It takes a certain kind of person. If you live locally the equation changes. But for the commuters NYC on a narrowbody is extremely challenging.

Hotels are expensive, even for NB captains. Crash pads are nasty. If you're 40-something you don't need snoring roommates, nasty dirty kitchens and couches, and people going in and out at all hours disturbing your sleep. Since you are junior, you will occasionally have 0600 EWR sign-ins from your Kew Gardens crash pad. Enjoy competing for the 1 shower at 0345 and the ridiculously expensive cab ride or mind numbingly painful mass transit to get to sign-in.

You are going to be junior for your 2 year seat lock, hope you don't like weekends off and vacation when your kids are out of school. Commuting to reserve is miserable at any airline or seat position. NYC adds congestion and WX to what would already suck if you were commuting to PHX. If you get a line it won't be commutable, see the previous paragraph for the fun that will entail. Since you will be flying into LGA quite often, just plan on missing your commute home every now and then since you are going to be late. 40 open seats on your backup the night prior somehow turns into 30 seats oversold in a matter or 12 hours. What just happened? Oh great another night in the pad.

Some guys bet on the come thinking that they'd be able to slide to ATL in a couple months. Nope, ATL is still plenty senior and you're going to eat 2 full years in NYC as a junior captain. Here's your encore kick in the junk. From your freshly minted captain's chair look to your right. That guy might be making more money than you while working less, with all the seniority he could ever desire. Such is the nature of NYC 88/717, I'll pass.

If I was 28 and single, sign me up. Hell, if I was 45 and single...