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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Newbie
 
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*If traffic looks light* and you are thinking of Uber'ing it partway, I'd recommend taking the PATH to JSQ and taking Uber from there. That ride should also only take 15-20 minutes, saving you the walk. Also, if you're about 5'4", I've got a beater bike I can sell you :)
Posted on: 2016/5/22 20:07
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Newbie
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I wouldn't ride from Tonnelle to Harmon Meadow - 1/9 is not a safe road to ride on, and you'd need to go back uphill just to come back into Secaucus.
I'd actually recommend riding the entire way! I also work in the same area and it's definitely possibly by bike. From downtown, it's about 35 minutes, which is really only 5-10 minutes more than a bad commute by car. I've been riding Paterson Plank all the way into Secaucus & back. The hill isn't *that* bad, and it's a gentler slope than others. I haven't done it in the summer yet, but what's nice about the ride is that it's always downhill at the end! If you join the gym there, you can always shower before you head into work and make it a true workout. Uber, or getting to know a local driver is another option. I know someone who uses that option to commute to work from around JSQ. I used to think it was crazy until you do the calculation - $440/month (as you mentioned, less than the cost of insurance, maintenance, parking and car payments!) Congrats on your new job and good luck!
Posted on: 2016/5/22 19:48
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Quite a regular
 
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I believe that Paterson Plank Road is a big long hill. Great for going down, not so much for going up. Take a look on Google Maps.
Posted on: 2016/5/21 15:10
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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That would be my pick. And the back roads to Secaucus (Country Road or Secaucus Road to Country Ave) would likely take a lot of the pain out of the commute.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 18:54
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Have you looked into carpool or ride share? Some corporations have listings for that.
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/rideshare/ Google Map said that a bike ride from the Tonnelle Avenue Light Rail Station to 200 Plaza Drive is 12 minutes. 12 min (1.6 miles) via Paterson Plank Rd Mostly flat
Posted on: 2016/5/20 18:23
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Just can't stay away
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I have seen buses coming from JSQ to Secaucus but not sure where they let out in relation to Harmon Meadow.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 18:17
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Have you considered integrating a bicycle into your commute? If you were to ride a bicycle from DTJC to Hoboken, you could cover that distance (~2 miles) in 15 minutes or less at a leisurely pace, then hop on the train you mention. Leaving a bike in Hoboken is safe (lots of people do the same) so all you would need is a beater (sub $200) bike with a half decent chain to get you back and forth from the Hoboken station. The ride is very nice along the waterfront, and the usual breeze should keep you cool enough.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 10:16
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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It's good feedback though. I am enjoying aggregating and digesting the range of opinions and experiences. I am now toying again with following commute: - Walk to Harsimus Cove Light Rail (15 minutes) - Take the Light Rail from Harsimus Cove to the Tonnelle station in North Bergen (20 minutes) - Take an Uber to Harmon Meadow (15 minutes) I figure I could send the Uber request a few minutes before I get to the Tonnelle station so the Uber arrives around the time I pull into the light rail station. With that said, I have never counted on Uber as part of a daily commute. So that's a bit anxiety-inducing. Maybe there's a cab stand there? Sure would be nice. It does stink that the commute time between Downtown JC and Harmon Grove doubles or triples when taking public transportation as opposed to simply driving one's own car. Hopefully I can stomach doing this without a car -- at least at the beginning.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 7:57
Edited by UrbanRenewal on 2016/5/20 8:15:05
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Good to know, BeatrixKiddo. I will be on the lookout. The good news is that -- during peak times in the mornings and evenings -- trains run between Newark and Secaucus Junction every few minutes and there are no stops in between. So I figure if I miss one train, I can just grab the next one.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 7:47
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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It's an idea, Brewster, and I won't rule it out just yet. But with the wildly varied conditions of the roads in Hudson County and some of the nutjob drivers out there, I think I would feel much safer driving a car or taking public transportation.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 7:43
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Thanks Annod. I did see that. The challenge with that bus is that it is a local route with 32 stops between Hoboken and Harmon Meadow and the bus route itself takes about 45 minutes. Plus, I would have to take the PATH or light rail from Downtown JC to Hoboken which would add to the commute. And the 85 Bus only leaves every 30 minutes. So when I compare the Hoboken option to the Newark option, Newark seems more appealing to me and actually ends up being faster. I think I'd be OK with having a bus be part of my daily commute as long as the bus was an express or semi-express bus. For example, the bus from Newark to Harmon Meadow has only 6 stops and is mainly traveling on a highway. Much less painful than the 32 local stops with the 85 Bus from Hoboken. I did give the 85 Bus a try on the way back from one of my interviews and the 32 stops really wore me down. It felt like I died a little inside. And when I got back to Hoboken, I couldn't believe I still needed to take the PATH home to Grove AND I needed to transfer at Newport or Exchange Place to get to Grove. I was beat. It is nice to have so many public transportation options. So it could be a heck of a lot worse, right? I just wish the light rail went to Harmon Meadow and Mill Creek (or even Secaucus Junction!) and didn't just dead end at Tonnelle Avenue with no bus options to Harmon Meadow. I find that strange since they are geographically so close to one another. Good times. In any case, thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it!
Posted on: 2016/5/20 7:37
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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We'll see what happens. I do have a friend I may hitch a ride with in the mornings. In the evenings, I would probably do one of the following depending on my departure time: 1. Free EZ Ride Shuttle/NJ Transit Train/PATH 2. NJ Transit Bus/PATH 3. Uber/Hudson Bergen Light Rail 4. Just Plain Uber When I did have a car in JC, the monthly costs added up like you said: $400 car payment $200 insurance $150 off-street parking + gas, tolls, maintenance, etc. I grew up in the suburbs. So I know what it's like to drive anywhere and everywhere. But I've been in JC for about 15 years and have enjoyed being carless in JC for the last 8 years. I am curious to see if I can endure a carless commute to Harmon Meadow in Secaucus each day. I am going to give it a try. Time will tell!
Posted on: 2016/5/20 7:14
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Thanks for the feedback, ThirdStreet. I don't currently keep a car in Downtown JC, but I did years ago. If the public transportation solution to Secaucus ends up being a nightmare, I may cave in and use a car. Come to think of it, it would be nice to save some money by shopping at some of those big box retailers after work. But strangely enough, I am also looking forward to taking public transportation to work above ground. It'll be nice to check work e-mail and personal e-mail, do online banking, read the news, check Facebook (and JC List!), look out the windows, text and make the occasional phone call. Service was rare -- spotty at best -- when taking the PATH and subway in NYC. So being above ground has its merits. We'll see how this goes!
Posted on: 2016/5/20 6:54
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Good question, asny10011. It's about 13 minutes by train from Hoboken to Secaucus. It's about 11 mintues by train from Newark to Secaucus. Which sounds pretty similar. But there are other complications. To get to Hoboken, I would likely take the PATH to Hoboken from Grove Street. So I would have to transfer at Exchange Place or Newport. That's one strike against Hoboken. The second challenge is that there aren't trains leaving Hoboken too frequently in the morning. So I would need to be really careful about arriving on time each morning. The benefit of going through Newark is: - PATH trains to Newark stop at Grove St. every 4 minutes in the morning. - A ton of NJ Transit trains head from Newark to Secaucus every few minutes and there are no stops in between. Sometimes there's only 3 minutes in between NJ Transit trains passing through. - There's a free shuttle bus from Secaucus to Harmon Meadow that runs every 10 minutes or so. So while I like the idea of leaving from Hoboken and it looks shorter on paper, it doesn't offer the same flexibility of leaving from Newark.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 6:34
Edited by UrbanRenewal on 2016/5/20 6:57:35
Edited by UrbanRenewal on 2016/5/20 6:58:07 |
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Had the same commute for many years- cannot imagine using public transportation to do it compared to a car. I know that's a useless contribution because this is aboit public transport but had to chime in with everyone else about driving being a million times easier.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 5:05
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Be careful with Secaucus Junction, I've only had a stop over there 3 times and all 3 times the connections left without the Hoboken train that was supposed to connect.
Had to wait a full hour for the next train. This was about 2 years ago, so maybe they fixed it.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 2:24
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Or a Vespa? I once commuted 4 miles each way on a moped.
Posted on: 2016/5/20 0:56
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Posted on: 2016/5/20 0:10
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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I agree, it is easier to drive directly there. However, not everyone owns a car. The attendant costs of owning a car (parking, gas, tolls and insurance) is easily 400 or 500 monthly without car payments.
Perhaps this might lend itself to a car pooling situation.
Posted on: 2016/5/19 21:47
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Just can't stay away
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I live in the Grove Street (Liberty Harbor) and work near the Mill Creek mall which is on the other side of Harmon Meadow.
I am curious why driving there is not an option? I ask because this is one of those few situations, driving there is so, so much more advantageous in terms of time and money , it just doesn't make sense to consider anything else. The drive from Grove street area to Harmon meadow should be no more than 20 to 25 minutes depending on the traffic. The alternatives all require transfers, and take a minimum of 30 additional minutes each when all is said and done. For me, the fact I have an extra every day during working days is huge. Also since the distance is less than 7 miles, the amount of money I spend on gas for commute is less than $60 a month.
Posted on: 2016/5/19 21:39
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Re: Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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Would taking the train from Hoboken to Secaucus Junction be faster than the train from Newark?
Posted on: 2016/5/19 18:47
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Commute Advice: Jersey City (Downtown) to Secaucus (Harmon Meadow)
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Home away from home
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I am starting a new job in Secaucus (Harmon Meadow) and commuting from Jersey City (Grove PATH area). I am looking for advice on the fastest, most efficient way to commute via public transportation. I will have a standard work day (9am-6pm / Monday-Friday).
Using Google Maps, NJTransit.com and PATHNYNJ.gov, these seem to be the best routes: Route #1: - Take PATH from Grove St. to Newark Penn Station - Take NJ Transit Bus #78 to Harmon Meadow in Secaucus Route #2 - Take PATH from Grove St. to Newark Penn Station - Take NJ Transit Train to Secaucus Juncton - Take Free EZ Ride Shuttle to Harmon Meadow in Secaucus Route #3 - Take Hudson Bergen Light Rail to Tonnelle Avenue Station - Take an Uber to Harmon Meadow in Secaucus Anyone know if there is some sort of direct bus, shuttle or van from the HBLR Tonnelle Avenue Station to Harmon Meadow? I have been checking online, but I have been unable to find anything. I could Uber it now and again. But I am not sure I like the idea of being dependent on Uber as part of my daily commute. I have also found bus routes via Hoboken, Journal Square and even NYC. But it does seem strange to go into NYC every day only to go back to NJ to work. To recap, my goals are to: - Use public transportation - Get there quickly - Keep transfers to a minimum - Limit the number of stops along the way - Reduce my costs - Not be dependent on Uber or cab service daily - Find a route with frequent trips (in case I just miss the previous bus or train) Any and all helpful advice is appreciated. Thanks!
Posted on: 2016/5/19 16:05
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