www.hopstop.com will give you the best possible mass transit routes

+1 for a NY Waterway shuttle to 39th Street, transferring to the free bus up to 57th Street. This could mean Port Imperial, Hoboken, Paulus Hook, etc.

I am moving from the Grove Street area to Paulus Hook in a couple of months and I plan to use the ferry as often as I can. I already ride it about twice a week for various meetings and such in Manhattan. It costs more but in terms of reliability and the experience of your ride, it's hard to beat. The only thing to be prepared for is the occasional traffic jam between the ferry terminal and Columbus Circle. Some days you might sit in traffic for a few minutes longer than expected. But other than that I would highly recommend this option.

As a close second, I'd recommend the PATH to 33rd, transferring to B/D.

Good luck!

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I had to get to 12th & 54th for a meeting this week and I looked at the NYWW site. It looked like there were no buses! It's there now, I guess something wasn't loading. My load was more than I wanted to shlep through the trains so I drove for $30 toll & parking. ouch. It'll be worth it if the job comes in though. It'd have been $14.50 round trip on the boat. That's okay for a meeting, but too rich for my blood for a commute across the river. The monthlys the same as a LIRR ticket deep into Suffolk.

PATH+subway would have been what $7? who knows, the way they've got us all using cards that don't say much. Same with the damn EZpass that won't tell you what the Turnpike just charged you for 3 miles.

Not sure I agree with the poster who said if you can't live in Manhattan then live in Brooklyn--if you are simply trying to compare commuting time. I work with plenty of people who live in Brooklyn. My commute seems to be as fast/easy or faster/easier than theirs. (Naturally, it depends on which part of Brooklyn and which part of Jersey City you are comparing, but...)

I will say I live on the waterfront and recently switched from a Light Rail / PATH commute to NY Waterway.

Here's my take (esp for 57th)
While its more expensive, I'd go NY Waterway in a heartbeat. Ferries, while they only run to Midtown every 30 minutes are on time 99% of the time vs a Path that while more frequent had at least 1 issue for me a month.

Here's an expected NY Waterway commute:
Leave on the 7:45 ferry to Midtown
Ride time: 15 minutes

Arrive at 39th Street Ferry terminal at 8:00
Get on the 57th street bus (free) and cruise up West Side Highway to Columbus Circle
Ride time: 10-15 minutes

Total commute time 25-30 minutes.

The ferry has a GPS map online that tracks all its buses, so on the way home if you don't feel like waiting the 10 minutes between runs, you can use the gps map to time the exit from your building every day (I do)

I couldn't be more happy with their service and gladly trade it for the extra $100 I pay per month over my old route as I save 30-60 minutes a day (10-15 hours a month).

From most areas near JFK blvd in the heights, the bus is pretty consistently 25 mins from JC to Port Authority, plus whatever time you'd need from port authority to Columbus Circle. The buses run every 3-4 mins during morning rush hour, but the majority of those are the small commuter vans. The NJ Transit buses run every 10 mins or so. I normally get on the commuter vans when I travel into the city, but most people on here have an extreme aversion towards them, so I figured I'd just post that as a warning.

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you mean fastest commute, not best. and brooklyn is a big place it would probably take you longer and cost more to commute from where you can afford to live compared to jersey city.

i lived in manhattan for a bit and was able to walk to work so yeah the commute was the great (and free) but then you must factor in that you pay much more for much smaller apartments and food and everything else around is much more expensive. even if you can afford it you're a sucker for paying that much.

my girlfriend lives in brooklyn, if i commute from her place it takes almost the same time (usually 10 min longer due to MTA delays) as when i leave from grove street but the people on my way there are so disgusting and obnoxious and rowdy. id rather be on a train with quiet commuters at that time of the morning.

best commute is to live in mahatten, if you cant live there move to brooklyn. simple

I'm on second street--about a five minute walk to Grove. I work at 61st and broadway, so I do this commute every day. And it's the easiest commute I've had of the handful of places I've worked in the city over the past 10+ years. My commute, including the walk to/from stations, is reliably 35-40 minutes. 30 minutes if all trains align, 40 if there are small delays.

Fastest way is A from WTC to Columbus Circle--saves a couple of minutes. But with the construction and jammed stairwells at WTC, I've been going through 33rd to avoid the craziness. I love that when going home, I can jump on the B/D to 33rd, the A/C to WTC, or even the 1 to Christopher. So if there are any 'issues' with MTA or the PATH, I have options.

If you are downtown, I think PATH to subway is the fastest. I can't imagine taking a bus, but it might make sense from certain parts of JC.

i am a 5 min walk to grove st and it takes me 45-50 min to get to my office on 57th and 11th via the path/subway (B-D line).

its not a terrible commute but its not great either.

My husband is starting a new job near Columbus Circle in September & we are also looking to move in the next few months. If we stay in Jersey City, we'll likely limit the areas of the city that we'll consider based on the commute time, so I'm trying to get information on commuting options from different parts of JC, particularly whether or not it would make sense to take a bus vs. the PATH & locations where the bus stops. I know that there is a bus which leaves from Journal Square to Port Authority & would like feedback from anyone who uses it re: reliability, general commute time, etc. Also, if anyone has other suggestions or things we should consider (ie- jitneys, light rail to ferry, etc.), that would be great.

Thanks in advance