A daily long commute to work

[MoraWintersoul]

If I was permanently residing in those places, I'd lose my fucking mind.

I didn't think of New York type cities either! Just, you know, having more "locations" in my life than "my house", "my office", "my preferred restaurant" and "my gym".

Walk outside and there's minimal green and people as far as the eye can see. The cheapest beer you'll find is like $6 and there's never a moment of anything that so much as resembles silence. Crosswalks, panhandlers, street performers, knockoff vendors, mounties, garbage bags all over the sidewalks, tourism, toll bridges to and fro, chain after chain after chain, and hipsters meandering everywhere...

If more families lived in cities, a lot of those problems would disappear, because that's what usually happens. In places I've visited, people with families or people who have low tolerance for noise over time just make a city chill out - to the detriment of those who love a rowdy good time, but it is what it is.

[Aythesryche]

Have a friend that commutes to work from Federal Way south of Seattle, and works north of Seattle in Shoreline. His commute sometimes takes up to 2hrs one way during rush hr. He says he needs to get up around 4-5am to deal with his kids, get ready and be on time at work at 8am. He once told me how he sometimes dreams of driving to work, then waking up and actually having to drive to work. What a perpetual nightmare.

[Lonk]

Have a friend that commutes to work from Federal Way south of Seattle, and works north of Seattle in Shoreline. His commute sometimes takes up to 2hrs one way during rush hr. He says he needs to get up around 4-5am to deal with his kids, get ready and be on time at work at 8am. He once told me how he sometimes dreams of driving to work, then waking up and actually having to drive to work. What a perpetual nightmare.

That's just trauma!

If more families lived in cities, a lot of those problems would disappear, because that's what usually happens. In places I've visited, people with families or people who have low tolerance for noise over time just make a city chill out - to the detriment of those who love a rowdy good time, but it is what it is.

I've been in NYC for the past 15 years and that does not apply to the areas I lived in. Certain parts of the upper west side are the only neighborhoods that could be considered "chill" in NYC standards. In my area, the younger ones have a war to see who is going to be the loudest. The oldest one are just loud.

I'm planning to move out of NYC next summer, which will make my commute longer but will give me peace of mind.

[Cool Chris]

If I was permanently residing in those places, I'd lose my fucking mind.

I didn't think of New York type cities either! Just, you know, having more "locations" in my life than "my house", "my office", "my preferred restaurant" and "my gym".

Don't want to keep responding to your responses to Chino, but I think you are really stereotyping suburbanites/not-city dwellers on their lifestyles. The above could be said about anyone.

Have a friend that commutes to work from Federal Way south of Seattle, and works north of Seattle in Shoreline. His commute sometimes takes up to 2hrs one way during rush hr.

To be honest, living in the area I am surprised it doesn't take longer!

[axeman90210]

My commute is a little over an hour each way. I've got a ten minute shuttle ride from the corner near my house to the train station, a 30-35 minute train ride, and a 20-25 minute walk (I could replace the walk with a ~5 minute light rail ride, but weather and schedule allowing I like to get the walk in instead). I don't mind it so much, I listen to music the whole time and then in the morning I usually catch up on twitter and in the evening I'll read whatever news articles I've got left open in my browser.

[jingle.boy]

For the last 9 years, I've worked from home.  30-40 feet or so from bedroom to office.  Brush my teeth, pour a coffee, and I'm at work 10 minutes from waking up.  There was a time during my current role (and previous house) where I was taking a train 50 mins to downtown Toronto a couple times a week.  No biggie.  My job is about the knowledge and information I have and provide, so I can work from anywhere I have a computer, phone and internet connection, so I'd arrive and depart whenever was most convenient.

In the 2000s I was working 7 stop-lights from my company's Canadian HQ, so the drive was dependent on how many reds I hit, as I was going the opposite way of rush-hour traffic.  12-15 minutes was about what it would take.

Now, living way out of Toronto, the odd time I have to go to the office or meet my client, it's a 2 hour drive each way.  Thankfully, I only have to do that by choice, and it'll be once a month at the absolute most.

[Stadler]

I've been doing the home thing now for the better part of a decade, and while there are limitations - I doubt I'll ever be a senior officer from my basement - it's REALLY worked for me and my family.   I'm insecure/disciplined enough to make sure that my work is done and there's no "Playstation time" during work hours, but it's massively convenient.   I don't think twice about scheduling a 2 pm doctor appointment, and in trade, I'm fine with reading that contract at 9:30 pm while the Mrs. is getting my stepson to bed. 

I can say, though, that not everyone is equipped to handle it (not saying you, Chad, I'm talking about people I work with).  I carry two phones with me, and am almost manic about being available (especially to my boss, and my immediate peers).  Once the seed of "where the hell is Stadler?" gets planted it's a demon weed.

[MirrorMask]

I take the subway to go to work, depending on interexchange luck it takes between 45 and 50 minutes for each trip. No busses, no trains, just a subway where I change lines once. As many already said, I too use that time to read (by now I read only in the subway) and to listen to music, with carefully planned compilations to last the exact time of the trip.

I use the car only during August and on saturdays... for the rest, subway all the way and I love it. Yes, there will always be the occasional incident or the strike, but looking at the big(ger) picture and the big numbers, the subway is always, always reliable, unless something explodes or someone attempts suicide, I'm never ever late at work. A couple of years ago I went an entire solar year, from the first working day of January to the last working day of December, without being late a single day.

And if you think you have long commutes... just be happy you're not this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eJlcF5G9qM

 

(As written in the title itself, it's a satire, it's not true)

[TAC]

I can say, though, that not everyone is equipped to handle it (not saying you, Chad, I'm talking about people I work with).  I carry two phones with me, and am almost manic about being available (especially to my boss, and my immediate peers).  Once the seed of "where the hell is Stadler?" gets planted it's a demon weed.

I think I honestly only experienced that once or twice during my roulette.    You were pretty much on top of it.

[Cool Chris]

Telecommuting is definitely not for everyone. So many of the people I worked with at my last major (1000+ people in the office) employer got their daily social interaction at work. Not to stereotype, but lots of single moms, older people (married or otherwise) whose children are grown up and moved out...I bet for many of them, if they didn't have an office to go to 40 hours a week they'd barely manage 5 meaningful sentences to anyone over the course of an average day.

[MoraWintersoul]

Don't want to keep responding to your responses to Chino, but I think you are really stereotyping suburbanites/not-city dwellers on their lifestyles. The above could be said about anyone.

Hey, I could be, and thanks for correcting me. I'm mostly mining my opinions from stuff I read in other threads and on other places online. I read a few fitness forums and they frequently bemoan how cut off they feel because they live in car-centric cities and have to do circles around the office at lunch time to get their miles in.

[Stadler]

Telecommuting is definitely not for everyone. So many of the people I worked with at my last major (1000+ people in the office) employer got their daily social interaction at work. Not to stereotype, but lots of single moms, older people (married or otherwise) whose children are grown up and moved out...I bet for many of them, if they didn't have an office to go to 40 hours a week they'd barely manage 5 meaningful sentences to anyone over the course of an average day.

This is a very real thing, you'd be surprised, I think.   Working from home five days a week is VERY, VERY different than working from home one day a week, or an afternoon here and there.

[Cool Chris]

Telecommuting is definitely not for everyone. So many of the people I worked with at my last major (1000+ people in the office) employer got their daily social interaction at work. Not to stereotype, but lots of single moms, older people (married or otherwise) whose children are grown up and moved out...I bet for many of them, if they didn't have an office to go to 40 hours a week they'd barely manage 5 meaningful sentences to anyone over the course of an average day.

This is a very real thing, you'd be surprised, I think.   Working from home five days a week is VERY, VERY different than working from home one day a week, or an afternoon here and there.

Not surprised at all. I've done the telecommuting on a part-time basis and I fully understand the discipline required. I don't like being around people much so it suited me fine. Though I often had lots of down time where I would find lots of non-work related things to do around the house.

[JayOctavarium]

Funny enough... With the constant loom of us possibly losing my account hanging over our heads... My boss mentioned the possibility of promoting me up to where I work out of our main office and commute daily. It's an Hour and a Half drive on a good day.. But I'd be making more money and would be given a company car and gas card.

[Herrick]

My then-wife and I moved out of Atlanta (back to Connecticut) because my 10-mile drive was taking over an hour, and her 15-or so mile commute was taking up to an hour and a half (sometimes more if there was an accident or event).

That is crazy how long it took to go those distances. How long were you doing that?

[Stadler]

My then-wife and I moved out of Atlanta (back to Connecticut) because my 10-mile drive was taking over an hour, and her 15-or so mile commute was taking up to an hour and a half (sometimes more if there was an accident or event).

That is crazy how long it took to go those distances. How long were you doing that?

My ex for a couple years, me, about a year (after I switched jobs).   The worst was the last year, after my daughter was born, because a) we couldn't really vary our commute time, and b) it made sitting in the car that much more unbearable (and fruitless).    She was able to take MARTA at the worst of the rush hour, I had no option but to drive.   We were actually in Gwinnett County, and it was amazing how much it grew up in the five-ish years we were there.

[Herrick]

My then-wife and I moved out of Atlanta (back to Connecticut) because my 10-mile drive was taking over an hour, and her 15-or so mile commute was taking up to an hour and a half (sometimes more if there was an accident or event).

That is crazy how long it took to go those distances. How long were you doing that?

My ex for a couple years, me, about a year (after I switched jobs).   The worst was the last year, after my daughter was born, because a) we couldn't really vary our commute time, and b) it made sitting in the car that much more unbearable (and fruitless).    She was able to take MARTA at the worst of the rush hour, I had no option but to drive.   We were actually in Gwinnett County, and it was amazing how much it grew up in the five-ish years we were there.

I can't imagine having to spend that much time driving over such a short distance.

[Stadler]

I listened to a LOT of music, and a lot of Howard Stern (who, coincidentally, I was listening to on this day, 18 years ago).   But, no doubt, it sucked. 

[Dublagent66]

Yeah, I've never understood long commutes to work.  Just isn't practical time or money wise.  I've always been within 10 miles.  Now, I'm down to half a mile.

[Cool Chris]

Just saw tweet from Beto (it a few days old). "Living close to work shouldn't be a luxury for the rich. It's a right for everyone." While I wish for sake of our communities, livelihood, and collective sanity everyone did live close to where they worked, there is no reason to consider it a "right" (aside from "Progressives" considering everything a "right").

[SystematicThought]

Commutes are a right in his eyes? I've never considered a long commute a luxury for the rich....

[Heretic]

Currently undertaking a 45-minute commute (an hour and a half both ways, sometimes two hours depending on the traffic) for my graduate teaching assistant position, and I'm not particularly enjoying the drive. It's nice to relish in a multitude of new albums, sure, but I'd definitely prefer that time to be utilized for something either more enjoyable or productive.

[Stadler]

Just saw tweet from Beto (it a few days old). "Living close to work shouldn't be a luxury for the rich. It's a right for everyone." While I wish for sake of our communities, livelihood, and collective sanity everyone did live close to where they worked, there is no reason to consider it a "right" (aside from "Progressives" considering everything a "right").

I'm waiting for someone to claim I have a right not to listen to this nonsense.   

[Anguyen92]

I live like 11 miles from work (roughly 20-25 minutes drive) if I take the freeway and its like 9 miles if I take the streets if the freeway is too busy (which it is right now with people getting back to school and all).

Now living like two miles away down one street from the local House of Blues, I call that a great luxury that I am thankful for.