Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know its an old thread but thinking of moving to Hoboken in next few weeks. Hows the wait for the bus 126 at Willow/15th at 7.30am. How many buses you have to let go before you can get on one and how much time does it take to get to Port authority? Guessing its standing room only even if you can get on one bus at that time...
Thanks
Hi. I take the 126 Willow route daily, getting on at 6th & Clinton. I would say you should usually be able to squeeze on at 7:30 with no wait, but any later and you will have a frustrating commute. By 7:50, the bus is standing room by 11th & Clinton, and then by 15th only like 3-4 people can fit on each passing bus (if they even stop.)
All that said, if the ferry is at all an option for you (financially & commute-wise), take it. I took it for years when I lived Uptown, and would trade anything to be able to have that commute again. Unfortunately it's a 15-20 minute walk for me to get there so hard to justify the $$$.
I personally hate the bus, but some people don't hate it as much. Personal preference I guess.
Thanks for the response. Any particular reason why you hate the bus commute too much ? too many stops ? gets stuck in traffic? In general would you say the commute time is 15-20 mins or longer?
Well, yeah I think it can actually be 15-20 minutes (to the PA, not your final destination) from 15th St. However, it’s variable. Some days you’ll cruise. Other days, it will take 20 minutes to go from Trader Joe’s to the tunnel entrance. Other times you’ll cruise through the tunnel, but it will take 15 minutes to get from the ramp into the PA to the drop-off location. So, it’s probably more like 15-40 minutes. You just don’t know. When I have an important meeting, I leave my condo an hour before (I work an 18-minute walk from the PA).
Why else I dislike the commute?
1. Well, the variability as noted above
2. The Port Authority itself is awful. I’ve seen things there I can never unsee.
3. We haven’t discussed the commute home. It can be fine. Or, the line can be 45 minutes just to get on a bus. Again, you just don’t know. Peak time is probably 6:00 fwiw.
4. The area around the PA is sketchy, for Manhattan anyway. Interesting cast of characters that you see on 9th Ave. I haven’t been hassled too many times, but have been on a small handful of occasions. If you go in early, there are some homeless encampments that aren’t packed up yet. Again, it’s largely fine, but this is definitely not the West Village.
Basically, what frustrates me is that I live about 1.5 miles from my office as the crow flies, but it can take 55 minutes, door-to-door, to get to work. Clearly, I ain’t no crow.
After reading my own post, I wanted to add (since it wasn’t clear): I would still recommend Hoboken as a place to live. It’s great, actually. Just be realistic about the commute from areas not adjacent to PATH or ferry. Otherwise we’re quite happy here (and my wife’s PATH commute is great).
What I said upthread a long time ago still stands--my husband has been taking the 126 daily for 7 years now, and he still vastly prefers it over taking the PATH from where we used to live in JC (we lived between Newport and Exchange, and it seemed equally bad from both of them). Same reasons as before--on the bus, people actually stand in line and they don't push and shove. Since he now drops our kids at school in the morning, he takes the bus from Willow, and he doesn't usually get a seat, but he also doesn't wait long. On the way home, he gets off at 15th st.
I feel like he zips to and from work. He'll text me he's leaving work and he'll be home in 30 minutes with a TJs bag in his hand, because he decided to stop in and buy something. He works close to PA and we live <5 minute walk from 2 bus stops on this side of the river.
And I just happened to take the PATH yesterday, and even on a weekend, it was PACKED. People kept pushing into my kids and hitting them in the face with their bags. Kind of miserable--we went slightly out of our way to take the subway back to midtown to take the 126 home.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
