commuting to philly from new brunswick, nj (Philadelphia, Media: renting, home)

[mcsuper]

for personal reasons I'm thinking of living in new brunswick, NJ and commuting to my job in philly (6th and Market) for one year. car is an option, and work start/leave times are somewhat flexible. is this commute doable, do you know anyone who does it? i know it will be a rough one, but I'm just trying to gauge if it is even possible to do

[CHIP72]

I'd strongly, strongly suggest doing the SEPTA/NJ Transit combination rather than driving, especially if you live within walking distance of or can easily take a bus to the New Brunswick train station. (Market Street and 6th Street is about 4 blocks from Market East Station in Center City Philadelphia, a very doable walk.) The SEPTA R7 (oops, SEPTA Trenton Line) and NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line both have fairly frequent service at rush hours.

[mcsuper]

are you saying that would be quicker than driving or just less aggravating? googlemaps seems to think it would be way faster to drive in general

[Marius Pontmercy]

I'm going for my PhD at Rutgers this fall and was in the same pickle. Ultimately I'll be renting a place for the week in New Brunswick and coming back to stay in Philly with my girlfriend on weekends. I just can't see myself doing that kind of a commute. It's about 1.5 hours each way. If you don't mind the commute than go for it.

As for taking the train: not feasible. You'd be spending over four hours a day on the train. Since you have to switch at Trenton you're at the mercy of NJT and SEPTA's schedules which don't always sync up. Plus, a zone 5 pass for SEPTA and a monthly pass for NJT on the NE Corridor line is really expensive. I prefer taking the train personally, I hate driving, but in this case its really just not feasible. It's not a one seat ride, you have to wait in Trenton, and its too expensive. If you're only doing this a couple times a week its not as big a deal, but not every day.

I would recommend that you find a place in Philly at least for during the work week. Unless you can stand the commute that is.

[bryson662001]

I have done it many times but not on an every day basis. Believe it or not I use RT 130. It is amazing how fast it moves with little traffic and few lights and of course it is free. Getting stuck behind a wreck on the turnpike is a nightmare that happens all too frequently.

[Voltige]

My husband did a similar commute for 5 years. Media borough to Raritan, NJ. He typically took 95 in the mornings and turnpike home. It was 80 miles door to door.

It was, well, just what he had to do. I wouldn't recommend it, but we survived. We now have a 7 mile commute (relocated to NC).

[ElijahAstin]

Unless there's some strong reason compelling you to be there (eg, significant other working in far North Jersey or NYC), don't do it, man.

[john_starks]

that's a loong commute.everyday is tough. i'd push for twice or 3 times a week if you have the option of working from home