New York suburbs

Greenwich isn't that far on the train OP

And there are plenty of posh suburbs - - Short Hills, Summit, Scarsdale, Rye, Larchmont, Great Neck, Manhaasset -- that are much closer (30-40 minutes on a direct train.)

Bedford is far and Darien and New Canaan are too-- there's a tradeoff in that they're more rural, but the commute sucks.

Because they want a suburban lifestyle and not to live in the city, but they work in the city

What about it is complicated?

r2, the logistics. You're spending your whole life in transit, friend!

If you work near Grand Central or Penn Station OP, then 30 minutes on the train to Scarsdale is no worse than 30 minutes on the subway to the Upper West Side.

What part don't you get, amigo!

I'm from Bedford. It's one hour by train and you get your reading done.

Many people commute. Living in the suburbs and commuting to the city is pretty normal all over the country.

Not only NYC OP. I live in NJ and work in Trenton; my first commute was 90 minutes, it's now 45 minutes. It still sucks, but not as bad as living in Trenton would be.

They take the choo choo!

And commuting in NYC by train is fairly civilized-- you can read or get work done.

Towns on a train line are much more expensive than those that are not.

I love hearing commuter horror stories from our New York office, like two hours from New Jersey. Who DOES that?

[quote] two hours from New Jersey. Who DOES that?

Who are poor people?

I'll take Dumb Questions for $300 please, Alex

New York City smells like piss

I’ve always thought of Westport, CT as a wealthy NYC suburb but it’s on the other side of Norwalk which I never thought of as NYC suburban at all.

Cool story R13

Tell us more.

I live in the West 50s on Tenth Avenue and walk almost everywhere. I avoid the subway if walking takes about the same amount of time. I'd slit my throat having an hour commute each way every work day. Plus, the commuter train is pricey!

[quote] I live in the West 50s on Tenth Avenue

That's not a very nice area. Be careful walking around.

Are we still pretending like Manhattan is gritty and dangerous...anywhere? That era has long passed, for better or worse.

But you're a single homosexual living in an apartment R16

The people in the burbs are families with two or three kids who need a lot more space than you do.

what r4 said, some train commutes in NYC boroughs take 1 hour to get from point A to point B.

My cousin can commute from Darien to NYC in the time it takes me to get from Brooklyn to midtown on the R train. Stopping every three blocks and moving at a glacial pace is really getting to me.

What about Southern California? Those people really do commute, with many driving a couple of hours each way. At least in New York you can sit on a commuter train and read the paper or catch up on work.

Very true Tony.

OTOH, you can live in a big house in Brentwood or Beverly Hills and drive 15 minutes to your office in Century City, which you can't do in NYC

#TradeOffs

Except when you need to deal with the 405 underpass, R22.

I'm still waiting for OP to explain why he thinks this phenomenon of people commuting is just a New York thing.

[quote]you can live in a big house in Brentwood or Beverly Hills and drive 15 minutes to your office in Century City

Fifteen minutes from Beverly Hills to Century City, definitely possible. From Brentwood? Not so much.

Depends what time you leave and where in Brentwood you live R25

I've definitely done it, but going on side roads and, to your point, not at 8 AM

What about from Pacoima?

Commuting on public transit is far less stressful than a driving commute. You can check emails, read the news, surf the web. You can relax, you aren't driving.

Exactly, R20! I live in Brooklyn and have an hour and twenty minute commute to midtown. Friends who live along the LIRR, PATH, and MetroNorth all have significantly shorter commutes.

I moved to Bedford, NY from Boston 5 years ago to allow my husband to take care of his ageing parents.

Let me just say, I would rather spend an hour on the train (reading, sleeping, etc) than the hour of hell I used to spend on 128 traffic in Boston any day of the week!

My office is near Grand Central. Guys I work with live in Greenwich, Stamford and takes them less than an hour door to door. Takes me almost as long form Brooklyn - but they have a comfortable seat and don’t have to change trains on stifling subway platforms. The people who have it tough are those who live in Suffolk Co in LI - 1+ hour train then 39 minutes from Penn Station.

The one (commute) benefit of living in NYC is always having the option to take a taxi or Uber to get home.

You should be addressing this question to people who live in/around L.A., OP. Commuting there is the true nightmare. I know that for a fact. My 30 mile commute by train now into Manhattan is a dream by comparison.

My partner and I live in a zone 3 neighbourhood in London, and my partner finds the 45 minute train commute to work in Central London pleasant even if longer than ideal. It's easy to work, read, or watch movies on the train.

The city sucks now, and has for a few years. Sadly, many are tied to the whole horrid area by their jobs. So, they endure the city for the minimum amount of time possible in order to make a living, then flee.