The bus ride itself, to my brother’s place in North Bergen NJ, was only about 25 minutes (which I guess isn’t exactly quick considering it’s only a few miles away). But taking a subway to get to the Port Authority, then fighting through the rush hour crowds, then waiting in line to buy a ticket (and switching lines because a ticket machine breaks), then waiting in line for the bus, and then finally crowding onto the bus, every seat taken and people standing in the aisle. Aaarrgghhh!!! It just makes you insane.

People who visit New York City and people who live in New Jersey or Long Island (and occasionally come into the City), always ask me, “How can you live there, it’s so hectic and chaotic? I can never do that.” And the answer is: It’s a lot less hectic and chaotic if you actually live here. My commute to work is 25 minutes door-to-door. I don’t have to drive a car or sit in traffic. I walk to a subway, bring a book with me (or grab a free newspaper) and read on the train. I can order delivery from literally hundreds of restaurants (actually, one of the more stressful parts of my day is figuring out what to eat for dinner every night). It’s something that I noticed about a month after I first moved to the City. Everything slows down once you live here.

What most people don’t realize is that a large portion of the exhaustion, stress, and frustration of “Visiting New York City” comes from the “Visiting” aspect and not the “New York City” aspect. When you just visit/commute here, everything is hectic because:

1. It’s a pain to get in and out of Manhattan.
2. You don’t have a place to relax nearby, so you’re constantly on your feet, walking around.
3. You tend to go to annoyingly-crowded tourist areas such as Times Square and Rockefeller Center (either by choice, in the case of  tourists, or as part of your commute).

When you actually live here, all 3 of those things go away. Everything slows down. If you’re in a stressful situation, you’re only a few minutes away from sitting on your couch and watching bad TV.

I’m not going to say that New York City life is without stress (it’s alarming how much less patient I am since I moved here), but it’s a great place to live once you get here.

Plus, New Jersey smells.

Tags: 07047, bus, Commute, New Jersey, stress

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