NYC commute newbie - need info

So I finally have a client located in NYC (usually my clients are plane ride away). Thus for 2 to 4 weeks, I will need to commute daily to NYC. Will someone provide a quick primer on train ticket options (is there a weekly or monthly pass available that is cheaper than a simple full price round-trip purchase) and parking options near Maplewood station?

Alternatively, does anyone drive and park somewhere near a Path station and commute that way?

Thanks in advance.

Learn the alternative routes such as how to get to/from Hoboken on those rare occasions where train service in and out of Penn Station is disrupted.

You can see the different pass options and costs on their app.

http://www.njtransit.com/mobile/mytix_mobile.html

Where in NYC are you headed?

Harrison, Newark, Grove Street and Exchange Place Path Stations all have parking in the vicinity. Harrison and Grove Street run about $11/12 per day, but you can find it cheaper by the month or a short walk away. Not sure the cost of Newark, but there is parking right next to the station and across the street from the Pru. I used to park at the Pru Center, think it was in the $10-$12 range. I assume Journal Square has parking, but I have never found Journal Square by car..(haven't looked).

The monthly pass is for the calendar month, so if your assignment more or less coincides with the month of October, then it would be worthwhile to do that. Also, the app works very well. I usually keep a couple of paper tix in my wallet as backup but have not had to use them in a long time.

Good luck!

You'll need to figure out how many times a week you'll be going to your client to determine which ticket makes the most sense. A weekly lasts from Sat to Sat. A monthly lasts from the first of the month (or first commuter day of the month if the month starts on a weekend) through 12 pm the first day of the next month. There are weekly and monthly passes available and the NJT app which allows you to buy your ticket through your phone.

A monthly from Maplewood is $227, so you can calculate the number of commutes you will need to break even.

I find the Embark app helpful because my schedule is irregular, and it lets me see a range of trains.

download the NJT app for your phone. You can buy a ticket there.

Heading to Lafayette & 4th, but that's kinda irrelevant. Seems the timeliest route is train to Penn and then N/R subway.

What's the parking story at the Maplewood train station or am I best to Jitney? I've got the Jitney schedule from the town's website, but how reliable / on-time is it?

Any other pearls of wisdom / hacks? Looks like 7:26 AM train is my best bet...

Steve said:
Where in NYC are you headed?

Depending upon where you were headed, PATH from Hoboken or driving to Harrison might have been better options (but you're not that close to a PATH station).

You need to show up really early to get an NJT spot by the train. If there are no NJT pay station spots left at 7:15am and if the station is too far for you to walk to from home, you can also park at the very end of South Pierson in Golf Island and walk from there. It's the only golf island street that is not teacher parking, permit parking or no parking. Don't tell anyone this secret... shhh. There may be a similar condition up just past Ridgewood on the mountain side as well (maybe it's less of a walk).

lanky said:
Heading to Lafayette & 4th, but that's kinda irrelevant. Seems the timeliest route is train to Penn and then N/R subway.
What's the parking story at the Maplewood train station or am I best to Jitney? I've got the Jitney schedule from the town's website, but how reliable / on-time is it?
Any other pearls of wisdom / hacks? Looks like 7:26 AM train is my best bet...

Steve said:
Where in NYC are you headed?

@lanky One piece of advice - that 7:26 train from Maplewood is the 7:32 from SO, right? If so, it is scheduled to get in at 8:05, I believe, but often does not get into NYP until closer to 8:15, plus add a good 5+ minutes to get off the platform and up the escalator/stairs into the station due to crowding.

No, the 7:26 doesn't stop in South Orange. It stops once at Broad Street and then NYPenn.

The Jitneys are great but they are not great at disseminating accurate schedule info, and they change the schedules every six months or so. Your best bet is to pick up a paper schedule from the Jitney bus itself, when they're hanging around at the train station. They only run during commuter hours, so for someone like me who has an irregular schedule, it's best to know all your options. For example, I know that an Uber is about $6, A+ Taxi is $8, and it takes about 45 min to walk to/from the train station from my house. A bike ride only takes 20-30 min but the hills are intense In severe weather, the Jitneys sometimes won't run. I have been known to hike through blizzards to get to the train station.

Here's a map but it's not very accurate: http://www.twp.maplewood.nj.us/index.aspx?nid=573#&ui-state=dialog

(Seriously, why can't the Township get it together on this map?)

Thanks @JLJohn! I wasn't sure. The times seemed to possibly line up, and I take all different trains to Hoboken and Penn so couldn't quite get it straight.

Looks like the PATH to 9th street and then 2- 2 1/2 block walk to your destination is best. You can bus from Springfield Ave to Penn Station Newark and then jump on the PATH.

I've done than route a couple of times. Not fun. While it's not any significant increase in time to get to Manhattan, it is depressing and feels much slower than it actually is.

CapnMarko said:
Looks like the PATH to 9th street and then 2- 2 1/2 block walk to your destination is best. You can bus from Springfield Ave to Penn Station Newark and then jump on the PATH.

Train ---> Hoboken ---> PATH to 9th St.

If you can avoid Penn Station, avoid it.

One of the morning trains leaves from the middle platform. I always forget which one, tho

The 7:01 and the 8:00 arrive on the middle platform.

Yeah, I've watched the Springfield Ave. bus before. Looks like it stops every other block...

ArchBroad said:
I've done than route a couple of times. Not fun. While it's not any significant increase in time to get to Manhattan, it is depressing and feels much slower than it actually is.

CapnMarko said:
Looks like the PATH to 9th street and then 2- 2 1/2 block walk to your destination is best. You can bus from Springfield Ave to Penn Station Newark and then jump on the PATH.

Mrs. Lanky tells me I need to buy a Jitney pass. Thought I could just present a dollar bill to driver for fare?

Yes, you can just present a dollar bill to the driver for the fare.

PM me and I will tell you another place you can park (but I don't want my neighbors to shoot me, so I'm not posting it.)

Good luck, Lanky. NJT is miserably unreliable.

Since you will be switching trains either way (subway or PATH) you will be losing the one train advantage of Midtown Direct. Hoboken trains tend to be much more reliable, trains and platforms far less crowded, and going home, there is the added advantage of the train you need most likely being already in the station and available for boarding.

Driving to the PATH is an option. In choosing which train station to drive to bear in mind that you want to park at a station that is served by the 33rd Street PATH train if you want to get to your destination without switching trains.

Taking a local bus to Newark Penn Station might not work well for you, even if you are close to a bus stop. When I was commuting a few years ago, Newark Penn Station was only served by the WTC line. You had to switch PATH trains to get a 33rd Street train. I assume this is still the case.

daveturnley said:
Train ---> Hoboken ---> PATH to 9th St.
If you can avoid Penn Station, avoid it.

This, 100%.

The verdict is in...

So at least to get to Lafayette & 4th (and based on sample size of 1 - one morning MAP-NY Penn to N/R and one morning MAP-Hoboken to PATH), Maplewood to NY Penn and N/R was a shorter commute by about 15 minutes. Both days I just walked to train.

Now tomorrow I have be in early and will likely take the 6:18 - is it safe to assume I'll find a parking spot near train station? Which lots are permit only vs. pay by day?