I was reading an article about a club for aspiring comics in Manhattan, in the forties, and it said that one of the guys who lived in Bensonhurst needed between two and three hours to commute each day. I see from the map that Bensonhurst is in Brooklyn, and he has to cross some water to get to Manhattan, but I’m surprised it takes so long.
I thought when you had such a vast subway system it was like 30 or 40 minutes to get from anywhere to anywhere, as long as there was a stop nearby.
Did the article say the guy was using the subway?
When you say
I was reading an article about a club for aspiring comics in Manhattan, in the forties
Do you mean the club was in the forties as in between 40th street and 49th street or was the story set in the 1940s?
I live in Ft. Green and by subway today it takes about 30 to 40 minutes.
Yeah, assuming the guy is taking the subway, I think it could take an hour to get from Bensonhurst to midtown. Like Zebra, I live in Ft. Greene and agree it takes between 30 to 40 minutes to make that trip. Bensonhurst is easily another 20 on the subway from me, in large part because the subway is making mostly local stops.
Also, there could be some additional time for the walk from his home to the subway, and then the subway to the club, I would guess maybe 10 minutes max. But still, if it’s 10 minutes on both ends, it adds up.
Oh, and another thing. If this guy is working at a club, and going home after midnight, trains run less frequently and you end up waiting much, much longer than you would during the day.
I live in Bensonhurst, and it’s maybe 45-55 minutes by Subway. I guess you can add 10 mins each way walking to the subway and 10 each for waiting for the train, but that’s really pushing the upper bound. I’d say the longest I can see it taking is about an hour and a half, even late night when trains rarely come. On rare occasions, MAYBE 2 hours.
If I’m reading correctly, thought, you said 2-3 hours each day to commute. If you mean both ways, then easily 2-3 hours. I went to high school in the city and had to take a 45 minute train ride each morning and afternoon. With the walking and waiting for the train to come, 2-3 hours is normal.
I did mean on 45th Street, not in the 1940’s. I should have remembered that whenever I’ve seen “Forties” or “Fifties”, etc., referring to Manhattan streets, it’s always capitalized.
The person described in the article must be taking his time. Surface buses all the way, maybe.
Sorry, I didn’t read this carefuly. I did mean round trip. And he is working showbiz hours, more or less, so he probably does have to wait a while for the train when he’s on his way home.
So that’s where Bensonhurst is! I always wondered where the Kramdens were supposed to live. Is there really a Chauncey street there?