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Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

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Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#21

Post by JackFr »

Ollinson wrote: post #14
Spooky23 wrote: post #10

Ignoring the bus lines is pretty wacky. I grew up in Queens, and rode the bus all of the time. My dad took the bus to the express train to manhattan for several years. The bus isn't sexy, but it works and is often less unpleasant than the subway. Also, you need to remember how places like Queens developed. It was mostly little downs until about 100 years ago. The house I grew up in was part of a 120 acre farm as late…

It really is wacky. I understand why the author made the omission though. I've been on public bus systems in many major US cities and they are entirely the domain of the elderly, handicapped or impoverished. The NYC bus system though is used by all walks of life, much like the subway itself. In a way I'm glad that the bus system is seen by transplants as less sexy because it keeps the rents in all those neighborhoods…

BusTime has radically changed the experience of waiting for a bus.

Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#22

Post by ascagnel_ »

codingdave wrote: post #18
melling wrote: post #6

It doesn't go to New Jersey either, but it should. http://m.nydailynews.com/opinion/extend-7-train-secaucus-art...

Did something happen to the PATH trains? I always used those when work took me to NJ.

The PATH trains are still around, but they haven't expanded service in at least a decade. PATH services the two Penn Stations (Newark and NY), but doesn't run to Secaucus. In fact, I think Secaucus is still exclusively NJT when it comes to rail.

There was some talk years ago about expanding AirTrain (at EWR) to Secaucus and the Penn Stations (for one-seat rides from midtown Manhattan to the airport), but that hasn't gone anywhere.

Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#23

Post by herge »

acveilleux wrote: post #12
FlannelPancake wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walking sucks in the winter. It's never ridiculously cold (certainly not midwest or Canada cold), but windchill is frequent and kinda nasty if you have literally any skin exposed. Especially in the outer boroughs (not so much in Manhattan), snow doesn't get cleaned up very quickly either. Walking can definitely be a bit of an obstacle course - ice, snow banks blocking the sidewalk, etc. Anyway blah blah blah first wo…

As a canadian, I find that unconvincing. For the last few years up until this July, my commute involved a 900m walk to the nearest subway stop (which I considered nice and short!) year-round. And yes, it took twice as long when there was 8-12" of fresh snow, which happened ib average every other week in winter. City was Montreal.

You worked in the Mile-end?x ;)

I was just figuring that 1km is about what I would call 'metro-adjacent' for a residence.

Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#24

Post by [deleted] »

pdabbadabba wrote: post #17
Spooky23 wrote: post #10

Ignoring the bus lines is pretty wacky. I grew up in Queens, and rode the bus all of the time. My dad took the bus to the express train to manhattan for several years. The bus isn't sexy, but it works and is often less unpleasant than the subway. Also, you need to remember how places like Queens developed. It was mostly little downs until about 100 years ago. The house I grew up in was part of a 120 acre farm as late…

It's worth bearing in mind that in areas of NYC where the bus is the only option, a bus commute is often much much longer than a subway commute. I had the displeasure of attempting a few bus commutes into Manhattan from my old neighborhood in Bed-Stuy, and I would not be eager to do it again. So, while I agree that one shouldn't completely ignore the buses, I think it is also misleading to treat them as equivalent to…

[deleted]

Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#25

Post by Ollinson »

pdabbadabba wrote: post #17
Spooky23 wrote: post #10

Ignoring the bus lines is pretty wacky. I grew up in Queens, and rode the bus all of the time. My dad took the bus to the express train to manhattan for several years. The bus isn't sexy, but it works and is often less unpleasant than the subway. Also, you need to remember how places like Queens developed. It was mostly little downs until about 100 years ago. The house I grew up in was part of a 120 acre farm as late…

It's worth bearing in mind that in areas of NYC where the bus is the only option, a bus commute is often much much longer than a subway commute. I had the displeasure of attempting a few bus commutes into Manhattan from my old neighborhood in Bed-Stuy, and I would not be eager to do it again. So, while I agree that one shouldn't completely ignore the buses, I think it is also misleading to treat them as equivalent to…

Bus routes are not supposed to replace train routes. It is by design that bus routes are longer, buses are meant to service areas not accessible by train.

I'm curious if you traveled by bus since the introduction of bus time last year? It has really changed my commuting life. In the past I might be standing out in the cold or heat for a half hour waiting for the next bus. Now I can predict when my bus will show up and spend mere minutes waiting for it.

Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#26

Post by ascagnel_ »

mosburger wrote: post #2

The lack of subway access to LGA is what I, an occasional traveler to NYC, find the most mind-boggling.

Is there one-seat service to any of the three major area airports from midtown Manhattan? There's an NJT stop for EWR, but it requires a transfer to AirTrain (the internal EWR rail system).

Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#27

Post by Ollinson »

JackFr wrote: post #21
Ollinson wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really is wacky. I understand why the author made the omission though. I've been on public bus systems in many major US cities and they are entirely the domain of the elderly, handicapped or impoverished. The NYC bus system though is used by all walks of life, much like the subway itself. In a way I'm glad that the bus system is seen by transplants as less sexy because it keeps the rents in all those neighborhoods…

BusTime has radically changed the experience of waiting for a bus.

I mentioned this in another comment but really BusTime has been one of the greatest public transit innovations in NYC of the past 20 years.

Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#28

Post by acveilleux »

FlannelPancake wrote: post #19
acveilleux wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a canadian, I find that unconvincing. For the last few years up until this July, my commute involved a 900m walk to the nearest subway stop (which I considered nice and short!) year-round. And yes, it took twice as long when there was 8-12" of fresh snow, which happened ib average every other week in winter. City was Montreal.

> And yes, it took twice as long Yeah, that sucks. If it takes you 12 minutes normally to walk 1 km (assuming 5 km/h, which is a normal walking speed), now it takes you 24 minutes to and from the station in the winter. So you're spending 45 minutes a day just walking to and from the station. If the rest of your commute is 30 minutes (train + walking to work from train), you're commuting for nearly two hours (1:48) ev…

In Montreal, I can count on the sidewalks being cleared well enough within 48 hours of a big storm and sort of cleared within 8h (< 2" snow, at least 16-20" wide path, basically one pass of the sidewalk plows.)

Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#29

Post by acveilleux »

herge wrote: post #23
acveilleux wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a canadian, I find that unconvincing. For the last few years up until this July, my commute involved a 900m walk to the nearest subway stop (which I considered nice and short!) year-round. And yes, it took twice as long when there was 8-12" of fresh snow, which happened ib average every other week in winter. City was Montreal.

You worked in the Mile-end?x ;) I was just figuring that 1km is about what I would call 'metro-adjacent' for a residence.

I worked downtown near gare centrale and lived in Hochelaga near Ontario/Joliette.

Used to live on Waverley near Van Horne and I worked on Querbes and on Parc in mile-end though so I know what you mean. Fuck the rail track...

Re: Where the New York City Subway Doesn't Go

#30

Post by FlannelPancake »

acveilleux wrote: post #28
FlannelPancake wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And yes, it took twice as long Yeah, that sucks. If it takes you 12 minutes normally to walk 1 km (assuming 5 km/h, which is a normal walking speed), now it takes you 24 minutes to and from the station in the winter. So you're spending 45 minutes a day just walking to and from the station. If the rest of your commute is 30 minutes (train + walking to work from train), you're commuting for nearly two hours (1:48) ev…

In Montreal, I can count on the sidewalks being cleared well enough within 48 hours of a big storm and sort of cleared within 8h (< 2" snow, at least 16-20" wide path, basically one pass of the sidewalk plows.)

As I mentioned above, that's definitely not the case in the outer boroughs of New York (Manhattan in some cases too, depending on where you are, though I don't know that for certain).

There have been weeks at a time where I've had to walk in the street because the sidewalks were just inaccessible or sheets of ice, which makes proximity to the train station all the more important.

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