moving to Maplewood

I would add that if you drive to a PATH station and park, that also gives you much more flexibility because the PATH runs much more frequently than NJT.  A friend's spouse works in the city and for years had driven to Newark Penn station, parks in a monthly lot and takes the PATH to the city  

Wow so much things to worry about. It makes me hesitate to move. But buying a home in nyc is also a joke all home price is skyrocketing.Thanks

joan_crystal said:

There are a few things to consider based on the information you provided.  One is before/after care.  The Y slots fill up quickly.  Some schools may already be filled for next year.  You will need a plan B just in case.

You need to consider the number of vehicles you will need and make sure you have the garage and/or driveway space to accommodate them.  If you are not within what you consider to be walking distance to one of our train stations, you will need one vehicle for the family member catching the first train out (unless the other family member can get up, drag along a sleepy kindergartner, and drive the early departing family member to the train) and a  second vehicle to drive the kindergartner to school and then drive to work or to mass transit, if the second family member works in the City.

When house hunting keep in mind that not all sections of town receive jitney service.   Even those that do are unlikely to have a jitney stop right in front of the elementary school.  Don't assume the jitney will be there or that the jitney schedule will work for you unless you verify this first.

Even if you are able to get before/after care for your kindergartner, you will need to have arrangements in place for half days, days the school is closed altogether and days when the child is sick.  

As pointed out above, just being able to get to NYP by 6:00 am may not allow enough time to get to work by 6:00 am, even on days when there are no train delays.  Factor in all forms of transportation in addition to the train (including time to get out of the station and walking time to destination or connecting mass transit) to see if commuting by train will work for either or both of you.  If not, the family member with the very early start time should look into driving, bus/PATH, or other solutions to see what would work best.

joan_crystal said:

There are a few things to consider based on the information you provided.  One is before/after care.  The Y slots fill up quickly.  Some schools may already be filled for next year.  You will need a plan B just in case.

You need to consider the number of vehicles you will need and make sure you have the garage and/or driveway space to accommodate them.  If you are not within what you consider to be walking distance to one of our train stations, you will need one vehicle for the family member catching the first train out (unless the other family member can get up, drag along a sleepy kindergartner, and drive the early departing family member to the train) and a  second vehicle to drive the kindergartner to school and then drive to work or to mass transit, if the second family member works in the City.

When house hunting keep in mind that not all sections of town receive jitney service.   Even those that do are unlikely to have a jitney stop right in front of the elementary school.  Don't assume the jitney will be there or that the jitney schedule will work for you unless you verify this first.

Even if you are able to get before/after care for your kindergartner, you will need to have arrangements in place for half days, days the school is closed altogether and days when the child is sick.  

As pointed out above, just being able to get to NYP by 6:00 am may not allow enough time to get to work by 6:00 am, even on days when there are no train delays.  Factor in all forms of transportation in addition to the train (including time to get out of the station and walking time to destination or connecting mass transit) to see if commuting by train will work for either or both of you.  If not, the family member with the very early start time should look into driving, bus/PATH, or other solutions to see what would work best.

You may be interested in the house lot for sale on Park Ave. Maplewood, if you can build a new home. It is a 10 minute walk to Maplewood train station and kids can walk to the elementary and middle school.

That lot on Park Ave. looks awfully narrow.  Just because there was once a house on it (I'm assuming) doesn't mean it's wide enough for the present zoning.  A previous house would have been grandfathered in, but not new construction.  Any prospective buyer needs to check the present zoning and any need for variances.