Google Plans Large New York City Expansion

Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by lotsofpulp on Thursday November 08, 2018 @06:54AM (#18405668)

I feel like the suburbs in NJ within reasonable commuting distance (door to door in 45 min max reliably) offer all the drawbacks of the city with none of the benefits of the suburb. You get a little more space, but not enough. A little less traffic, but still a lot of traffic. No decent gyms or parks, unless you like paying out the nose. And super high and ever increasing taxes. And I think even a 45 min door to door commute is too much, but add on the system’s unreliable-ness, I would find it unacceptable to commute from Jersey.

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by rayiner on Thursday November 08, 2018 @08:54AM (#18406221)

I don’t know much about NJ. I lived in Westchester and it was great. Not sprawling exurbs by any means, but that’s a good thing. You can live in Rye or Pehlam and walk or bike to the Metro North station. MNR is very reliable, runs frequently at rush hour, and will get you downtown in 30-40 flat.

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by lotsofpulp on Thursday November 08, 2018 @09:20AM (#18406393)

Yes, NJ Transit has to borrow Amtrak's tunnel and it frequently has problems, as does NJ Transit's stuff. MTA/NY infrastructure is much better, but still, I don't see how one can get from Rye or Pehlam to downtown in 40 min.

https://goo.gl/maps/DYvaWBSLFcP2 1h15m from Rye train station to Fulton subway station on a Tue morning

https://goo.gl/maps/TdQN5FhWF132 55m from Pelham station to Fulton subway.

So door to door, you're still looking at 70 min to 90 min commute one way, with the added stress of possibly dealing with train delays. I wouldn't be able to do that more than a couple years.

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by rayiner on Thursday November 08, 2018 @12:16PM (#18407873)

I don’t know why anyone would work near Fulton station. I worked in midtown and it was 34 minutes on the Metro North followed by a 5 minute walk.

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by lotsofpulp on Thursday November 08, 2018 @12:18PM (#18407885)

I put Fulton since your comment stated it would take 30 to 40 min to get to downtown.

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by rayiner on Thursday November 08, 2018 @01:04PM (#18408331)

I meant midtown, which in Manhattan is the core business district.

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by TarpitCarnivore on Thursday November 08, 2018 @09:03AM (#18406273)

There's a lot of hyperbole in here, especially about parks and gyms. There's plenty of parks all over NJ that offer different options from hiking, biking, to kayaking. Gyms are a plenty and it's weird to even say you'd pay more for them when places like Equinox or Chelsea Piers are absurd in price. And go ask any person commuting from Brooklyn right now how there commutes are going to get into Midtown Manhattan, they can be 30-45 minutes with current state of the MTA.

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by lotsofpulp on Thursday November 08, 2018 @09:10AM (#18406317)

I know there are, but then the door to door commute is unacceptable per my standards. And the further from NY Penn Station you are, the more variance you are subject to, making commutes even longer.

My point is, if you want a door to door commute of sub 45 min, consistently, then you would need to be in Hoboken/Jersey City/Secaucus/Weehawken/etc. That whole Hudson County corridor doesn't offer much in the way of decent gyms (swimming pools, racquetball/squash courts, basketball, etc), and neither does it have any decent hiking. People don't really have yards there either.

If you move out of that circle, you do start getting some amenities, but your commute starts looking like 45 to 60+min, and you have to park your car at the train station or get dropped off, etc. It's all personal preference, but for me, I would want all the benefits of owning a car, or all the benefits of not needing to own a car. Living in NJ and working in NYC seems like compromising on both.

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by rayiner on Thursday November 08, 2018 @12:14PM (#18407859)

The question is: what is your point of comparison? What is the sub-million housing market look like within 45 minutes of SF, or DC for that matter?

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by lotsofpulp on Thursday November 08, 2018 @12:20PM (#18407914)

I'm not familiar with DC, but SF is just as bad if not worse. My original goal was to point out that commuting from NJ isn't a reasonable commute, in my opinion.

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Re:Google Plans Large New York City Expansion by brown9-2 on Thursday November 08, 2018 @08:02AM (#18405934)

Depends on where you are. I have a pretty great backyard and an excellent gym I pay $50/month for.

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