On Thursday, October 30, 2014 9:42:47 PM UTC-4, Michael Finfer wrote:   
      
   > Lately, I have been driving to Staten Island and    
   > using the SIRT and the ferry.  With the delays into NY, it is very    
   > minimal extra time, much more reliable, and about half the price of a    
   > round trip from Raritan to New York, including gas and tolls (I drive a    
   > hybrid that qualifies for reduced off peak tolls).   
      
   When using SIRT, could I ask what station you use?  I tried if a few times,   
   parking nearby on the street at New Dorp and IIRC, Pleasant Plains or Princes   
   Bay, but it didn't seem very time efficient.  Staten Island streets now have a   
   lot of weekend    
   traffic--even sometimes jams--so getting from a bridge to a SIRT station isn't   
   that easy.  It's easy to get to Tottenville from the Outerbridge crossing, but   
   then it's a long SIRT ride to the ferry.   
      
   While I have never done it, I heard driving to the ferry parking lot on a   
   weekend is a viable option.   
      
   If there is no Meadowlands event scheduled, driving to Secaucus Jct is pretty   
   convenient.  There one has a choice of several trains which offers a little   
   more convenience.   
      
      
   If one has an _early_ weekend appointment in NYC, say 9:00 a.m., it may be   
   better to actually drive directly into the city.  Some friends had to go to   
   Columbia Univ at that time, and driving for them was far faster than the train   
   and subway (and street    
   parking was easy).  I've driven over the Vz Br at 10:00 a.m. with no traffic.    
   However, that's about the latest one can do so, after that, city and suburban   
   weekend traffic becomes quite congested.   
      
   Driving out to Long Island is a real [censored].  However, taking the LIRR to   
   many points isn't much faster, if at all.  I remain amazed (and saddened) that   
   bus service to the Hamptons is faster than the LIRR.  A number of bus trips   
   from NJ also are    
   faster than NJT, even on the NEC.   
      
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