The closest community to the GWB in NYC is Washington Heights on the NY side and Fort Lee on the NJ side. If you are commuting by car from NYC it should take 35-40 minutes during rush hour. Under good conditions the Palisades Pkwy portion of the commute should take about 20 minutes. The GWB/I95 portion is the difficult part. I've crossed in as little as 5 minutes and as long as 35.

Hi Goldi,

If you are going to be working in Pearl River, you might consider renting somewhere local. There are many great areas nearby. Google Rockland County. I am a local agent so feel free to contact me with any questions.

Piermont New York is a lovely hamlet situated right on the Hudson River. It's twelve miles to the GW Bridge and about a 15 minute commute to Pearl River. It's a lovely village with quaint shops and upscale restaurants and a large community of condos and townhouses with waterfront gorgeous views of the river. Yet it's a 30 minute drive to Midtown if the nightlife and excitement of Manhattan is what you seek. I am the resident Piermont RE/MAX broker owner and would be happy to show you the area.

Even though I am living in FL now, I lived in Bergen County, NJ and I remember a nightmare of GW bridge. Closest city is Fort Lee, has a lot of condos, and upscale communities such as Engelwood Cliffs. Rental there would be expensive but closer then that you could not find.
Answering your first question is extremely difficult because everywhere around Manhattan traffic is very dense. I would say you could spend around 30 minutes to hour 15 minutes for your commute.