Hats off to those who can stand commuting long periods like that. Try it a few times (in summer, when the days are marginally longer, and you have more daylight). It gets tiring fast. Did 2.5 hours each way in the Bay area. If there was a better transit system in my area, I would be okay with a long commute, but Im from Seattle. Having done both commutes I would take an LA commute over a Toronto one in a hot minute. I would have left a merely very good job a couple of years ago. He is planning to stay at his job for a while, so we are in the early stages of looking to move. You also have a long day, on top of the commute. Agreed! Im in an area with long commutes (top 10 US), but even for here that was double many people (though not as bad as others just not in my workplace). Thats already happening. Yeaaaa id say a 30 mile by car commute is risky no matter where you live, especially if its a major city and ESPECIALLY if its somewhere like LA. Work is close to the edge of its city so I dont run into much there either. to me. The shortest average daily commute is about 15 minutes for people living in Midwest cities like Witchita, Omaha, and Tulsa. I just want to point out that normal doesnt mean anything if youre suffering so much. Echoing what the others said I moved close to Hollywood for my first job which had a reasonable commute (15-20 min by car). Move your residence closer to your job, or get a job closer to your residence. It beats everything but the three years I worked from home. There is one (1) single freeway to get from the east side to the west side. And frankly, New Yorkers may believe theyre more stand-offish, but youre more likely to be entirely ignored by the other passengers in CA than in NY. I frequently have to do a 90 minute one way commute to work. Its a perfect storm. Hah! Or you know, just doing the laundry. Also, a norm in your region doesnt mean you have to have that commute if you live in that region. My office mate commutes from about 30 miles away and it takes her almost two hours. Long Beach is SO much nicer. I moved closer to the city and managed to cut the commute down to about an hour but then bit the bullet and moved into NYC where I now walk to work. I want to point out that the OPs situation and the article Alison links to is Apples to oranges. Its not about what a normal commute is, its about what the OP wants in her life and what shes willing to do in terms of her commute. Hes not off base saying its normal because it is definitely not unheard of in Southern California. I used to drive from OC to Pasadena once a month to sell at the Rose Bowl flea market, but since that was at the literal crack of ass on a Sunday, there was NEVER any traffic! The only time Ive ever gotten stuck in traffic in my commute is when theres a wreck, and everyone decides to exit in one lump. Coming home is a lot worse. Even then I thought I had no time for anything outside of work! DC area is another one where new arrivals should really get local info about traffic before committing to a job and/or housing. While a two-hour commute is definitely not unheard of, I wouldnt call it NORMAL (I can only think of a small handful of friends and family living in the area who have that long of a commute). In fact, note to OP, in NYC there are plenty of people who commute 2 hours because they have to in order to afford rent. Im in D.C. and two hours is long, but definitely not weird here. According to google: the city extends for 44 miles (71 km) longitudinally and for 29 miles (47 km) latitudinally. I am in the NYC area and currently have a 2:05 commute each way daily. The few times I drove in (a 45 minute drive without traffic), it was 1-1.5 hours each way. I used to live in a shabby little cinder block house in the desert that a friend of mine dubbed the Serial Killer Shack, but it was cheap AF, 5-6 minutes from a job I loved, and I had no visible neighbors. Its not like you have to accept this as just the way it is and keep this job if you really cant stand being in your car for two hours; if youre able to find a job closer to your home, or along a slightly less-trafficked freeway, that could cut your drive time drastically. What was the most outrageously unwarranted bollocking you After the Hy-un-dai, sorry I mean, Hyun-dai, fiasco, what Press J to jump to the feed. My commute in Philly was like that. If I couldnt stand it Id sometimes pull into the metered lots at the cliffs of HB and go for a walk on the beach or a swim. My aunt lives in Palos Verde. I know someone who used to bike from Venice to Union Station, then take light rail up to South Pasadena. My old commute was 12 miles and it took 30 minutes, and my current one is 9 miles and it takes 35 minutes. Never again. Could easily be an hour. Seattle commutes can be 2 hours for 30 minutes as well. Totally do-able (especially when I worked east of Sepulveda and took Laurel Canyon). If youre not comfortable alone in the park-and-ride, coordinate with boyfriend for drop-off and/or pick-up. I told myself my commute was just 3.5 hr of reading time that I normally wouldnt allow myself, so really, I was the lucky one (positivity and denial were really helpful too!) This might sound crazy, but I would hate that! And its tough. In my last semester of college in Sacramento in the mid 1970s, I lived in San Francisco with my boyfriend and commuted the 90 miles each day. Until the position currently hold, I was lucky to have 20-30 minute commutes. My commute is two miles each way, and I walk it 95% of the time. Ironically for us that meant moving to San Francisco (the actual city). I live in West LA about 5 minutes (on a good day) from my office (but I take the bus so its a little bit longer). Thursday and Friday afternoons going northbound (away from NYC ) is the worst. Last year, I took a position where I had to commute from my parents house in Westchester to eastern LI (driving 63 miles each way). Its really hard not to see the possibilities lurking around every corner. I saw someone mention them here the other day). Now that I work in DC, I leave my house at 6:28am to catch a 6:35am train and get to work at 7:45am, but I take a commuter train and get to sleep for another 45 minutes. I make the most out of my commute today by listening to podcasts, and it doesnt bug me at all, but when I moved here from the Midwest (where I had a 7 minute commute), I absolutely *hated* my commute every day. Long commutes are the price we pay for a job sometimes. I dont even drive on the weekend ever (we either take my boyfriends car or his motorcycle) so its all gas for work. I grew up in the Seattle area, then got a job in downtown Seattle. It takes 15-20 minutes most days, never more than 30 in heavy traffic. I dont think Id personally cope well with much over half an hour if I had to drive but I probably have a bit of bias that comes from living in a small UK city where lots of things are well within walking or cycling distance, or public transport, so my expectations of what I find doable in terms of committing is affected by what Ive become used to. Well the freeway goes over the Columbiaunless they create a much taller bridge it has to be a drawbridge. Now they spend 3 to 5 hours a day in their cars. And of course the more high-paying tech jobs are added there, the higher the demand for housing there is. I can deal with an hour commute even thought I hate it because its pretty common in Houston. It sounds like you cant, either. Self driving cars might be able to do it though. I started biking to and from work because it took me 30 mins regardless of what trafficwas . The Amtrak trains sometimes have the more convenient schedules, charging outlets, and fewer stops, but they cost a bit more. Exactly. It takes longer by bus from Hoboken or Secaucus to my office.). I live in the OC near Chapman Uni and my office was in the Union Bank building on Figueroa Street and yes, 2 hours was totally normal. Forgot the link! So first of all, OP, you should not feel bad at all about having not realized how rough this would be. Maybe you can start taking a picnic dinner to a park with him. I drove 26 miles to my last job, and it took me roughly 35 minutes both ways. My husband and I are considering buying a house right now, and since we live in a city where walking is not common, our realtor seems bemused by the fact that we outright reject anything more than 2.5 miles from my office. A two-hour commute twice a day five times a week is sacrificing a whopping 20 daylight hours of your week - time you will never be compensated or thanked for, nor can you ever replace it. He also started work at the crack of ass, so he was home not long after we got home from school (and we had a SAHM.) How is it? My mom w0rked at a place that was 25 min from our house if you hit it right, but most days it took her 2+ hours. My commute is about 20-30 minutes, including a daycare dropoff. Im currently at my shortest commute- 15 minutes from inside my condo to inside my office. I live in LB and there is a subway but it goes through all the not so great neighborhoods Ive taken it during the day before and would just not feel comfortable being on a train with shady folks this early in the morning (Im 51 and look super young despite being 30). But I strongly agree that 2 hours is not common in the Bay. Yes! The longest commute Ive ever had was an hour each way, and I regret doing it even for the 2.5 years I did, because it really impacted my stress levels and quality of life. Ill check them out again, though, thank you! I took it as commiseration :). I would sincerely hate this commute. However if youre going to go down that route Id get something written into your contract specifying thats its 1 day per week. The freeway systems are less well planned than LA/OC/SD and require many many more lane changes. I think its worse now. Angeleno here and definitely not. Signed, I mean, if you work in a downtown office, you prolly wont be able to afford rent anywhere in that general area. No wonder. It costs you hours you could have spent with friends or getting to know people who would become friends. Instead were now spending billions of dollars trying to get our transit system caught up. I live six miles from my work, and it takes me fifty-five minutes by public transit (when its working on time, etc) and about an hour and fifteen by car. A 2 Hour Commute to Work is Nothing If You Know How by Rachel Lau January 26, 2018 Photography by Amin. When I was a kid my grandpa had a ranch in Mariposa, and Merced was the closest city (and it was a boondocks city back then!). If I work 8-5 or 8-4:30, its closer to an hour each way. I live in the SF Bay Area, and my commute is ~25 minutes with cruise control set for the speed limit (in the slow lane) on the freeway. But I knew that already. Or at least, not by SoCal standards! If no seat, I switch to the express train and get to work roughly on time. (But the solution is to drive off peak because there isnt really a public transit option thats any faster than driving during rush hour.). Many years ago we moved away from Orange Country and traffic was one of the big reasons. When I moved recently I looked for an apartment in easy commuting distance. I also wasnt driving it was two hours on the train so I could relax, read, knit, sleep, whatever, and it didnt feel like completely lost time. As Jemima said above, that would make it much easier than a long drive. If that makes his commute longer, well, hes the one who thinks 2+ hours is no problem, so let him deal with it. It might take a little more effort to work it out, but it absolutely can be done. Another thing I did for a while was bike/train commute 1-2 times per week. Moving closer to his job would mean being farther away from mine. What had been no big deal became a stressor. She creates really unique / weird worlds. I moved from Brooklyn to California (Antelope Valley, high desert). When I had a job in the San Fernando Valley the commute was fine because the traffic went in the opposite direction. That would make two hours not an impossibility, but certainly not typical. I actually lived in Boston and LA so am qualified to answer. The commute was very bad for my physical and mental health, not to mention very expensive (maxing out an EZ-Pass twice). Native Los Angelino here, Im SUPER LUCKY that I only have a 40 minute (12 mile) commute. The difference was really that my commute usually had just a quick moment of traffic right by my office (government office surrounded by lots of other government offices, with thousands of people all leaving at the same time), and his was about 20 miles closer, but stop and go the whole way! I drove through 6 school zones. I live in West Los Angeles. My actual work commute is short (god bless flyover country), but Ive done long drives a lot and 2 hours of driving on a rural NM back road is *so* much less stressful than 2 hours of driving in Austin. Often surface streets can take less time during rush hour (or feel like it because you are moving), you just need to figure out which ones work for you. This is explains why the traffic that makes us crazy here in Texas is seen as a breeze to all of the people moving here from California. There are ever-growing RV encampments all over with people just trying to make ends meet. Ive since moved, but my 10 mile commute still take 30-45 minutes each morning. I was really lucky to find a job on my side of town. Id really recommend giving it a shot, if you can. even with having many more public transport options. I am from California and some time ago I decided to move about 30 miles away from work. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Thats how crazy two hours is. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. LA traffic is just brutal. However, I tremendously benefit from going reverse commute. I wish I knew how good I had it back then! My commute is about 30 to 35 mins, most of that being on the bus. I moved to Washington state for a bit in the early 90s, and I remember driving into Seattle with some friends of mind who warned me that wed be hitting rush hour traffic. Then Id get rid of my car and take the bus everywhere. This just doesnt seem worth it, especially in the long term. Maybe a little more would be okay, but two hours, no way. Ill be sure to check those out! Los Angeles commuter reporting for duty! My bf lives in SF, and has been commuting to Mountain View, and it can easily take him 2 hours by car if traffic is bad. Loads of people have to do that daily, so twice a week is piece of piss. 1hr 15 each way for me, but it is via train/walking. You dont think you can do this much longer. NYC. This is driving Metro is about 45 minutes each way including walk time on both ends, but Ive mostly quit doing that. When were discussing whats typical or usual, one individuals experience is essentially meaningless. No thanks! I could not commute an hour each way every day. My commute could be close to 1 to 2 hours on a good day. in the bus lane. However, only 10-15 minutes of that is by car. I was living at home with my parents saving up and my 30K starting salary was not nearly enough for an apartment on my own. My commute in Sacramento is 20-30 minutes average. Not only are all houses money pits, my executive function issues are too severe for me to deal with the major responsibility of it all. A police officer happened to be going by them in the turn lane, and they got pulled over since the guys foot kept slipping off the brakes and almost hit the car ahead of him. You would think they would make a more robust commuter system there, but then again, I am not totally sold on how well we can manage train systems in this country either . Being on the road for long stretches of time can be . Husband has a drive thats almost always about 55 minutes and much prefers it to a previous commute that was shorter on average could be anywhere from 30-90 minutes. By 630AM, the 28-year-old project engineer is out the door of his Bishan flat and in his car, on his way to work. Me too. My commute is 30-40 min but I can read on the train and transport is reliable and comfortable, if a bit crowded. But I will say even when I worked 12 miles from my home, it was 40-45 minutes. Luckily I have since changed jobs and am down to 45 minutes each way by walking + BART, or 30 minutes by bike. I think its the opposite, actually someone has to work in the restaurants and such in the citys downtown core, and you know the food service workers arent earning enough to pay $2,500/month for a one-bedroom apartment. I know I couldnt do it. My commute is 20 minutes IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, and a small part of me wants my mom to sell us her house* so my commute is a more reasonable 5 minutes if I get the traffic light. I lived in Hollywood nearly 30 years ago, and would often visit my parents in OC. That was years ago. Depending on traffic, 10 miles can take over an hour. From there, it's a simple matter to take your salary and factor in hard commuting costs, like gasoline (see a good guide here) - according to Salary.com, " the average employee incurs an annual "commuting gas" cost of $1,483 per year. I would say if you love your try, try to relocate. Yep urban fantasy / paranormal romance is one genre, also high fantasy and some pure romance (but I would be way too embarrassed to listen to straight up romance books! Only to commiserate. Driving is at least an hour and twenty minutes and it is killing me. You likely have a job you're required to be at for 8 to 9 hours a day, minimum. Its insane. Nope nope nope. Or how a crowd moves at the end of a sporting event when every person is trying to get out of the stadium at the same time theres just nowhere to go. I agree with Observer that normal does not equal ok. 100% that. Los Angeles here. I meant to say cycling is more* tolerable than driving. Is it an hour today? If I take the bus, its an hour and takes two buses + one mile walk. Or he can deal with a long trip from his home to yours to see you. If not, find another job. Its also not healthy for ANYONE, even for those who supposedly dont mind it. OP is far from an outlier, but it doesnt mean she HAS to keep up a brutal drive like that. Thats a horrifying commute. At 545AM, Amin Aljunied's alarm clock rings. I went on a business trip to Charlotte one day and we had to drive to the airport during rush hour and I was freaking out wed be late based on my experience with Houston rush hour traffic. Infrequent trains that are rarely on schedule, over-populated stops that take 2-3x as long waiting for people who dont fit to step off. Total travel time: 12 hours. The question is whether its worth it for you. How long is too long to commute? Its the worst. Accept this and stop trying to beat it. Any longer and I would start to really resent it cutting into my free time so much. Fire Pro > Blog > Blog > 2 hour commute twice a week. I totally get where youre coming from and I hope you find a job in a better location!! A good rule-of-thumb for LA is every 10 miles will take roughly 30-45 minutes of travel time. What is it that slows people down? When its not, though. Im ready to take a pay cut in favor of a better work life balance I pretty much made up my mind a day after sending in my letter that I am going to quit. However, driving is typically stress free regardless of traffic or not. My brother lives in northern VA suburbs and I dread the traffic on the Outer Loop around DC. Seattle traffic is getting so bad, Tacoma to Seattle can be easily 2+ hours, both ways. We have to take the dreaded 91, but since theres 3+ people in the van, we get to use the 91 toll lanes for free. Its especially frustrating in a stick shift because your clutch foot gets so tired. My sister was in the backseat also GPSing the route on her phone, also trying to get around traffic. Ill take my smaller midwestern city (metro population of about 2.5 million) where I can get to work in less than 30 minutes and I dont need to sell a vital organ so that I can afford to buy a house or rent a decent apartment. Normal rush hour traffic here is apparently about 45 minutes for 15 miles, but its easier to avoid the peak and I got into work in about 15 minutes today. Ha ha. Your life isnt long enough for that. This is a self-imposed problem. But I pay for that convenience. Alternative Site was literally in the middle of nowhere. I could walk from my place to work if I wanted, which is very convenient. Tracy/Manteca/Stockton are solidly San Joaquin Valley, and a commute from anywhere south of Ceres (including Merced) is not considered commutable by most folks. DH and I also get dinner every night together, Im able to workout more and so is DH (since Im home earlier and can keep Tiny Human alive so he can go to the gym). And now that I have a 20-25 minute commute 3 days a week (telework two days a week), I dont think I could go back. My commute was on the east side of LA (Pomona to Pasadena), which meant it wasnt as bad, but if you were going to do Pasadena to Santa Monica, yeah, that could easily be two hours each way. I commute from NoVa to DC; the drive is 25 miles and takes 60 to 90 minutes. I am lucky that I live and work quite near highway entrances/exits, and I work 7-3 (and usually get to work by 6:30). You can get folding bikes for public transport or some stations have permanent bike racks you can keep your bike in. Agreed, Anonymoose. As others have said, doesnt matter whats normal. LA is 469 sq. Cant beat the scenery and the ocean air. That was unsustainable, and eventually higher management began to push back against the practice too (the travel money was expense-able, and it was eating into our profits like woah). Keeping your car clean will probably also help a lot. Why?! I am his assistant and I understand bringing up flex hours for my role will 99% not work. 6.05 leave house, in office 7.45, and leave 16.30, back hopefully 18.00. Oh man. I encourage the LW to either move closer to work and/or to find a job with a shorter commute. I can sympathize. Only you'll know but it really doesn't seem that bad. More than that would be un-doable for me. Eventually I was able to transition into working from home most of the time, and then I was laid off. ), I can move back. 5546 (c)). I do have to do one day a week in a super big city, but fortunately I can flex when I get in and leave to avoid the worst of it. Also, Metro is beefing up security on lines and I would always see sherriffs on board checking fares. I cant afford that because I dont make that much. mustang1 Guru Location London, UK 15 Jun 2022 #26 Yeah sure, why not. I would love to be able to sleep or do my makeup or whatever beyond stressing over the traffic! I got a new job and now my commute is 15 minutes. The only saving grace was that a lot of this commute was by public transport (Europe is amazing), so on my morning 1.5-hr bus ride Id sleep, and on my evening 1.5-hr bus ride Id read. I used to have that. For some years, I commuted from the SFV (San Fernando Valley) to the SGV. If she drives and traffic is good (no accidents), its 45-60 minutes. Getting home in the afternoons could take anywhere from 1.5 3 hours. Although, I mean, I know of a couple of people who commute from Modesto to the city, and thats like2.5 hrs or something, so there are always those who are willing to go to extremes. We looked at rent in the bay area (my wife was thinking about applying for some companies there) and noped out. I live in NJ and commute into NYC and my commute is roughly two hours door to door. The patterns would be a little kinder. She doesnt visit the coast much I see, lol. I feel like I have no life! Yep; we discovered that the hard way last year while visiting my uncle in Palos Verdes. The traffic was two red stoplights. I think its now an hour fifteen. Would kill me. Id walk out of my job before the first week ended. The traffic headed to Hayward was absolutely miserable, the traffic on the main road I took in Hayward was miserable (Why did the chicken cross Industrial Boulevard?
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