LeBron James is coming to Philadelphia, a fact anyone who lives in Philly would have learned from interacting with strangers on the street, no matter their interest in basketball. This is salient because, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, James will not be among the ranks of those living in Philly. Instead, he will be living in New York City and commuting to Philly, potentially via helicopter.

This is a forgivable error if one has never lived along the Northeast Corridor and experienced its bounteous public transit, thus remaining ignorant to the plethora of options at his disposal, all of which are surely safer, if not necessarily quicker, than taking a helicopter. James has tragically spent the past eight years of his life in Los Angeles. Being LeBron James, making a LeBron James–scale salary, he surely never had to take LA Metro to either Pico or 7th Street/Metro Center and walk to the arena. But now that he has taken a severe pay cut, it is time to consider more frugal options. Here are just a few alternative commutes for LeBron James to consider.

Bus

Identifying a site for and building a permanent intercity bus terminal in Philly has been a prolonged saga. The current, temporary solution is leasing and reopening the old bus station at 10th and Filbert, in Chinatown (or Market East, depending on how one draws their lines). If 76ers ownership's proposal to build a stadium right nearby was legitimate rather than a negotiating tactic with Comcast Spectator, then the intercity bus, which departs from multiple New York locations but primarily from Hudson Yards or the Port Authority Bus Terminal, might have deposited James exactly where he needed to go.

As it stands, from the current Filbert Street location, LeBron would have to get onto the Broad Street Line (also known as the BSL, and officially branded as the B) in order to go to the stadium complex in South Philly. The closest BSL stop is a short walk, especially if one is tall, but the Market-Frankford Line (also known as the El, and officially branded as the L) is also right by the bus station, and it is an easy transfer at 15th Street/City Hall. A third option is to walk all the way to Franklin Square and get on the Chinatown stop of the Broad-Ridge Spur, which would take him north onto the BSL proper, at which point he can then switch to the southbound line. This is not a smart thing to do, but it would allow him to see the the Broad-Ridge Spur, an experience worth doing exactly once.

Just this weekend, I took the bus to and from New York for the first time in years. It was fine. The trip was ostensibly supposed to be two hours, but was closer to 2.5 or three. On the return, the bus stopped by the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, which made for some impressive sightseeing and also a good Wikipedia rabbit hole. However, while extremely affordable, I would not actually recommend taking the bus, due to the aforementioned delays and also the general lack of leg room, which would be a particular issue for LeBron James.

Amtrak

As long as temperatures are low and there are no pesky overhead wire issues, the best and most comfortable way to travel between Philadelphia and New York is via Amtrak. When selecting an Amtrak, I would recommend my close personal friend the Keystone over the Northeast Regional, but either function well. If LeBron James is looking to splurge, the new NextGen Acelas are finally in service. While it is unclear where in New York LeBron James will live, Amtrak trains depart from Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, a deeply spiritually evil place that is nonetheless very easy to get to from other parts of the city.

Amtrak has free Wi-Fi and a café car, each car has bathrooms, and almost all the seats have ample leg room. As long as there are no delays, the train ride takes about an hour and a half (about 20 minutes fewer on the Acela), and it is easy to do other things, like read or work or eat tape. The Amtrak train will arrive at beautiful 30th Street Station, which was newly unscaffolded for the World Cup and United States Semiquincentennial and also LeBron James's arrival to the city. From 30th Street, LeBron James would have to take the eastbound El to City Hall, and then transfer onto the BSL; again, the transfer is very easy.

There are two knocks against Amtrak. One is that the last weekday train leaves Philadelphia at 11:17 p.m., which should be workable for most NBA games, though one never knows. Should LeBron James miss the 11:17 p.m. Amtrak, he would be forced to take the next one at 3:25 a.m. As sleep is important for everyone, but especially professional athletes, that's not what you want. The second is that Amtrak is expensive. If tickets are not bought far in advance, they can run upward of $100 one-way, though good planning and traveling at off-hours can mitigate this issue. Unfortunately, the "don't think about it" option of an Amtrak monthly pass from Penn Station to 30th Street Station costs $1,250. That's so much money! If LeBron James were living in Philly, a more affordable city, and commuting into New York City instead, the cost of Amtrak would be a different question. As it is, he is taking a 90 percent pay cut and yet still living in New York City. Perhaps he could consider a more affordable transit option, such as ...

NJ Transit to SEPTA Regional Rail

This is the favored method of Defector's Barry Petchesky. Should one find themselves in the unfortunate position of having searched for an Amtrak ticket too late but still wishing to travel by rail, taking NJ Transit onto SEPTA is the way. Unlike Amtrak, both NJ Transit and SEPTA Regional Rail are fixed fare. The NEC NJ Transit line costs $20.35 one-way and the SEPTA Regional Rail ticket costs $10. It is slower than taking Amtrak and also leaves from New York Penn Station, with the one minor benefit that if LeBron James were to take Regional Rail, it would be possible for him to disembark at Suburban Station and transfer directly onto the BSL without needing to go all the way to 30th Street Station or take the El.

The average time of the journey is around 2.5 hours. Unfortunately, it entails a transfer at Trenton, and though both train lines run with enough frequency that it is possible to find a convenient transfer, any delay can balloon the wait at Trenton to 40 minutes. From personal experience, this wait is even more infuriating than expected. Perhaps it is because there is nothing to do in Trenton, and the station has bad vibes. No, NJ Transit onto SEPTA, and vice versa, is a journey best taken without a time crunch. Unfortunately basketball games do come with some level of time crunch.

PATCO

I know what LeBron James is thinking: But PATCO only runs from Center City through South Jersey into Lindenwold and doesn't go to New York City at all! I suppose I am suggesting that, should LeBron James truly not wish to become a citizen of the country of Philadelphia, he can instead choose to follow in the footsteps of other Philly athletes who do not live in Philly, and choose to live in South Jersey instead.

Now, I understand that this is a big ask. Does one truly want to live in Collingswood or Cherry Hill or Camden? Does one truly want to help fill out the 70 percent–empty apartments at the Navy Yard? For the honor of riding PATCO alone, the answer should be a strong yes. If it was good enough for Walt Whitman, surely it would be good enough for LeBron James.

Fact: PATCO runs 24/7. Fact: A round-trip PATCO ticket can cost as little as $2.80. Fact: LeBron James can transfer from PATCO directly onto the BSL by getting off at 12th/13th & Locust.

Don't get on that helicopter, LeBron James. Take public transit. Take Amtrak. Take NJ Transit. Take SEPTA. Hell, take PATCO. Choo choo.