Commuting from the city to Great Neck

I think you can pretty much assume that traffic will balance out between the LIE and GCP -- more so than ever with improving GPS and traffic-info-gathering technology.

You haven't described the living priorities that you and your fiancée have, nor just where she works and what subway lines go there, but I would recommend Jackson Heights as the best middle ground and value.

Note that the LIRR is super fast. If you live in Great Neck, I think some trains get down to 23 minutes to Penn Station. That beats out a lot of Brooklyn / Queens. Lots of apartments right by the train.

Forest Hills might be another good balance... as you have the LIRR there too. Of course, it is not the same spur as great neck, so you'd still have to drive.

Also, did you consider living near the LIRR, and *you* take the train to GN? Penn Station or Woodside then...

It will be tough not to end up missing Carroll Gardens. It's such a great place to live, esp compared to the other options you have cited.

If Dursen's job in GN is not walking distance from LIRR station, Dursen will still need a car.

Def get out of Brooklyn. I'd look at something in Queens on the LIRR route that goes through Bayside. Hey, what about Bayside? 20-25 minutes to Penn Station, wide variety of housing stock (most will have a garage for your car), good schools (if you care, but always good for resale).

23 minutes from GN to Penn Station? Nope. It's 30 minutes from Little Neck, which is one stop closer. Moreover, housing in GN will be pricey.

I say Bayside.

Commute on a bed of sprint stock.

> 23 minutes from GN to Penn Station? Nope. It's 30 minutes from Little Neck, which is one stop closer.

Check again... these are just the next few, I think occasionally off main rush hour you'll get the two minutes less.

Depart Arrive Transfer Leaves Trip Duration
5:11 PM 5:37 PM 26 mins Peak
5:14 PM 5:45 PM 31 mins Peak
5:26 PM 5:51 PM 25 mins Peak
5:29 PM 6:05 PM 36 mins Peak
5:44 PM 6:09 PM 25 mins Peak

I am in your same situation. I live in Dumbo but work in Great Neck.
By car, the morning commute is a breeze, never any traffic, takes about 20 minutes. I take BQE->Grand Central->Whitestone expressway->Cross Island expressway then exit at Northern BLVD in Douglaston. I avoid 495 although mornings are not bad.

Coming home in the evening can be rough. Never take 495. Traffic seems ok until you hit the BQE before the Kousousko (sp?) bridge. Its always jammed. If you are in Carroll Gardens, from the K Bridge to to Carroll Garden is always jammed in the evening. I just learned to accept sitting in evening traffic for 1 hr, listen to satellite radio.

As someone who enjoys Brooklyn, I NEVER WANT TO MOVE TO THE SUBURBS!. You will regret leaving brooklyn.
I have no problems working there, but I do not want to live there.

"Kousousko" = Kosciuszko.

"BQE->Grand Central->Whitestone expressway->Cross Island expressway then exit at Northern BLVD in Douglaston." - seconded.

"I say Bayside." - or Douglaston. Bayside has more things to do, Douglaston is quieter.

I grew up in queens right off the lie and spent a lot of time in bayside. Do not move from cg to bayside. You'll regret it. If you have kids that are school age that's one thing but otherwise look into forest hills or just deal with the drive from CG.

So many job openings in Great Neck? Peculiar,. Express train 29 minutes.
I can't believe that the car commmute from even next door to the 59th street bridge could be much less than 45 minutes. Maybe to North Shore Towers. but that is not GN.
If you have kids or are planning to, GN is a relatively, speaking, good place to live.
I am hearing that you can even get a crappy two bedroom house in a fringe area for 600K now. that was unheard of years ago. And in Kings Point, you can get terrific houses for 1.3 or just really nice houses for around i million. How times have changed. And I don't have a bridge to sell you, but I do have a forest to sell you.....
GN has some terrific parks (Steppinstone Park, on the bay), and a great library system, and when your kids get to be teenagers, they will love the little "perks" available on the lawn of the local high schools.

During peak periods, there are super expresses that will take only 23 - 26 minutes. Most others about 30 minutes. If you are too far away from walking to the GN station, driving to little neck could be a good alternative. Little neck is still within the city zone. Its monthly ticket is 20 cheaper than from GN. Plus plenty of free on street parking there. (You need to pay to park near the GN station. Of course, if you are living very close to GN, you may as well live in Nassau County to save 3.8% NYC income tax.

"By car, the morning commute is a breeze, never any traffic, takes about 20 minutes. I take BQE->Grand Central->Whitestone expressway->Cross Island expressway then exit at Northern BLVD in Douglaston. I avoid 495 although mornings are not bad."

What time? I took the BQE a few times in the am from Brooklyn, and ran into traffic a good amount of the time, even a little past normal rush hour.

Problem is, there isn't any "reverse" commute, when the thing is connecting all the bridges and tunnels up the east river.

mj

>mj

?

Somewhereelse.. I leave DUMBO at 6:50AM everyday. I rarely hit any traffic on my to Great Neck in the monring.

The evenings are a totally different story, but I would rather sit in traffic than live in the suburbs.

>mj

Short for "Michael Jackson", it's like ending your post with "Hare Krishna".

"Somewhereelse.. I leave DUMBO at 6:50AM everyday. I rarely hit any traffic on my to Great Neck in the monring."

ah, that's it... I never go that early... that is fairly pre rush hour.

in that the folks leaving their houses at 6:30 or 7 are just beginning to get to the area...