Can anyone here tell me about the Stroudsburg or Mount Bethel area?  Anyone make the commute from there to Queens.  Looking to see how traffic is.  I know it's a long commute but I wanted to if it flows or backs up like 95.

Thanks

If you're looking to buy I'd stay the fuck away from Stroudsburg, unless you like meth, crime, low property values and shitty city rejects.

As to getting to and from the city from there, it depends when; during the weekdays/rush hour its going to back up like a mofo, especially in and around the city.  I haven't done 80 much, but I would stay away from the GW as its going to get you on the Cross Bronx which is always a fucking retarded parking lot.  For a daily commute, your best bet would be to find somewhere in PA where you could drive to pick up a NJ Transit or Metro North train to the city or drive 80 to 280 and cross the city through the Lincoln and Midtown Tunnels.

Any way you slice it, its going to be a long, painful commute.  Its just a question of the degree of suck.  

Thanks.  Using various online maps it appears that 80 is the fastest way in.  What town along that route would you suggest?  Bangor?

Its going to get nicer and better the further you get from Stroudsburg, especially to the south.  Once you gt below 78 you're in upper Bucks County which is one of the nicer and more affluent counties in the commonwealth.  78 and 80 are going to be hell getting into and out of the city on a daily basis, 80 crosses into the city over the GW Bridge and then onto the Cross Bronx.  Avoid the Cross Bronx like your life depends on it; anytime I've made the mistake of using the CB, I'm sitting in dead traffic for hours.  78 will probably have alittle more traffic on it, but comes into the city much further south than the GW.  There will be more NJ Transit trains on the Jersey side as you get below 78, so it may be easier to drive to a station and take a train in from there.

Where in Queens do you have to get to?

Ok.  Flushing area. I have an hour plus commute now, but I want to get out of CT and PA looks like it has a lot more going for it.

My wife and I used to live in Forest Hills.  

You might try further north around Milford. I've only driven through there a few times so I don't know much about it, but its a very pretty area.  Port Jervis is a very short drive from Milford, and the Metro North has a line that starts/ends at Port Jervis.  IIRC, its about 90 minutes to Manhattan, but you don't have to fight traffic on the roads and you can get some work done (or sleep) on the way.  

I'd also consider Bucks County -  the area south of 78, east of 476, west of the Delaware river, and north of 276.  There's several places right across the river (Trenton, Princeton, Flemington?) where you can catch a NJ Transit train to get to the city and then jump on the MTA (E train?) to get to Queens.  Again, the commute is going to suck, but at least on the rails you're not fighting traffic most of the way and you can sleep or work on the way.

FWIW we're near Allentown, and I can make it to the city in 2 hrs on 78 if its not rush hour.  I've even made it all the way through the city (via Lincoln and Midtown tunnels) to Flushing Meadow Park once or twice in 2hrs, but that took a very heavy foot at stupid-o'clock in the AM.  I'm sure during peak times it would be a lot worse.

I moved to Bangor last year and I work in Midtown NYC, the drive is about 1:40 from my door to the parking garage via i-80 and rts 46 and 3. During the morning rush going to Queens can be tough. Nights and weekends into Queens is around 1:30, faster if you're motivated. A buddy of mine lives in Stroudsburg and commutes in as well. There are parts of Stroudsburg thag can remind you of Queens and there are some nicer parts but what they all have in common from my experience while house hunting is the high school taxes. Take a look at Portland also, its a river town just off the bridge from exit 4 on 80.

Thanks guys.

I also live in Bangor and commute to NYC 7 days a week. My job location can change but it will always be within one of the 5 boroughs of NYC. If I have a 7am start I typically wake up at 4am, leave the house by 4:30 and this gives me more than enough time to get anywhere in NYC by 6:30 the latest. I do not work in Queens too often due to the distance from my house but my union hall is located in Flushing, at the time of morning I would be going there I never hit any traffic.  I can take 80 to GW and then cross over in BX and take the whitestone or I can take 80 to 280 and take the holland tunnel, go up canal, hop across the willamsburg bridge to 278, or can take 80 to 287, to 24 to 78 and then go holland, canal and williasburg bridge to 278.. lots of ways to go, just depends on the traffic/constructions/time of day..  I'd recommend the Waze app for your phone, it is a peer reported traffic app that has become a life safer in avoiding traffic jams, construction and the occasional speed trap

I would stay out of Stroudsburg and Monroe county.. especially if you have children. My development has a few lots left if you're looking for a new home, just about all of my neighbors shoot.. most are late 20's early 30's and most have young children. Upper Mt.Methal, Mt. Bethal, East Bangor, Rosetto, Bangor, Washington Twp.. you'll be good in any of these areas. You have several FFL's in the area, Jerry Wilson is right off main st in Bangor (Wilson Sporting Goods) he carries mostly hunting type guns but he's a very nice guy and only charges a $20 transfer fee (he'll cut you a break if you order multiple items at once) I'm working with him to get his SOT setup. Several gun clubs in the area as well.. east bangor sportsman association is a no frills range (although we do have cover from the elements now..) it's $25/year, usually have the range to yourself and they host some nice steel shoots every few months.

My wife and I moved out here in '09 to raise our son, we're both very happy with that decision. I'll gladly take the commute for our way of life out here vs ny/nj.. Once you get out here get a trust setup and start your NFA collection

If you have any questions feel free to shoot me an IM.

I'd also recommend a diesel VW, mine has saved me a ton of money on commute costs.. 600-650 miles on a tank (diesel is currently $2.9X here in Bangor but can fill up little cheaper in NJ) I have 235K miles on mine and all I've had to do is regular maintenance.. Car pays for itself IMO..

Wow that's a lot of diving.  At least I won't have to do it every day as my job doesn't require me to come into the office every day.  I use WAZE and it has saved me many times.  I've go some NFA already and hopefully will acquire more.   No kids yet, but we are at that age where it's now or never and one of the reasons why I'm looking at PA.  She can stay if she wants and not have to work. In CT, it's not option.

Ah gotcha, we did the same. My wife stayed home with my son until he started pre-school at 4 (he went two days a week at 3 to socialize and get accustomed to it) while my wife went back to school. She just started her last semester of medical school and will be joining the work force again by fall hopefully lol its very nice out here. Very family orientated and lots of mom & pop shops.. its not without problems but I'll take my chances here vs anywhere in NY/NJ..

When my wife and I started looking we'd come out for the weekend and drive around, check out local shops/restaurants and it gave us a better feel for the areas we did and didn't want to live in.. this is an excellent area if you're the outdoors type.. the Appalachians are right here to hike, can kayak / tube down the Delaware, plenty of mtn bike trails, places to ride atv/dirt bike, hunt, fish, shoot..

city-data on Bangor: http://www.city-data.com/city/Bangor-Pennsylvania.html

With a NYC salary you're money goes very far out here

I did the commute for a while from Bethlehem to Long Island.
It was a killer- a car killer and it was killing me.

My answer was taking the bus- Trans Bridge bus line to midtown, then the Long Island RR.
It was expensive but I think in the long run well worth it.

I believe there is a commuter bus line from the Stroudsburg area.
Might be worth looking into.    

Martz is in stroudsburg, I have a buddy that used them for awhile but very very expensive, added an hour to his commute and he was stranded in the city a few times (this wasn't the fault of the Martz, he just got off work too late). When I work in lower Manhattan or Midtown I usually drive in to Harrison path station off 280 (64.5 miles from my house) park my car ($7) and take the path in to either WTC for lower or Penn for midtown (Its been awhile, think $3.xx round trip.. I always did a month pass). When I worked at WTC this saved me a lot of money and got me out to Harrison much faster than if I had driven in and parked.. depending on where i work in midtown its sometimes faster to drive in and park near the holland/lincoln tunnel.. uptown or any other borough its been my experience its much faster to drive and you can usually find street parking.. My car has paid for itself, can go 600-650 miles on a tank (currently $41-42 to fill @ 2.99/gal diesel) worth looking into a tdi vw if you're going to commute like I do..

It would be nice to be able to park and take various forms of transportation, but I need the flexibility of a car.  Looks like I'll have to check into VW diesels.  That's amazing.  I appreciate all the replies and advise.