BookOfMormont t1_j1stx97 wrote on December 27, 2022 at 3:01 AM

Reply to comment by objectimpermanence in JC or Brooklyn? by Amsterdaamed

I don't disagree at all on lengthy platform waits being an absolute drag, and an important consideration to over-all travel times. I've just also lived in Brooklyn, where latenight trains have the exact same problem. Maybe if you're in midtown Manhattan you can expect a train every few minutes at any time of day, but OP is considering like Sunset Park. I have friends in Park Slope, Gowanus, Boerum Hill, and Bay Ridge and we don't assume late-night trains will be convenient.

The Grove - WTC Path is as reliable as any outer-borough subway line that I personally have ever had to rely on.

objectimpermanence t1_j1surp5 wrote on December 27, 2022 at 3:08 AM

The subway connections to the outer boroughs might be just as infrequent as the PATH, but at least those people don’t always need to make transfers or pay double fares.

For example, WTC might be a quick 10 minute trip from JC. But how many people actually have the WTC area as their final destination? Most people are probably going to need to transfer to a different part of the city. Those kinds of trips are less desirable than a simple one-seat ride between Manhattan and, say, Park Slope.

BookOfMormont t1_j1sw9qo wrote on December 27, 2022 at 3:21 AM

The double fare sucks, for sure. I really wish the relevant authorities could coordinate on that. At least you don't need a whole new card anymore, that's an improvement.

But like I said in my original post, there are a lot of problems that a five figure savings in taxes will solve. There are worse places my money could be going than funding transit agencies, so I ain't real mad about it.

A one-seat ride is awfully nice and convenient, but just being on the MTA doesn't guarantee that. When I lived in Brooklyn, most of my trips were not one-seat rides, and the same is true when I visit friends now. The convenience factor tends to be (for us, these days) that we'll use transit on the way there, with books in our bags if need be, and if we stay out pretty late we'll take a car back. There again you've the cost of the tunnel compared to Lyfting between two spots within the city, but again, we'd have to be a lot more social than we are to make a noticeable dent in our overall savings living in JC.

So money aside, for us it's a time question, and Jersey City via the PATH is as close in minutes to anywhere we'd want to go as southern Brooklyn would be.

Aggravating_Rise_179 t1_j1xwpnq wrote on December 28, 2022 at 5:13 AM

Hell, its not even a given when living in Manhattan. I lived on West 191st and the amount of times I had to switch to a shuttle bus after a late night out or deal with slow trains after 42nd street was crazy. Literally, after 1am, all the trains are shit and its just as difficult to get around with the same wait times as the path. I take knowing my train will be here in 40 minutes over the "next train in 15 minutes", but its actually 40 minutes of the MTA.

Plus, at least the path is 24 hours... yes you have to wait a bit if you dont make the connection or the subway takes a bit longer to get you where you need to go, but atleast its not Metro North or NJ Transit were if you miss the 2 am train you are pretty screwed until 5. Its not seamless, but you really dont have to consult a schedule. You are not locked out of leaving NY until early morning if you so happen to miss the last train because the Path doesnt have a last train.

I get that it sucks to use the path overnight or even during the day on weekends, but again, unless you are in Midtown-Downtown Manhattan, shitty weekend and overnight service is pretty universal throughout upper manhattan, the other three boroughs and urban jersey near the path train