There is a reasonable chance that my next job will be in NYC.
So looking for intel on whether it is possible (and reasonable) to commute into NYC from Long Island, New Jersey, or even Connecticut… Cycle paths, traffic conditions, any useful info!
…Just qualified for Chattanooga so would loathe to give up all the hard earned fitness, so looking to find a way to make it work.
Thanks in advance!
Eric
If you are young and moving to work in NYC, you should probably live in Manhattan or Brooklyn, and that would moot much of your question. Being from Jersey, I have never heard of anyone commuting by bike into the city, and I was in Hoboken for a long time. There are a few towns in the NE corner of Bergen County where it would be possible - Fort Lee, Englewood, Alpine, North Bergen. But that ride would involve a treacherous ride thru morning rush hour traffic to the GW bridge. I think riding home in the dark even more treacherous, if not outright insane. Hoboken and those towns in Bergen County do offer the opportunity for a great bike ride over the bridge and into the city on weekends. Any other towns in NJ, it is not possible to commute into the city by bike. Think about taking a bike to a bus or train stop.
Connecticut. No.
I would think Long Island is way too far.
Brooklyn and Queens, I don’t have experience but I am sure you can do it. EDIT: But only certain neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens. If you are in neighborhoods near the Brooklyn Bridge, which has a good, safe bike path, then it is doable. Once you start getting into longer rides, it might be too much in the city to try and commute.
Get a trainer.
I live in Queens, work in lower Manhattan and sometimes ride to work in the summer and fall, once it starts getting dark early it just isn’t worth it, Way to many close calls with cars at dusk. My trip is 14 miles each way, longer would have me riding well after dark come Thanksgiving. NY drivers are pretty hostile too, I grew up here.
worth a read: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/27RBikeNJ.html
ETA: actually meant to put this one http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/nyregion/commuting-40-miles-to-work-on-a-bike-with-thermals-and-fleece.html but the first one’s good too
you could also check in with teh folks at Transportation Alternatives to see what suggestions they have.
i think part of the answer lies in what you’re used to/have experience with. if you’re moving from rural indiana you might find cycling in nyc tough. if you’re moving from beijing, might seem a bit more familiar.
Cycling in NYC is pretty safe, especially compared to other big cities like London and Paris. If you are a confident rider you will be fine. Commuting from anywhere in Brooklyn and Queens is doable (assuming you are working in Manhattan), but could be long if you are at the far flung reaches of each borough. The only borough I hate cycling in is the Bronx, the car drivers up there seem a touch more hostile. All of the ‘good’ neighborhoods in Brooklyn/Queens are commutable by bike daily (e.g. LIC, Astoria, Dumbo, Park Slope, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, etc, etc). I used to do a reverse commute (Manhattan to work in Prospect Lefferts Garden (not a particularly good hood)). There are definitely roads to avoid (e.g. Northern Blvd in Queens, Atlantic in Brooklyn) but there are cycle routes in both boroughs that will get you where you need to be.
Yeah, I don’t think NJ is an option unless you stay in Fort Lee, Englewood Cliffs, etc. The only way in to Manhattan by bike (and riding it) is via the GW Bridge. If you are working in lower/Midtown Manhattan, then this will be 10+ miles just from the bridge (NJ side). Ride is fine though and the most popular cycling route on a weekend. Can’t talk about riding through the local NJ areas other than the areas north of Englewood are very nice (e.g. Tenafly, Demarest, Alpine, etc). You could live in Hoboken, Jersey City etc, and take the PATH or Ferry in to Manhattan and then make use of the Citi Bike system (best thing that has happened for transit in NYC…I almost never take the subway now). You can even do Citi Bike from certain places in Queens and Brooklyn into Manhattan.
Connecticut…what!!! That is a long commute.
Long Island…also a long commute. You are looking at about ~20 miles just to hit the border of Nassau County, definitely doable every now and then but I wouldn’t want to make it everyday. Remember that 20 miles will take 1.5 hours or so cos of traffic lights, traffic, shit roads, and so forth. I have ridden twice in the last couple of weeks out to Nassau (north and south i.e. through Queens and Brooklyn) and I definitely wouldn’t want to do it everyday, although there is the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, which is very nice.
Finally, if you can, I would live in Manhattan!! Personally, I like the Villages and the East Village/Alphabet City still have some ‘bargain’ rents around. LES is good and somewhat affordable as well. The other nice areas, such as Greenwich Village, West Village, Chelsea, Soho, Tribeca are all pretty expensive (or really shit apartments) but all very nice. Battery Park isn’t too bad. Financial District has some good offers but the hood is crap, dies at night. I have a ‘thing’ of trying to never go above 14th street unless I am trying to get somewhere, so any neighborhoods above there I think are pretty awful (yes, that includes the UES, UWS, although benefit of both is Central Park but way too many families/strollers big stores, etc, for my liking). Midtown is tourist central.
I live in stamford CT and work in LIC, queens. First, do not dismiss ct for a place to live. I love it. Excellent rural roads to ride on weekends through greenwich, pound ridge, ridgefield, etc. And I’m more of a small city guy anyways tho, but I have family who live further up the line in norwalk and fairfield. If youll be working midtown Manhattan, the metro north trains go right into midtown and it’s easy as pie. I’m a big CT fan so don’t listen to those who are dismissing it. My commute is similar in time to colleagues I have who live in 5 boroughs. IMO, unless you choose to live as close as you can to your office (which may not be best place in other non-work ways), in nyc get ready for 45 min to 1 hr 15 min commute. And at that point, what’s difference between 1 hr and 1 hr 10 mins? CT is great.
As far as biking, here’s what I do, weather and season permitting. I have a citi bike membership. I take my train into nyc, then grab a bike and ride from midtown to queens instead of taking subway. It’s a great little routine. You can do this with a lot of different location scenarios. I have nothing but good things to say about citi bike.
That being said, yes you can’t bike in from ct, but I wouldn’t recommend biking being your one and only (or even primary) method of transport from anywhere surrounding NYC. IF you’re living in manhattan, ok but if you have substantial commute it’d be tough. Between darkness and hairy stretches of road and snow, I’d recomend having biking being there to mix it up and get an easy spin when you can, but get a trainer or something for your true fitness.
In my opinion the best suburban area to commute in from would be northern new jersey and more specifically Bergen County. Granted the trip can get lengthy you could get a good ~20-30 mile to and from work (to downtown / wall street area). If you lived in Fort Lee, Englewood Cliffs or another town near the bridge it would be possible to have a 10 - 13 mile commute. The ride itself is nice and you can find larger open roads to ride on & manhattan is safe if you stay on the west side path. Theres other roads you can take in manhattan as well that are fine.
I’ve commuted in multiple times from Oradell (not mentioned by those above and a slight bit further in) and have enjoyed it and not found it overly difficult.
Long Island is difficult because you would need to ride through Queens / Brooklyn to get to Manhattan. There are bike paths you could take but nothing that will give you a long consistent ride without stopping at a light.
Connecticut commute will have to travel through Yonkers or the Bronx to get in. Same issue as above, not horrible but just a more interrupted ride.
For the most part I’ll leave Long Island and Connecticut to the people who actually live there.
I wasn’t denigrating CT as a place to live, just highly unlikely you could cycle in to Manhattan every day.
Personally, I still want the city life so I’m still in Manhattan. However, the pull is getting less and less as friends move away, start families, etc. Once it goes, I will be out of here and somewhere with decent mountains and a better outdoor lifestyle…hopefully the Alps (love Turin and Lyon; Nice a bit further away but added bonus of the sea) or more likely somewhere like Boulder,CO, depending on job opportunities. Bend in OR is fantastic for lifestyle but no one works there (other than brewery jobs or tourism…very rich, young retirees like my brother-in-law).
I live in stamford CT and work in LIC, queens. First, do not dismiss ct for a place to live. I love it. Excellent rural roads to ride on weekends through greenwich, pound ridge, ridgefield, etc. And I’m more of a small city guy anyways tho, but I have family who live further up the line in norwalk and fairfield. If youll be working midtown Manhattan, the metro north trains go right into midtown and it’s easy as pie. I’m a big CT fan so don’t listen to those who are dismissing it. My commute is similar in time to colleagues I have who live in 5 boroughs. IMO, unless you choose to live as close as you can to your office (which may not be best place in other non-work ways), in nyc get ready for 45 min to 1 hr 15 min commute. And at that point, what’s difference between 1 hr and 1 hr 10 mins? CT is great.
As far as biking, here’s what I do, weather and season permitting. I have a citi bike membership. I take my train into nyc, then grab a bike and ride from midtown to queens instead of taking subway. It’s a great little routine. You can do this with a lot of different location scenarios. I have nothing but good things to say about citi bike.
That being said, yes you can’t bike in from ct, but I wouldn’t recommend biking being your one and only (or even primary) method of transport from anywhere surrounding NYC. IF you’re living in manhattan, ok but if you have substantial commute it’d be tough. Between darkness and hairy stretches of road and snow, I’d recomend having biking being there to mix it up and get an easy spin when you can, but get a trainer or something for your true fitness.
i live in Stamford too. definitely no way to commute to NYC. but in season, some great riding. i’m a bit nervous as the roads are relatively narrow, curvy and hilly and have had a few close calls. roads in Stamford are improving, but nicer roads in New Canaan, Darien, Ridgefield, etc. my biggest problem is this time of year when there’s crap on the streets (leaves, sticks, etc) so not as much room. my favorite place to ride is my basement. that said, the outdoor rides are very challenging at times and get you fit, quick.
Lots of good info here - the one thing I would add is that you should probably forget about using your commute in NYC as a way to gain/maintain fitness. The quality of riding in the city is not great even on the best (e.g. West Side) paths. You’ll be trudging along at 10-15 mph trying to avoid the Citi bikes and tourists. Coming in from NJ, LI or CT is possible but will take a LOT more time than you may think.
My recommendation would be to minimize your commute altogether and if possible live on the Upper West Side. You can get across the GWB into NJ in 15-20 minutes where the quality of your rides will be infinitely better. You will also have quick access to the 6 mile Central Park loop as well, which is good for short, hard rides if you go early enough.
Lots of good info here - the one thing I would add is that you should probably forget about using your commute in NYC as a way to gain/maintain fitness. The quality of riding in the city is not great even on the best (e.g. West Side) paths. You’ll be trudging along at 10-15 mph trying to avoid the Citi bikes and tourists. Coming in from NJ, LI or CT is possible but will take a LOT more time than you may think.
My recommendation would be to minimize your commute altogether and if possible live on the Upper West Side. You can get across the GWB into NJ in 15-20 minutes where the quality of your rides will be infinitely better. You will also have quick access to the 6 mile Central Park loop as well, which is good for short, hard rides if you go early enough.
I think you can go a bit faster than 15 mph, but this would definitely be an issue at night. The morning commute is pretty empty.
Also would like to note that if looking at the burbs to make sure you have other methods of transportation nearby as it will rain/snow/ice
Where there is a will there is a way. With that said…
The 5 Borough Bike Club (https://www.5bbc.org/rides-events/day-rides) actually has an organized event that starts somewhere near MSG and rides to Montauk on Long Island (https://www.bikenyc.org/event/7119) so they get off Manhattan safely somehow. I live on Long Island and have joined the ride from Babylon several times, but I never bothered to ask how they do it and stay alive. BTW, that ride is supported and marked, but it is not controlled, so the riders are on their own to navigate the route. I don’t remember anyone ever being hurt doing it. Here is the written description of the route: http://www.ridetomontauk.com/Ride_to_Montauk/The_Secret_of_the_Ride_to_Montauk_Routes.html
Thanks for the intel!
Should add that I am 41 years old with 3 little ones… Hence the idea of living out in the burbs rather than in Manhattan itself.
I commuted for 7 years in London and did not find it particularly dicey, even during the winter. Though the longest commute was 7km / 4.5 miles. I tried cycle commuting in Milan (where I currently live), but found it too dangerous. So am now on a scooter / motorcycle.
This is the article that inspired me for long distance commuting in NYC!: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/nyregion/commuting-40-miles-to-work-on-a-bike-with-thermals-and-fleece.html
Long distance riding does not (yet) intimidate me - longest ride is 305km (190 miles?). Though clearly 40 miles to get to work is totally a different story then an uber long ride on a weekend.
Thanks again
I live in CT and have ridden into NYC numerous times. It isn’t the most pleasant ride but it’s doable (Garmin route below). I also lived in Hoboken and commuted into the city via the GWB, down the Westside Highway. Again, not the most pleasant ride but it’s doable. Good luck, stay safe.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/3022085#.WCpX4TM6RG8