The 12-mile trip from northeastern Essex County to the Hudson River at Jersey City is about 40 minutes by car.
That's about 20 minutes to Jersey City and at least another 20 minutes to cross the four miles of Jersey City.
Of course, that's on a good day, with no traffic tie ups or bad weather, or such. (Now, there's a good laugh! HAH!)
Parking, in September 1999, was about $135 a month and jumped to well over $225 a month in June 2000, when Hyatt hotel construction began on the pier that until then had provided parking for several hundred cars.
Nowadays, if you have to ask, you can't afford it.
To make a long story short. I don't make that drive anymore.
In July 2000, I began using mass transportation to get to work - for the first time in my life. It's less than $135 a month with passes and such.
Having grown up in urban-suburban northern New Jersey, taking a bus or train to work was always something other people did.
Besides, to get from northeastern Essex County to Englewood, or East Brunswick, or Parsippany, or Mahwah, or Moonachie, or Pompton Plains you had to take a bus into Port Authority in Manhattan and then take a bus out to your destination.
Copyright © 2005 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved.
