Would you rather live near a ferry or an express bus?

By Lambeth Hochwald | June 25, 2018 - 12:00PM

Let's say for the sake of argument you couldn't take the subway to work anymore, and your choices were a breezy ferry ride or is an air conditioned express bus. Which would you prefer?

Of course, for many New Yorkers, this is much more than a hypothetical situation, thanks unfortunately to the L train shutdown, which will introduce alternative bus and ferry routes, as well as shift capacity to other subway lines. Some riders have already joined a bike train.

We asked five New Yorkers to weigh in on which mode of transportation—express bus or ferry—they would rather live near.

Water = vacation

“I would rather live by a ferry because I love the water and a more enjoyable commute would make every day feel a little like vacation. Plus, no need to worry about traffic like you do with a bus!”—Megan Zuckerman, Flatiron

Provided an express is truly express, I’ll take it

“I have to say express bus. And hopefully the first stop is an express train, because I can pretty much crawl to my destination faster than an MTA bus will get me there.”—Brian Boye, Hudson Yards

The ferry is more fun

“Honestly, it depends where I am going. But if I had to choose, I’d pick a ferry. It’s so much more fun than the bus.”—Mimi Richter, Williamsburg

I'll take the ferry, but I can make I'll walk or bike if necessary

“I would much rather live near a ferry, but I also live near the Brooklyn Bridge so I’m never at a loss or transportation: If there are strikes or bad weather I can always bike, hike or literally ski to Manhattan.”—Alison Blackman, Brooklyn Heights

I'd prefer the express bus—too many tourists on the ferry

“If I could have access to an express bus that stopped outside my front door every 15 minutes, I’d take it! I’d much prefer this to having a tourist ferry to Ellis Island right near my building—I’d rather not deal with tons of fanny-packed visitors outside my home all the time!”—Morgan Oliveira, Upper West Side

Verdict: The ferry beats the express bus, but some do like to commute on wheels, as long as it's fast.

The Market Would you rather live above the Second Ave subway construction or a Subway sandwich shop?

Improve Would you rather have pre-war charm or modern convenience?

Live Would you rather have a state of the art gym or a gorgeously landscaped roofdeck?

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.