Returning home, with some complications (includes crazy commute scheme for judging)

[mangoimpression]

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading. I would really really love the input of some area veterans on my problem. I'm a twenty-something woman who will be relocating to the Philly area in a few months. My boyfriend has a job in Center City, I grew up in DelCo, and we're both young folk interested in a city culture, so we'd really like to live in Philly. My job, however, is in New Jersey -- about 15-20 min west of Trenton off I-195, past Hamilton.

This is not ideal, obviously, but I'm trying to figure out how to minimize the unpleasantness of the commute (I should also add that I'll probably only be at this position for a year or two). I have two questions:

1) How terrible/lengthy will driving be? Is there any alternative?

This is a reverse commute, right? How's the congestion then?

I know SEPTA has a Trenton line, but there's really no way to get from the Trenton Transit Station to the office. However -- and this might be totally insane, that's why I want some outside input -- I might soon be in possession of two cars: my old clunker (which runs decently on short trips) and the better one my brother's kindly gifting me when he moves out of town. I'd been planning on giving the clunker to charity or a recycling program or something. Instead, is there any way I could leave it at the Trenton station semi-permanently so that I could just take the R7 from Philly and then jump in the car and drive the final 15 min to work? Do you think parking options like that exist? How much might they cost?

This job comes with a huge raise from my last one, so I'm willing to spend some money to not have to drive the whole commute. The insurance on that clunker is only $350 a year. Is this completely crazy or impossible?


1) What neighborhood should we live in?

My first instinct is NoLibs/Fishtown so I could just pop on 95. Good idea? Cool place for young people?

[3rd&Brown]

1. I assume you mean east of Trenton? I did that commute for 6 years, all the way to the Allentown exit on 195. It's a lot of mileage (about 38), but it moves super fast because there is virtually no traffic (45-50 minutes in good weather). The only bottleneck is at the light at the end of the Rt 1 exit onto 29.

2. Yes. Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Old City, Society Hill, and Queen Village are your best options for hopping right on 95.

At my old company, a surprising number of people did this commute...especially the younger folk. You might find after you start that there are other people in the same situation who are willing to carpool.

[mangoimpression]

Yeah, I did mean East, sorry. I'm really glad to hear that commute isn't awful, but I think I'd still like the option of taking public transit when possible.

Looking into it, it seems like nexusparkingsystems.com offers monthly passes in a secure, well-lit lot by Trenton Transit Center for $155, which is a cost I'm totally willing to swallow (it's also probably less than the gas money I'd spend driving from Center City to Trenton every day).

So then I just need to decide where to live given these commute options. We're looking for a 1bdrm apt and are willing to pay up to $1800, although obviously the cheaper, the better ($1500 range would be ideal).

The R7's last stop when leaving the city is the N. Phil station -- if I lived in NoLibs, I could bike to that station, get on the R7, then drive the last 15 min. I'd also have a better commute on days I needed or wanted to drive b/c of 95's proximity. That station isn't in a good area though, correct? Would biking home after dark be unwise?

The R7 also hits Suburban and Market East -- should I look to CC/Fairmount instead? That would make the driving commute worse, however, but hopefully that wouldn't be my primary method. For some reason, I'm not crazy about the idea of having to take the El to get to the R7, so I'd prefer if I could bike/walk that first stretch somehow. Reasonable?

Thank you so much for your input! Makes the decision a lot easier

[Hospitalitygirl]

Not Fairmount. Keep to east of Broad St., and the east side of the city generally for an easier commute to and from Trenton area.

[Reds]

Queen Village. You'll practically live next to 95, and you'll have a roughly 5 minute bike ride to Market East. Even from Bella Vista, which is just west of QV, you can get to 95 without hassle and you'll be even slightly closer to Market East.

[3rd&Brown]

Good luck. Adding public transit to the mix will change 50 minute commute into an hour 30 commute door to door...with the additional transitions. If it were anywhere near convenient and cost-competitive, the 30-40 people I've worked with over the years who did the same commute would have undoubtedly chosen to take that route instead. I think the number who did was zero. It's a noble goal, but one that isn't really practical given the geography.

[BarryG]

Yeah, I did mean East, sorry. I'm really glad to hear that commute isn't awful, but I think I'd still like the option of taking public transit when possible.

Looking into it, it seems like nexusparkingsystems.com offers monthly passes in a secure, well-lit lot by Trenton Transit Center for $155, which is a cost I'm totally willing to swallow (it's also probably less than the gas money I'd spend driving from Center City to Trenton every day).

So then I just need to decide where to live given these commute options. We're looking for a 1bdrm apt and are willing to pay up to $1800, although obviously the cheaper, the better ($1500 range would be ideal).

The R7's last stop when leaving the city is the N. Phil station -- if I lived in NoLibs, I could bike to that station, get on the R7, then drive the last 15 min. I'd also have a better commute on days I needed or wanted to drive b/c of 95's proximity. That station isn't in a good area though, correct? Would biking home after dark be unwise?

The R7 also hits Suburban and Market East -- should I look to CC/Fairmount instead? That would make the driving commute worse, however, but hopefully that wouldn't be my primary method. For some reason, I'm not crazy about the idea of having to take the El to get to the R7, so I'd prefer if I could bike/walk that first stretch somehow. Reasonable?

Thank you so much for your input! Makes the decision a lot easier

If you live in NoLibs the better option is to take the El to Market East station. N Broad is not a station you want to leave a bike at, or get off alone at night. If you're going to train it, assume you'll be leaving from Market East, Suburban, or 30th St.

[Ho Chi Minh]

Not Fairmount. Keep to east of Broad St., and the east side of the city generally for an easier commute to and from Trenton area.

And stay above Market, it will make the beginning of your commute much easier. You don't want to be getting on 95 right before everyone is getting off.