Jersey to NYC commute
Are there any bankers here who commute from jersey to nyc? If yes you got any tips? Just want to see something, cause rents in certain areas of jersey are cheaper.
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Didn’t you watch How I met your mother ?
no why
but also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNOxIUUi17E
https://how-i-met-your-mother.fandom.com/wiki/I_Heart_NJ
Why would you do this to your social life?
I could always come to manhattan for the fun and then dip. I don’t think it will affect it severely.
You’re not going to bring a girl back to a different state…hot girls in NYC judge all of this stuff. If you don’t care then fine but still. Beyond that even walking to meet up w friends and stuff is out of the picture.
So, the answer to this is... "It Depends"... why? Because New Jersey is a big place and where you're commuting from matters. So where are you looking at in Jersey?
I was looking at East Orange it would be like a 30 minute drive. an hour on the train. which is kinda bad going in but leaving at least i know the ubers got me
First off... No. Just no. Have you ever been to East Orange? Just no. I was expecting you to suggest Hoboken, Jersey City, or Port Imperial. You're going to want to be closer to Manhattan than Brick Church.
Second, Orange and East Orange are common stops and Brick Church is a major stop on the Morris and Essex line. If I recall, the train runs every 20 minutes out of Brick Church and is about 25 minutes to NY Penn. So keep that in mind.
I’m not a banker, don’t work those wild hours doubt I could doing the jersey commute but I’d say I spend about 1-1.5 hours going in and out of the city each way. I take my car to the NJ transit to and if I catch an express train it’s not too bad at all. It’s not too crazy
what kind of hours do you work?
Random. Some days could be 12 others 4. Depends on the schedule. I stay remote when I want to but I prefer being in if others are in. Total usually probably like 8am-5 or 6pm but I do take calls and meetings later or work on stuff. So with a commute that’s up around 6 and home by 7 or 7:30ish.
Hoboken or JC can be very easy if you live near the PATH and your office is on the west side. As a junior, I wouldn't recommend living any further than that where you might have to depend on NJ Transit (either train or *gasp* the bus which would probably just get you fired from IB if anybody knew) since you'll end up driving or Ubering and you don't have that sort of time to be commuting like that (or $$ with what Uber would charge you these days).
ubers are really expensive. i was thinking about something in east orange or even bergen county. with the prices i’m paying in JC or Hoboken better I stay in NYC
The money you’ll be saving by living 30-45 mins outside Manhattan will not be worth it when you’re leaving the office at 2am and can’t go to sleep until at least 3 and then have to be up at 7:45 so you’re ready to go at 8 to be in by 9
.
Lmaoo thanks for this
I commute from upstate NY and it’s really not that bad. You’ll need to get up like an hour before your coworkers and may be a bit more tired, but you’ll be saving a lot of money.
Also you’ll probably take your free uber home each night so most of the time will only need a 1-way train ticket.
what are your hours like for context? that would help to answer this better. how do you get to the train station to come in the city?
Hours since going back to the office have been in the 60-80s range. But usually I’ll try to get to a good stopping point around 9/9:30, then call my uber and sign back on from home.
I get a ride in the morning. That part you’ll need to figure out if you’re not walking distance.
I’m thinking Newport or hobroken, is that ok?
Try: Manhattan
Can't afford. Way too expensive.
As someone living in JC, the commute is not bad at all. If you live near Newport or grove street path station, you can get to midtown in under 15 mins.
what’s your rental situation like? also if you were to move what other area would you move to in NJ?
I got a good deal. <1k a month. Living anywhere else would be a hassle to commute to NYC tbh.
If you want to save money get a dump in the city. I have a somewhat bad commute (~45 mins in the morning, less with an Uber home) and it’s awful, you’re exhausted on this job no matter what and that hour of sleep will be crucial. Nothing worse than logging off at 4am and needing to set a 7am alarm to get to work on time.
I also just end up ubering when tired so I probably waste a couple hundred a month there, so if you do that you wont even end up saving as much as you might think with cheap rent.
Get roommates, do whatever it takes to live close to work
Everyone I know who has tried this has moved into the city the second their lease was up. The PATH trains are notoriously unreliable, especially on weekends. If you want to drive, you'll need parking which will run you $500+ a month. Also, East Orange is more like an hour plus drive during commute hours, the bridges and tunnels are a nightmare in the AM. Finally, East Orange is not somewhere you want to live to say the least... Hoboken or JC are fine.
Even with a flexible schedule, I think this would only be worth it if:
1. you have friends in Jersey. How much does it suck to commute an hour each way to grab drinks? A lot. If you're in the group that thinks Hoboken is the coolest thing since sliced bread, go for it, but if your group is entirely in Manhattan forget it.
2. you aren't in NYC for work more than 2-3 days a week - even not being in IB, your 8-5pm hours just became 7-7. Doable a few days a week, not fun 5 days a week.
But overall I think not worth it. Get roommates in NYC, live in a cheaper area. Don't do this to yourself
If I lived in EO i was planning on the train the united AMs. Then use that uber back to pick up my car and leave
That’s the thing all my friends already live in BK and Queens so moving won’t damage my social life too much.
I was looking at that as well, if i’m only going in three days for the week. On a 8-11 schedule it’s a three day sacrifice which wouldn’t be that bad compared to 5 days a week.
Why not live in BK or Queens then? Those trains are way more reliable and you can live closer to friends - you won't be friends very long if it's a 2 hour commute to see each other. LIC is cheap, Queens should be as cheap as EO.
incoming SA at a BB, l am from one of the boroughs (live with parents) Queens/brooklyn/Bronx, same question as OP. I want to commute and its a 45-1 hour commute with train, I can take the metro north as well, would it be doable (not really woried about social life), and for nighttime do we have to pay for ubers? I thoughts banks cover you for late-night ubers, kinda dont wanna take the train late night to where i live lol.
incoming SA at a BB, living in one of the boroughs with parents Queens/brooklyn/Bronx, same question as OP. I want to commute and its a 45-1 hour commute with train, I can take the metro north as well, would it be doable, and for nighttime do we have to pay for ubers? I thoughts banks cover you for late-night ubers?
Banks will pay for Ubers home, usually past 10pm
Honestly though, I'd really advise you to live in the city for SA, wait until FT if you really want to commute. You have one shot to impress and get a FT offer, and getting 2 hours less sleep commuting each day is a huge hit to your very limited sleep. There's also a bunch of social events coordinated via your group that are basically mandatory, even if you're not interested in the social aspect you will have to go to some of that stuff. NYU dorms are very affordable and where most interns stay.
Commuting as a FT is one thing, you can usually roll in at 10-11am if you have a very late night. As an intern you don't have that luxury, make the investment to make sure you get enough sleep to perform your best. You will make a ton of money with the recent raises, the small amount going towards NYC rent is worth it.
Very close. 25 mins. Don’t listen to the idiots deterring you if you’re set on it.
JC is on the rise.
Yeah I feel like chicks always get wet when you meet them in West Village and you ask them to go back to yours in Jersey City. Deff on the rise .
Like you’re actually pulling chicks in the west village and bringing them back to your place…
25 mins if office is on west side. If it's on the east side it's much more painful.
Wouldn't the difference in rent and taxes let you buy a nice luxury car to commute?
Do not drive into Manhattan during rush hour. Also if you are using your savings to get a nice luxury car, why? I would 100% recommend living in nyc instead of using that money on a depreciating asset (unless you love cars), your health (physical and mental) will thank you.
The commute into Manhattan in the morning is AWFUL. You won’t enjoy any part of it, even if being driven around in a maybach.
yeah wasn’t planning to buy a luxury car. It would be a better bang for buck to get a beater. I wouldn’t drive into manhattan either that’s why i was looking at JC somewhere near a transit line
I commuted from Gillette (way past Summit) for 15 years. Some recommendations:
If you are single AND working downtown, Jersey City or Hoboken is OK, BUT you are trading off transit reliability vs COL. Trust me, it absolutely sucks when you can not get off the island.
Do not take a train home when single, UNLESS you are living at home with parents.
Driving into NYC currently is a clusterfuck unless you work really bizarre hours.
Do not hold your breath for the Gateway project to be completed in your lifetime.
Any train that is not "one stop" (summit to nyp) will cost you an hour plus each way minimum.
Trains and path do not run often late at night.
If you have a FAMILY...suck it up and live out past Summit.
what do you mean by transit reliability? The subways aren’t even reliable most times. I am talking about my line currently. I can leave out early and still be late. Why would you say to not commute back late if you don’t have family? I found places in JC, its not downtown JC tho.
I live in Hoboken, work mid-town, here are my points:
If you have a family or don't really plan on taking advantage of anything in the hoboken/JC area, I'd say live out in the suburbs. One of the things about living in Hoboken that gets overlooked is that, depending on close you live to the bus or path (if you take public transportation), commute can still be ~40 minutes. Messes with the head a little when you can see the city. So you don't save "that" much time, and the extra hassle from having to drive to the train station would be replaced by different kind of hassles in Hoboken.
If you are single, I'd say go for Hoboken or JC. Lot of stuff up and coming, lot of development going on. Lot of young people, easy to get into NYC on weekend or Brooklyn if you want. If you have a car you can also get to parts of jersey outside of Hudson county. The time to buy in Hoboken would probably have been 15 years ago or prob in about 5 years. They're building a lot of a new luxury stuff, not just in Hoboken but the surronding areas (JC, Weehawken, Secaucus), so there will probably be a point with the bottom falls out. They are planning on a building, state of the art high school in hoboken (spending $250M just to be able to accommodate 100 more students, but I digress). Plus, if you have to personally Uber, its closer than Orange county.
Personally, I like living in hoboken, but I also don't have a family. If I did, I'd probably move to the suburbs. However, a lot more people have been raising kids in the area, so its getting a lot more family friendly.
Thank you for the reply. I have no family so i won’t be moving into the suburbs suburbs. I see some places outside of like prime hoboken that has some nice renovated apartments still the the same distance to travel just not a luxury development.
You are right about the uber situation. If i’m running late from EO the drive is gonna be 30 minutes no traffic. With morning traffic god knows what it’s gonna be.
Someone else commented on the thread and said they leave work at like 9/930 then go home and finish up. Which is really smart and not a lot of people consider this. I wonder if an MD would care if you leave at 9 and then go home and finish up.
What are your rents like if you don’t mind me asking?
Why not think longer term and do your absolute best at your job and not chance some MD getting triggered at you leaving the office at 9? That’s going to raise eyebrows for a brand new analyst.
Rent wise I have a pretty cheap deal, so my rent is sub market. However, typical rent depending on what you want could be $2k-$4k, again, depending on what you want.
Leaving work at 9 or whatever all depends on your MD.
Just curious has anyone done Staten Island to Manhattan daily?
Yes, I do. Not a great commute by any means ~ 1hr20min/longer
Very easy to live in JC to commute, especially to West side of lower Manhattan. Hoboken better for around mid town. Take the ferry, you can be door to door within 20 mins. Yes, people in Manhattan will not want to bother coming over to JC or Hoboken. On the flipside, you'll save 4% in city tax. If you work in midtown and want to live somewhere cheaper but still be near Manhattan / won't be shunned by snobby Manhattan-ites, look at LIC.
Thank you for replying.
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find a place where and are you living with roommates?
He has to be...
I think the biggest common thread I see here is OP and some other constantly underestimating how long it will take to travel places.
- 30 Min Manhattan to East Orange...yea f'ing right. Traffic in manahattan doesn't stop, it's always bricked up unless it's like 3 am on a wednesday morning. And you're going to jersey, you know what is always always slow? Holland and Lincoln tunnel. And you're talking about driving in during rush hour when your boss is yelling about getting those comps done but you can't do anything cuz you're driving?
- 1 hour train, bzzt wrong. Yes,from the train leaving NYP to that station, it is 1 hour. How long from your office to NYP? Gotta be 15- 3min minimum, then you get from station to home, another 15 min minimum. Meanwhile if you lived in the city, it's 30 min on subway including walking and you're home.
Also, commuter train is like $10/day right? x 2 x 5 = 100/week x 4 = 400/month.
You're a young guy starting your career, give yourself some breathing room before you make your whole life about commuting.
-The first one has already ruled not even tourists drive into manhattan. The plan was to take the path into the city. Transfer from a line near EO. The other thing was to go to somewhere closer than EO, Jersey City or Even
-Why would I take the train home in the evenings,if most days I'm leaving late don't I get the free ubers?
-as it relates to the cost of commuting via train it would ultimately depend on how many days I am going in per week. So 2-3 days in the cost of commuting and the time spent commuting wouldn't be that bad.
my boss wouldnt be screaming at me for comps. Not in traditional IB im in public finance
All in all op, I would just live in the Newport Area in JC—it’s the perfect spot. There are apartments with gyms and the mall/movie theather is right there. Some people have a hardon for NYC, but if you can manage your time properly, JC can work.
I do know some bankers and Lawyers who commute from South Orange station(near West Orange) but they’re at the MD/ Partner level. If you want NYC, look into places on the UES near Madison Ave.
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