How bad is your commute? Share your story here.

[closeupready]

:D

I have had some really awful commutes. Today was one of the worse ones I've had in a long time, though I'm not even sure why. The crowding, the pushing and shoving, the rudeness. Also October can make me feel claustrophobic - I guess the dark skies close in on me.

And you ever have days where you feel like you're "mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore", as the media messiah in "Network" said?

But anyway, just wanted to get that off my chest. :) Thanks for listening.

P.S. Then I think about Iraq, and I realize, my life is a cakewalk.

[Squatch]

1. At the end of my commute, all I can think is: thank God I don't have a gun

[closeupready]

2. So I'm not alone? LOL

It's amazing how rude people can be, ain't it? Like, WTF?

:hi:

[Squatch]

4. I'm actually trading a bad commute for a worse one

Moving from Chesapeake, VA where my commute is 45 miles.

Moving to Fredericksburg, VA (working in Arlington VA) where I'll be commuting 20 miles plus a 1-hour train ride.

[smtpgirl]

13. On Fridays you should add 60-90 minutes to your commute!!

I did the commute to VA HELL for 5 years, no more 3hour commutes on Fridays!!

I live 13 miles from my place of work now!!!

What a breeze!!

The best part, all back roads, no interstates!!!!!

[mainegreen]

12. Some day I *AM* going to install those rocket launchers behind the beams.

Then that bastard in the rusty green truck with the "Lost dog and wife: reward for dog" sticker and the handlebar mustache will get his comeuppance.

[Tripper11]

3. Mine is quite nice actually......

First of all I drive 20 minutes to work, but the kicker is I go in at 2:30am! So very very minimal traffic. My return commute is around noon and it is obviously busier because a lot more humans are cruising the highways and byways, but again, nothing really radical to complain about.
As for my wife, she busses and usually reads and enjoys a book a week.
So my commute is not bad, nor is my wifes, but living and working in the Seattle area I can honestly appreciate my shift because there is so badass mother*@&#% commutes going on out there!

[Redstone]

5. It consists of walking downstairs into my office. Sorry.

Redstone

[LynzM]

10. Lucky man...

I was down in your neck of the woods today... made a stop in at food works.

:hi: :hug:

[Radical Activist]

28. I don't have to go down stairs.

Office is on the same level. :)
Isn't it nice?

[Xithras]

6. I get on my bicycle....

And start off by riding down a quiet country road. After about four miles I reach town and cut through some residential areas where I typically pass a bunch of kids heading to school in the morning. I cut out of the residential area and ride about half a mile down the otherwise unused bike lane that parallels the expressway in front of my office.

I used to have a nightmare 2 hour daily commute to San Francisco, but quit that job when my wife pointed out that I'd become the road rage driver from hell. I actually ran a guy off the road one day for cutting me off (there were three accidents on my commute that day and I was three hours into the commute with at least 45 more minutes ahead...sanity had long since abandoned me). I do feel for those of you who are still stuck in grinding daily commutes, but I couldn't deal with it anymore.

[taterguy]

7. Go to work on a bike? Are you some kind of commie? :)

[hunter]

8. My wife and I were Los Angeles commuters.

That pretty much turned us off commuting forever.

I work at home, and my wife's work is about a mile from our house. Neither one of us has had a long commute since the 'eighties.

It's partly good fortune, but partly because we made it so.

[Sequoia]

57. When I lived in Los Angeles County I commuted to

the Miracle Mile area, well actually closer to Koreatown and I was always angry when I got to work. After that job I stayed on the west side and took the Blue Bus at 50 cents to get where I wanted most of the time. I had a car, but unless I had to run errands the bus was the most reasonable.

[ThomCat]

9. Over 2 hours, door to door.

And that involves NYC crowds. x(

When I come into the office on weekends my commute can be 3 hours each way because of subway construction.

[rug]

17. But don't you get to ride the ferry each way?

When I lived in Staten Island I worked 11pm to 7am. The best part was the ferry, everyone rushing in the opposite direction.

[ThomCat]

18. That half hour each way on the ferry is often the best part

of the commute. Except when the crazy street preachers are out shouting from the bible at the tops of their lungs. Then it's a very, very long half hour.

[qnr]

11. I wake up, walk eight feet, and I'm there. n/t

[huskerlaw]

14. Mine's not so bad

Seriously.

I normally take the subway (yes, LA has one). I walk about 4 blocks to the station, get on, ride for about 30 minutes, then take a shuttle from the subway stop downtown to my office. I get to sit in relative comfort and begin (and end) my day with my iPod and a book. It's a great way to leave the office at the office.

I do, occasionally, drive...particularly when, like today, I had to be here at 9 am and I'm not leaving until 10 pm. It's about 15 miles and takes about 45 minutes during rush hour, 20 minutes or less off-peak.

The 45 minutes aren't that insane, it's just that the traffic isn't really moving. So I plug in the iPod and chill with some music. No big deal.

[wain]

15. I used to do 5 to 6 hours door to door

Consulting in NYC from PA. Got numb to it after a while. What was really nerve wracking was doing 85 bumper-to-bumper on the NJ Turnpike.

But, I loved working in New York. So, so much going on and vibrant. Like, taking a round trip on the Staten Island ferry at night for half a buck, or just plain old people watching.

I would drive to Hoboken, park in a Kinney garage (a whole lot cheaper than parking in the city), and PATH it into the WTC. Boy, do I miss the World Trade Center. :cry:

[Random_Australian]

16. I have to *sniff* walk 7-15 mins amongst lovely scenery.

:D

Just had to make you all envious.

[av8rdave]

19. My commute is about 800 miles

Live in Dallas, work out of Atlanta. Flying, obviously, is the only option. As an employee, the flying is all on a space available basis, so commuting becomes a full time job of watching loads on flights, planning when it's best to come/go, having backup plans, etc. The company has absolutely no leniency for not getting to work, regardless of the cause.

Thankfully, the commute usually involves only 4 to 5 round trips per month.

[Patiod]

34. Yikes - being a frequent flyer, I feel for you!

The worst is that you're totally beholden to the weather. Not such as issue DFW -ATL, but still.

[av8rdave]

36. The weather is sometimes....

That's another aspect of it all...you have to keep an eye on that. There have been many times I've gone over to Atlanta hours and hours (in some cases even a day) early only because it's possible that the weather will mess things up.

What misfortune sentenced you to being a frequent flyer?

[Patiod]

50. I shouldn't complain

I interview doctors, nurses, patients and pharmacists on behalf of different drug companies - interesting people, interesting topics. Often we can do it by phone, but about half the time we have to showthem stuff so I go in person.

In Dec it's St. Louis and Seattle -- making plans to meetup with DU's JulieRB (who I had met a long time ago in person at a Bartcop function). So it's not all bad! Plus, S.O. and I will be flying to LA for a week for vacation next month on frequent flyer points, staying in hotels on points as well.

At least you're racking up hotel & AA points! (or do you fly Delta?)

[av8rdave]

60. I fly Delta, and even if I'm on another airline,

It's either standby or jumpseat, so there are no frequent flyer benefits.

[madinmaryland]

20. Mine is about 4 miles, about 8 minutes if I hit the three traffic lights

all green!

I used to have a two-and-a-half hour commute into lower manhattan, so I got to meet a lot of rude people that way.

[NewWaveChick1981]

21. Right now, it's from upstairs to downstairs.

:) There are other things I don't like about my job, but the lack of a significant commute is great. Before this job, my commute was 40 miles round trip and took 25-30 minutes each way. I'm fortunate that the traffic was not usually too bad. Before that job, my commute was 36 miles round trip, and because of horrendous traffic, it usually took me 45 minutes to over an hour to go 18 miles one way. :(

[hedgehog]

22. Yet corporate America is pulling out of small, livable cities all

over the Midwest and Northeast and relocating to the Southern coast and western desert. People have to go where the jobs are, and we all end up squashed into a slurb. Here's the real mystery: In a lot of big metropolises, the roads get tied up in both directions during rush hour. It seems that if you live on one side of town, you always end up working on the other side!

[closeupready]

23. Well, because the "other side" of town is where the rich people live

and most people aren't rich.

[Arger68]

24. I have an AWFUL commute!!!

It's almost two miles, in a small town, and sometimes I have to wait for two, maybe three cars!!!! I have two stop signs I have to go through, and only one is a four way stop. It can take as much as five minutes on heavy traffic days. :mad:

[Nikia]

41. That sounds almost exactly like my commute

Mine is worse though because I have to pull out of my drive way on a street that has traffic.

[Arger68]

42. Oh, I have that too

but I live on a dead-end street, so almost no traffic whatsoever. ;-)

[Sequoia]

25. I take the bus

Stand along rural road with trees and the moon setting in the ligtening sky. Traffic goes by. On bus, drink coffee and read book. Glance up to see vineyards in the autumn cloak of red, yellow, orange and yes purple leaves. Cars honking all around, back ups on the freeway. Read book, drink coffee, wink at tiny tots sitting with moms, coo over baby in pink carrier. Drink coffee, read book. Chat with seat neighbor about her knitting project and say I need to pick that hobby up again. Sun rises. Bus stops at doughnut shop...get doughnut and chocolate milk. Walk to work a skip away. Co-workers drift in with mild cases of road rage. Drink chocolate milk, eat doughnut and say..."Maybe you should try the bus."

[dr.strangelove]

26. Long, but I enjoy it

I leave my home at 6:30 and drop off my daughter at day care. I get to the train for a 7:15 train. It takes an hour and I have a 15 minute walk to work from grand Central Station. From door to desk, its about 2 hours each way. But I have an infant at home, so the hour on the train is the only quiet time I get each day. I read a book, listen to my Sirius (Howard Stern usually) or catch a few zzzs. On the way home I don;t have to get my daughter from day care, so I have only an hour and a half. I again use this quiet time to unwind, read or listen to Stern or music.

I spend 3-4 hours a day getting to and from work, but its the best 3-4 hours of each day.

[madinmaryland]

51. Sounds like my commute that I had into NYC.

7:07 or 7:13 express out of Norwalk into Grand Central, then the 4/5 train down to wall street, then the 10 minute walk over to World Financial. I'd be at my desk by 8:35-8:40. At least we had bar cars on the way home!!

:beer:

[dr.strangelove]

52. I'm a Metro North rider too

I take the Hudson line past Croton. The NY only trains don't get the bar cars, but I drink enough beer watching football games on teh weekends, so its probably better for my health that I don't have a beer or two on the train.

[madinmaryland]

55. Is that the line that goes up to Brewster?

I used to take that line in when I lived in Danbury in the 80's. Much faster than the Danbury line!!

[dr.strangelove]

59. The Harlem line goes to Brewster

My wife is from Brewster. It is WAY faster to drive over to Brewster and the take the train directly to GCS ratehr than take the danbury line and transfer trains later.

Glad to hear there are more people from our part of the country here.

[regularguy]

27. It rocks!

Short walk, three short train rides, crossword puzzle, New York Review of Books, and maybe the sports page. Usually the most relaxing part of my day. I <HEART> public transportation (and sidewalks).

[malmapus]

29. It's one of the few moments of my day I love

I forego the 5 (I-5) when I goto work.

Instead, I found a route taking backroads, that takes me along Pugent Sound, through a couple of small scenic towns. It does take me 40 mins to get to work as opposed to the 20 if I took the freeway, but all in all it is a more stress free and enjoyable drive.

[closeupready]

30. Okay, people. Forget I started this thread.

I can see that you can't help me out here. :mad:

:D

[cwydro]

31. I have a wonderful commute

but I'll spare you the details:evilgrin:

[closeupready]

32. Good!

:mad: (You just don't get it!)

:D

[cwydro]

33. oh, I know,

I lived in Orlando at one time...I-4 was a bitch. And Miami is no picnic.

But life is a breeze in the Florida Keys:evilgrin: B-)

[Patiod]

35. Walk to train, 20 min train ride, 5 min walk to office

And the train is pretty bearable

I used to commute an hour each way on VERY crowded roads, and it did make me a raging maniac. Everyone complains about our public transportation system, but it works for me.

[Mr. McD]

37. 40 miles each way but usually not to bad

As folks are driving into Los Angeles each morning I am going the other way. Also in the evening their's is an east bound parking lot and I usually have a fairly smooth ride. Not always but usually. I drove into LA for many years though so I can appreciate the current situation.

[Canuckistanian]

38. 40 minutes

15 minutes on a low volume highway, then 25 miunutes of forests, farm fields and charming small towns.

It's Hell, I tell ya.

[Crazy Dave]

39. From my bedroom to my office across the hallway

:)

[Elidor]

40. Almost 2 hours to go 7 miles

Catch a bus to the train station, ride the train downtown, switch trains, ride the 2nd train back out to the 'burbs, all because there wasn't a bus that went from east to west. This was in Atlanta, many moons ago. Now I live 2 miles from work, and if it takes me more than five minutes to get home, I feel put upon. :D

[RebelOne]

47. I live in the Atlanta area and I don't think the bus

has changed much. I'm up in Woodstock where public transportation is nonexistent. The closest bus is in Kennesaw about 6 miles from my house. I have to drive 15 miles to my job in Marietta, so why bother with the bus.

[Ryan from Canada]

43. Audiobooks save the day

I've got a two hour commute, each way. I would die if I didn't have my audiobooks. I'm a member of Simply Audiobooks (www.simply-audiobooks.com) -- like the Netflix of audiobooks. They send them to your house, and you return them to get more. They have a 15 day free trial -- I recommend you check them out to maintain sanity. It requires a CC, but if you cancel in the first 15 days you wont be charged anything.

[Tess49]

44. About five miles and three or four lights depending on which

route I take. Much better than my previous drive into OKC which was awful and frightening.

[doc03]

45. 25 miles in 30 minutes one stop sign got to watch out for the deer.

[RebelOne]

46. I have to drive in the Atlanta area.

Need I say any more? It's got to be the worst traffic in the U.S. That's why I listen to Sean Hannity during the commute home. That way, I focus my rage on the radio instead of the crazy drivers here.

[ScreamingMeemie]

48. It's not so bad. I'm going to a different area everyday and sometimes

not going anywhere at all. Maybe once every week I get stuck in a traffic snarl, which isn't bad considering I live and work in Detroit.

[querelle]

49. Not Much Of A Story

I walk to work in 15 minutes. I deliberately bought a house close to work so I could do so. My previous home was a 90 minute commute each way and I grew tired of it. As much as I loved my old house, the daily commute was too much so I compromised and bought a smaller place in a more central location where I could do most things on foot. I miss having all the space (3,500 sq ft as opposed to 1,800 sq ft) but over all I think it was for the best.

Q

BTW.......also sold my car. Don't need it anymore.

[LibertyLover]

53. Now I have a one and a half hour to 1 hour 40 minute commute

one way. I drive 20 miles from Annapolis to the New Carrollton metro station, then have a 45 minute metro ride and finish with a 10 minute walk to my office building. But that's better than the 3 hour 1 way commute I endured for 6 months when I commuted from Putnam County to New York City. I drove to White Plains from my friend's house in Patterson, NY, about an hour's drive. Then I had an hour and half train ride. Then I had a 30 minute walk from Grand Central to 57th and 6th Avenue. In the evening it was reversed. Lots of fun.

[cobalt1999]

54. I fly about every other day somewhere.

Always going to different clients in different cities. Never know where I'm going to be more than a week ahead. Weather, mechanical delays, crew hour limits, Air traffic control delays, etc. all make for interesting travel.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

56. I have not had a real commute since 1984

In 1982-84, I commuted an hour by bus to the first of my two part-time teaching jobs, leaving at 7AM.

In 1984-86, I lived two blocks from the campus where I taught. I once made it to class 20 minutes after waking up late.

In 1986-93, I lived four blocks from the campus where I taught. I continually considered moving into Portland, but the thought of the hour-long commute by car dissuaded me.

Since the summer of 1993, I have worked as a free-lance editor and translator out of my home. For one semester, I taught one class at a suburban college, commuting 90 minutes each way. However, since then, my commute has been to wherever I want to set up my laptop, perhaps in the coffee shop half a block away, perhaps in my home office, perhaps in the easy chair in my living room.

[Phillycat]

58. I walk to work. About 20 minutes each way.

It's a wonderful time to be alone with my thoughts and prepare mentally for my day. If I can help it, I'll never drive to work again.

[Godhumor]

61. I commute from Rochester to Syarcuse every day

I spend at least 3 hours in the car each work day, sometimes more.

Two days ago, my commute home involved an hour wait in construction, a driving rain storm, and the fact that my mechanic screwed up when installing my new air blower in my AC system--all the rain water was pouring out into the passenger-side seat well.

Yeah, that commute really sucked.

[gristy]

62. Bicycle 15 minutes each way, on a wide shoulder

The last 200 yards is on a bike path along a stream where I see ducks and an occasional Egret. It's hell, I tell you. ;)

[bullwinkle428]

63. Almost 50 miles each way - but I do carpool, sharing the driving with

a co-worker that also lives in the same area. The town in which I work is a depressing little place, and I know because I lived there for 3 years and my ex still lives there. The town ain't big enough for the both of us! I much prefer living in a real city...

[tandot]

64. It was 40 miles of hell in CA ... until I discovered Amtrak

My commute is 40 miles from Rocklin (about 17 miles N of Sacramento) to Davis. For 5 month, I was driving my car. The morning commute was alright, but the evening back home was a nightmare. I've never seen more rude drivers than here (I lived in OK for 10 years).

Since June, I am riding Amtrak. It takes an hour to get to work and another hour to get back home. However, not having to drive is all worth is. Today, the train was 30 minutes late (as it is usually 3 out of 5 days). However, it is still better than driving. At least they have a cafe car were they serve wine. I nearly escaped being killed in a car accident in May. A slick road and a driver who was speeding over-corrected and completely took out a light pole, which came down right in front of me. There are too many idiots driving here. Speed limit is 65 mph and I usually drive 70 mph. Anyone driving faster than that when it is raining is just a f*cking idiot.

So, my commute before Amtrak was bad. I am glad that we have public transportation here.

[StellaBlue]

65. I walk to work in approximately 8 minutes.

Eat your hearts out.