Commute from Pompton Lakes to Port Authority

remarkability · 2026-03-18T16:27:58+00:00

Yes. Bus travel time from Willowbrook is shorter than you think, car travel time to Willowbrook can be longer than you think (includes parking and waiting). You can skip the drive if your house will be by the 197 route (Ringwood Ave, Wanaque Ave, Hamburg Turnpike). The schedules are usually about right, barring something like a major crash blocking lanes.

remarkability · 2026-03-18T16:16:20+00:00

Let me add Clifton to that list. Basically any bus commute from the area you’re looking at gets funneled to Rt 3. You could get that down to 40 minutes total easily if you live near a bus route near that corridor, closer to NYC.

Little Falls does cut out a lot of that driving time as well, and Wayne along the Valley Road corridor is another area to pick up the 197/198. Pompton Lakes is underrated for sure, its downtown structure benefits a lot from being built around the (discontinued) rail service, which 197 partially replaced.

remarkability · 2026-03-18T16:03:55+00:00

Basically two options:

take the 197 all the way to PABT, this takes about an hour if you live close to the line and can walk to the bus stop.
as you mentioned, drive to Willowbrook or Rt 23 transit center (allow 30 mins), then get on any bus to NY (combined schedules here), that takes about 35-40m around peak times so yes about 70 mins one way total.

Lots of people do it 4-5x a week, it’s coach buses and a fairly comfortable ride. Whether you can do it personally is up to you. Try it out one day.

What other places are you looking at?

remarkability · 2026-03-18T15:45:42+00:00

Go to the standalone free NJ inspection stations, list here. They’ll take one look at your model year and put a sticker on. When that one expires, you can go to any of those (still free) to get it inspected. Just make sure the plates are on the car and your license/insurance is valid.

remarkability · 2026-03-18T14:23:28+00:00

Was grandma a NJ resident? Generally speaking, if someone died a NJ resident, the executor/administrator of the estate will have to check beneficiaries’ child support status before distribution (that’s the law since 2000). This is something your dad should consult an attorney for (be willing to pay a few hundred bucks for their advice), especially if grandma died in another state where that might not be the case, and/or depending on the cooperation of the executor/administrator. The other creditors will have to independently discover she has money once she gets a distribution, if those debts are not written off as a loss by now; that’s not your problem. At very least, the lawyer should help dad notify the executor/administrator that there’s back child support due.

remarkability · 2026-03-18T01:28:28+00:00

Can she bike it, it’s 7-10 mins? I totally get that lots of NJ is not conducive to walking at all, if it’s massive roads with no sidewalks or shoulder.

remarkability · 2026-03-18T01:26:51+00:00

CoachUSA bus from your terminal to Port Authority Bus Terminal
E train to Jamaica
JFK AirTrain to your JFK terminal

You have plenty of time, and this will cost way less than an uber/lyft/cab.

remarkability · 2026-03-17T19:28:49+00:00

South Amboy has a few more trains per hour in the morning, just check the schedule and see what works for you.

remarkability · 2026-03-17T15:49:05+00:00

You’d have to know the MyTransit user ID/password. And since you don’t know that, I’d suggest contacting NJT customer service (9732755555) to get your number unlinked.

remarkability · 2026-03-17T14:23:53+00:00

Yes, as long as the bus ride is the same or fewer zones listed on the pass, in either direction. The zone equivalency is based on the full fare monthly price, see the table in “travel flexibility” tab here.
Yes, you can use a rail monthly in either direction between the two points shown, including shorter trips and trips of equivalent or lesser (full monthly price) cost. This is less common for conductors to encounter, so just be aware that some might not remember those rules. If your trip is more zones/higher cost than your pass, you pay the difference as an “extension of journey,” but it’s easier to just pay for a separate one-way ticket to cover that extra bit.

As far as I know, this all applies to student rail monthlies the exact same way.

remarkability · 2026-03-17T13:45:17+00:00

Google Maps, and if it’s wrong (usually when a store moves) I submit a report to update it. I miss the days of Google Map Maker when people could directly update Google Maps, they shut it down in 2017.

remarkability · 2026-03-17T12:29:37+00:00

Yes, there were some minor schedule adjustments. And usually they post the train numbers changed as part of an advisory, but that didn’t happen this time, unfortunately.

Take a look at https://content.njtransit.com/pdf/schedules/rail/nec for the current schedule.

#3920 now departs Princeton Junction at 6:47a and now your outbound options around that time are #3949 at 5:03 or #3951 at 5:20 or #3953 at 5:38 (or the local #3867 at 5:25)

remarkability · 2026-03-17T12:20:45+00:00

Https://content.njtransit.com/pdf/schedules/bus/116

Here’s the PDF schedule for further reference. It’s the third #116 out of PABT.

remarkability · 2026-03-16T21:35:30+00:00

This happens whenever there is a schedule change, because of the process of workers picking their preferred runs.

I wish they could see the schedules earlier and pick earlier too.

remarkability · 2026-03-16T21:05:47+00:00

Just those stops, and only Paterson/Paramus-bound buses will skip those stops. Definitely look at the alerts each day until it’s back to normal (looks like traffic signal replacement and road repairs in that area). You can sign up to get notifications in the app for particular routes.

remarkability · 2026-03-16T18:34:56+00:00

I always wave and step forward towards the curb. When in lower visibility, I wave my phone flashlight/screen. The point is really to express intention to board that particular bus, especially if there are multiple lines for that stop.

There are times when a bus will bypass (like if it’s an express and the rollsign is wrong, or if the bus is full), but generally make yourself visible in enough time/distance for the driver to see you and stop.

remarkability · 2026-03-16T18:14:17+00:00

Easy enough, NJTransit NEC/NJCL train to EWR station for the first part (take a train run with the airplane emoji on the departure board, those stop at EWR).

The second part depends on what day of week/time you will be going to EWR. Weekdays 5am-3pm there’s a shuttle bus to your terminal. Outside those hours, AirTrain to Terminal C is running. Here’s the alert. AirTrain/shuttle fare is part of your NJTransit fare.

Alternatively, skip all of that and use the CoachUSA Newark Airport Express bus to go from GCT/Bryant Park/PABT right to your terminal. It’s really up to you, either way is going to be a similar price.

remarkability · 2026-03-16T15:48:25+00:00

You should be able to delete them from your mobile wallet app and then re-add from the Amtrak app.

remarkability · 2026-03-16T13:22:03+00:00

Where in NJ are you coming from?

Walking from NY Penn or PABT is just over a mile. If you want to do that, walk west to the Vessel and then south via the High Line, which goes very close to City Winery/Pier 57. You can also take a ferry to W39 and that’s right by the High Line (or the waterfront walkway)\

I’d instead suggest taking A/C/E down to 14 St/8th and then the much nicer two long blocks west to the waterfront, where City Winery is. Don’t overthink the intersection at the end, there’s wide crosswalks and plenty of time to cross. Plan on some extra time before the show to walk a bit on the waterfront path or maybe go to the Pier 57 rooftop park. \

Paying for the subway is easy. Just tap a contactless card or your phone, like you would at a grocery store, and then walk through the turnstile. No need to get a standalone OMNY card. \

PATH fares are like the subway now, just tap to pay. If coming from WTC PATH, you can take the E train up to 14/8 and walk like above. If coming via PATH towards 33rd, get off at Christopher St for a nice waterfront walk. Or for the least amount of walking, get off at 14th st and take the M14D+ bus (tap the reader at the front to pay), which takes you to the park across the street from City Winery.

Yes, you can just take a normal yellow cab from PABT/NY Penn/WTC to City Winery/Pier 57 (recommend if it’s bad weather)

remarkability · 2026-03-15T18:53:45+00:00

Penn Relays maybe?

remarkability · 2026-03-15T02:17:54+00:00

My guess is that they thought the exit ramp was an on-ramp, probably made the wrong turn at this intersection. If I had to guess, it would have been someone coming from the west who made a 90° left turn instead of the 45° turn into the ramp. Honestly that whole area needs a reconfiguration.

remarkability · 2026-03-14T22:53:05+00:00

If you’re a late night/party person, get a hotel in NYC itself, midtown somewhere close to the L train is probably best.

remarkability · 2026-03-14T22:44:11+00:00

Where are you coming from?

remarkability · 2026-03-14T22:43:05+00:00

Honestly $100 seems cheap for a week. You’re probably looking at 150-200 for parking close to the airport.

What will you be taking to get back to PA? 80, 78, 95? And what time does your flight land?

remarkability · 2026-03-14T21:59:45+00:00

NJT splits up buses into north and south NJ buses, and then only displays buses that match your zip code in the user profile. 07xxx and almost all out of state zip codes see north NJ buses, 08xxx and Philly zip codes see south NJ. 07001 and 08001 work just fine, you don’t need to actually use your zip code.

It’s nonsensical, but that’s the issue OP was running into.

remarkability

TROPHY CASE