Commuting to New York from Trenton?

Y’all think this is a good idea. I can save quite a bit of money. Plus I can’t afford a decent room anyway. Only ones I’ve found are in Harlem and Brooklyn which is still like a 30-40 minute commute each way. I can save on rent, utilities and a bunch of other stuff by not living in the city. I’ll have to work another job after my internship to help out at home (the pandemic has been unkind) so am not planning on having too much fun this summer. So from that perspective I don’t think nyc night life is relevant to me. Thoughts?

17 Comments
 

Trenton is a super hike. I think Harlem or Brooklyn are better options than Trenton. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

How many times per week do you have to go in?

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
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Is Trenton where family is (will rent actually be 0)? It will definitely be a hike, about 70 mins on the train + arriving 10 mins early (if you need to park) + commute from your house + time from penn station to work. I knew someone who tried this for a summer internship (working 8:30 AM - 5:30 or so) and they were miserable (best case was 1 hr and 45 mins door to door) - cost was also $500-600 a month (train ticket, parking, gas). Also, are you saying you will be working another job (off hours)? That is going to be a lot of work with a commute. If financially it’s the only option then it’s possible, but be prepared for a tiring summer. 

 

Yes, rent will be 0. My hours at the internship will be slightly better from 9 am to 3pm, and then I’ll have to work from 6 to 11pm at my other job. My uncle just told me he has a few friends in the city so I’m waiting to see where that goes, hopefully can get a cheap place closer to the office. Plus I can get out of my parents house for the summer lol. Won’t be a fun summer but it is what it is.

 

People do it, but commuting from Trenton to NYC is a long commute.   It could take up to two hours each way.  If you want to be relatively near the city and be in New Jersey, a better option would be New Brunswick, which is also a pretty good place for a young person.   There are lots of good restaurants and bars in New Brunswick and you can take NJT in New Brunswick either to mid town or hop on the PATH when you are half to NYC to get to downtown.  

Edit: If your job is fully remote, the proximity does not matter all that much.  New Brunswick is still a cool place to live.  

 

I did 2 hours door to door every day for 10 years in new jersey.  Now if the rent is free, that definitely offsets what i am telling you.  Also, as an internship, they will be more lax

Comments

  • The NE Corridor line shares most of the tracks with Amtrak.  NEC also has second or third priority on those tracks, so significant delays occur a lot.
  • Take the earliest express train possible.  Better to get a coffee and bagel than stress about running through Penn.
  • Penn is the busiest train station in the US.  It is also the dirtiest, most broken and delay ridden place on the planet (next to LGA of course)
  • Afternoon trains are WAY less frequent.  If you have a job at 6pm, you may have to leave at 3pm to get there.
  • Commute:  10 minutes to train, 10 waiting, 80 minutes avg train, 20 to 30 on subway/walk, plus delays
Namaste. D.O.U.G.
 

It's doable if you work near Penn Station (including Hudson Yards) or near the WTC. Lots of people did the commute daily pre-covid, sometimes even from Bucks County, PA. (Often they drive to the Hamilton station which has more parking than Trenton/Princeton.) 

That said, it is quite long, and Penn Station isn't the best (though Moynihan does make it better). 

NJ Transit starts its expresses (direct Newark, Princeton, Hamilton, Trenton) at 4:13 arriving at Trenton at 5:26. (Of course there are later trains, but this could work if you need to be back by 6PM.)

 
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 from that perspective I don't think nyc night life is relevant to me. Thoughts?

Are you 21?

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

I’m 22. I’d like to have a good time over the summer and live in the city, but I have other responsibilities that, at least fo now, come first.

 

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"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee

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