the sacrifice and live as close as possible to this job. IMHO, it makes no sense to have such a long commute. That eats up precious time in a City that doesn't have enough of it. With less time to commute he can dedicate more time to his career. Worrying about money should not be a factor when it comes to what he is dedicating his life to. Yes, even if it means living in a shoebox.

Not sure what more I can say. If OP is price-sensitive then choose a place that suits your wallet. Otherwise, live as close as possible to your job.

 

[MrSquished]

If the OP is looking for a job then I guess he can live wherever he wants. But if this is a career move and he is dedicating his life to this industry then it's better to make the sacrifice and live as close as possible to this job. IMHO, it makes no sense to have such a long commute. That eats up precious time in a City that doesn't have enough of it. With less time to commute he can dedicate more time to his career. Worrying about money should not be a factor when it comes to what he is dedicating his life to. Yes, even if it means living in a shoebox.

Not sure what more I can say. If OP is price-sensitive then choose a place that suits you. Otherwise, live as close as possible to your job.

if you don't think weighing the characteristics of your daily personal space should be a non-factor vs commute distance you are just kind of a robot. of course we should prioritize our commute but also weight that in with factors of living situation.

some people prefer having a nice living space vs an extra 30 minutes vs commute time and living in a box.

you just have tunnel vision. not really a good thing in this case. quality of life should be a pretty big factor in the whole equation. the right balance is important. my model has a very balanced vision. yours is suffer no matter what as long as you are so near your job location.

sorry, but it's a balancing act - finding that ideal commute time while also finding a pleasant living experience. that's the trick.

not your tunnel vision bullshit.

 

[LegendKiller]

I lived out in Stamford for 4.5yrs and commuted to midtown. The ~1.5hrs door to door was just fine for me.

Train commuting is a breeze. Read on the train, take a nap, play on your phone. In fact, I drive 45min now, I'd go back to a 1hr commute just to avoid driving.