F...commuting
 

How long is your commute to work everyday?

I get really bitter if mine is more than 35 minutes each way on a regular basis. We paid more to live in a centrally located area so that we wouldn't have to waste our time getting to work and back, but I still get stuck in the occasional 40+ minute drive. Right now it's about 20-25 minutes on a good day. Some people in this area (DC) commute 1.5+ hours - [U]each way[/U].

Re: F...commuting
 

35 minutes one way for me here in the Philly area. I used to live a little further out, it was about 50 minutes each way - on a bad day it crept up to 1 hour. That worked on my nerves.

F commuting is right.

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40 miles each way.
No traffic: 30 - 35 minutes
With Traffic: 60+ minutes.

Southern Californians are devastated with the slightest bit of weather. a slight drizzle will ad 15 minutes to my commute.

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One hour and 20 minutes each way. It's a lovely drive (probably not so much in the wintertime) and the traffic moves...but it still kind of sucks

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20 - 30 minutes one way depending on the time of day and traffic flow.

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10 minutes each way. It's nice to live in a town with a "metro" area population of about 400K. My friends back in D.C. average about 40 minutes each way. That would kill me.

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I hate traffic with a passion. I commute ~12 min each way...I make it a point to live near where I work and work near where I live.

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[quote=SmootSmack;453765]One hour and 20 minutes each way. It's a lovely drive (probably not so much in the wintertime) and the traffic moves...but it still kind of sucks[/quote]

Jesus.

Re: F...commuting
 

Commuting to work is about a 20-30 minute drive.

I live in NE DC and work in Bethesda MD.

Commuting to school is an entirely different story, being that its about a 45 minute drive (or longer, depending on traffic on I-270) to Frederick.

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3 to 5 minutes, but I moved to my house for my job.

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55 miles one way. Takes about 75 minutes door to door.

I really don't mind the drive (it's all rural back roads with no traffic), it's the 2.5 hours a day of life that I miss out on that I don't particularly care for.

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[quote=cpayne5;453787]55 miles one way. Takes about 75 minutes door to door.

I really don't mind the drive (it's all rural back roads with no traffic), it's the 2.5 hours a day of life that I miss out on that I don't particularly care for.[/quote]
That's got to crush you on gas costs.

I hear you on the time away from life. I realize it's not an option for everyone to live near the office, but when balancing the $.42/mile and the value of my time, we decided to take the hit on the higher mortgage.

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I slug it into DC. Its usually about 30 minutes, but sometimes it can get up to 45 minutes.....................I highly recommend slugging it if you have to commute into DC everyday. The metro SUCKS! So does the bus! And everything else!

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I use to have an hour commute from Harford County to B-more, I did it for four years. Now I have a one second commute, actually I walk to work. I can't tell you the decrease in my level of stress each day. Plus at work I am more productive. nothing like a 1.5 hour commute on a rainy Monday morning then try to start your work day. Horrible!

I also save about three hundred a month in gas and tolls!

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[quote=Miller101;453802]I slug it into DC. Its usually about 30 minutes, but sometimes it can get up to 45 minutes.....................I highly recommend slugging it if you have to commute into DC everyday. The metro SUCKS! So does the bus! And everything else![/quote]

I've heard there are rules for passengers, like "don't speak until spoken to". Is that true?

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I once had an hour commute one way to work and I absolutely hated it. It was the most boring drive too because there was basically only one way I could go and that was the Mass turnpike. I think 30-45 minutes is my max. Anything beyond that and I'm going crazy. Not to mention the price of gas these days is a real killer for the road warriors.

Re: F...commuting
 

[quote=Miller101;453802]I slug it into DC. Its usually about 30 minutes, but sometimes it can get up to 45 minutes.....................I highly recommend slugging it if you have to commute into DC everyday. The metro SUCKS! So does the bus! And everything else![/quote]

For those who don't live in DC, what is "slugging it"?

Or is this just a slang term I'm not aware of?

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[quote=Schneed10;453811]For those who don't live in DC, what is "slugging it"?

Or is this just a slang term I'm not aware of?[/quote]
It's organized hitchhiking, usually up 395 from the Woodbridge area into the Pentagon or NW. 395 is HOV-3, which can take a 30 mile commute from 75 minutes to 35 minutes, so this is how people fill up their cars.
[URL="http://www.slug-lines.com/"]Slug-Lines.com - Slugging and Slug Lines Information For Washington DC[/URL]

It's a crazy subculture.

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For my first job after college I worked at the EPA HQ next to the Ronald Reagan building in downtown DC. That commute SUCKED. It took me over an hour and a half each way, half the time in the car and half on the Metro. The metro made me hate tourists with a passion. The commute was a big part of th ereason that I quit after such a short time but I am glad I got to expirence working in DC.

My commute is a breeze now, about 15-20 minutes each way and only because there are a lot of lights. I live in Baltimore city but work in Glen Burnie, so I'm actually going against traffic in both directions. All that's going to change starting in September when I move to destinations unknown after my lease expires.

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[QUOTE=onlydarksets;453797]That's got to crush you on gas costs.

I hear you on the time away from life. I realize it's not an option for everyone to live near the office, but when balancing the $.42/mile and the value of my time, we decided to take the hit on the higher mortgage.[/QUOTE]

I make good money, live in a beautiful place (Shenandoah Nat'l Park is in my back yard), and have a daily driver that gets 40mpg (and is paid for), so I can't really complain too much.

For me, living in the city would go a long way to making my life unbearable. Gotta have my space. :)

I'd rather live out in the boonies and make very little than live in the city and make a ton. Luckily, I can do both, but it comes at the cost of a 75 minute car ride twice a day. It's a good deal in the end.

Re: F...commuting
 

The DC Metro is the worst and not cheap.

If you have never riden on it here are some tips:

Talk a lot in the morning on the train
Stand on the left side of the escalutor
When getting on a busy train just stop and stand; immediately when you walk in

You will be the most popular person on the metro! =)

Re: F...commuting
 

[quote=cpayne5;453815]I make good money, live in a beautiful place (Shenandoah Nat'l Park is in my back yard), and have a daily driver that gets 40mpg (and is paid for), so I can't really complain too much.

For me, living in the city would go a long way to making my life unbearable. Gotta have my space. :)

I'd rather live out in the boonies and make very little than live in the city and make a ton. Luckily, I can do both, but it comes at the cost of a 75 minute car ride twice a day. It's a good deal in the end.[/quote]

I should have said "it's not an option for some and not the best choice for others". For me, I need the time more than the open space or the new house. To each his own!

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[QUOTE=onlydarksets;453817]I should have said "it's not an option for some and not the best choice for others". For me, I need the time more than the open space or the new house. To each his own![/QUOTE]

Yeah, I didn't take issue with anything you said. I was just rambling. :)

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[quote=cpayne5;453819]Yeah, I didn't take issue with anything you said. I was just rambling. :)[/quote]
I didn't take it as that - I just reread what I wrote and realized it wasn't what I meant. Strangely, this is the first time that's ever happened. :laughing-

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[QUOTE=mredskins;453816]The DC Metro is the worst and not cheap.

If you have never riden on it here are some tips:

Talk a lot in the morning on the train
Stand on the left side of the escalutor
When getting on a busy train just stop and stand; immediately when you walk in

You will be the most popular person on the metro! =)[/QUOTE]I don't know what I hated more the people that talked a lot in the mornings or the left side-standers.

Another tip, if you decide that you want to bring your entire family to DC to see either the national x-mas tree or the cherry blossoms, try to get on the Metro between 7-9am so that you'll be the first person to these wonderful sites.
There's nothing better than seeing a mother with 12 large bags, a father trying to get a stroller on an escalator, grandma with a cane, grandpa with a O2 tank, and 4 or 5 little kids with giant backpacks running 20 feet in front of their overwhelmed parents trying to make it through Metro Center during the morning rush. Especially when you are already running late as it is. It really warms the heart.

Re: F...commuting
 

Used to commute from Frederick to Bailey's Crossroads every day (55 miles or about 90 minutes each way). Did that for about a year (before it was Gaithersburg to Bailey's X-Roads, 35 miles or 60 minutes each way) when we moved from our condo to our townhouse. The nice thing was I telecommuted 1-2 days a week, so I didn't make the drive every day (never on Friday, as that was my defined work from home day), so it could have been a lot worse. Plus, I found multiple way to get to and from, so I could always keep moving even if there was a ton of traffic.

The company I work for was able to find me a position at their Frederick office, so now my commute is about 5 miles and takes about 10 minutes (and that's because I drop my daughter off at daycare along the way, without that trip, it's 3 miles and about 5 minutes). I still have to go to Bailey's X-Roads, but it's once every other week or so.

You don't realize how much of a toll a long commute takes on you until after you stop making it...

Re: F...commuting
 

[quote=ArtMonkDrillz;453824]I don't know what I hated more the people that talked a lot in the mornings or the left side-standers.

Another tip, if you decide that you want to bring your entire family to DC to see either the national x-mas tree or the cherry blossoms, try to get on the Metro between 7-9am so that you'll be the first person to these wonderful sites.
There's nothing better than seeing a mother with 12 large bags, a father trying to get a stroller on an escalator, grandma with a cane, grandpa with a O2 tank, and 4 or 5 little kids with giant backpacks running 20 feet in front of their overwhelmed parents trying to make it through Metro Center during the morning rush. Especially when you are already running late as it is. It really warms the heart.[/quote]

Funny but they really are annoying. I use to take Vienna to Woodly Park every day. My favorite after that commute in the morning is when the escaltor was broken at the WP station. What a great hike that is.

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I had a job out of college in Hagerstown, MD...lived in PA. It was 110 miles round trip (1 hour & 10 minutes each way if no problems), PLUS I did a lot of driving to other buildings and job sites once I arrived at the office. Got up at 5 a.m., got home about 7:30-8:00 IF I LEFT ON TIME, which always didn't happen. Once, I was sent from Hagerstown to Philly to turn in a government proposal last minute. :D

I worked there 9 months and got some GREAT experience to get a job closer to home. I put 75,000 miles on my car in that 9 months...90K total that year. :D

Also, it was not a highway commute most of the way. If I took the highway route, it would be an hour and 45 minutes. My shortcut way took me over and through the Catoctin Mountains. On the way to work once, a blizzard started AFTER I left my house. Going onto an exit ramp at 25 MPH, the car shot into the guardrail off some ice.

Poor car. Luckily, I was able to trade it in the next year with a new job. :D
[B][URL="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu9MIuV9I9xwA73RXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTBybnZlZnRlBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkAw--/SIG=11bma2iv3/EXP=1214319240/**http%3a//www.nps.gov/cato"][B][/B][/URL][/B]

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That time I nailed the guardrail, I called them and said I'm turning around and going home. A couple of other times, it would snow a lot when I was at work and would take a few hours to get home. Luckily, some of my commute was in MD, because once you crossed the Mason-Dixon line, it was like the roads were untouched in PA. In MD, it looked like it hadn't snowed on the roads. There's also a speed-bump at the state line, courtesy of PennDOT. :D


Now I have a 15-20 minute commute. It's about 9-10 miles but there's a ton of traffic lights.

Re: F...commuting
 

fresno california 12 miles takes 20 min on a good day.If it rains i can go the back way instead of the freeway.cause if there is a accident you can be stuck for hours. people here are the worst drivers anywhere on the face of the earth.

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the traffic lights in fresno are not syncronized they rig it so you stop at EVERY light. what a great place to live worst air in the nation.you can taste the air here it is so thick and nasty. not to mention its a 110 degrees outside at this very moment!!!

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CA. I don't understand why people want to live there.

Re: F...commuting
 

[quote=mredskins;453816]The DC Metro is the worst and not cheap.

If you have never riden on it here are some tips:

Talk a lot in the morning on the train
Stand on the left side of the escalutor
When getting on a busy train just stop and stand; immediately when you walk in

You will be the most popular person on the metro! =)[/quote]

You forgot that if you get on at the Friendship Heights station and ride all the way down to Metro Center or Gallery Place at between 3pm and 5pm, to be a loud, unruly asshole. (I'm looking at you, Wilson High School students)

Re: F...commuting
 

This is one of the interesting things I have seen on the metro.

A buddy of mine and I use to ride the metro together, he was African American. We use to get off at Metro Center together everyday and proceed to the orange line. He went to Greenbelt I went to Vienna. One day he said to me "check it out all the black people stand on the Greenbelt side and all the white people stand on the Vienna side". Obivisually it was a mix group but the majoritys played out that way.

Even in today's culture whites and blacks are fairly seperated as to what communities they live in.

Re: F...commuting
 

[QUOTE=DynamiteRave;453876]You forgot that if you get on at the Friendship Heights station and ride all the way down to Metro Center or Gallery Place at between 3pm and 5pm, to be a loud, unruly asshole. (I'm looking at you, Wilson High School students)[/QUOTE]This is a little off topic, but if you want to hear really annoying kids go to the food court at the Reagan building between 11am and 2pm during the spring. You'll have the pleasure of fighting through about 5,000 middle school students from all over middle America while trying to get your slice of Sbarro's. “Where are the teachers and chaperones,” you may ask: they're stuck trying to get through the metal detectors at the entrance to the building, so they just let their students run amuck in the hope that it will burn off a little extra energy.

Re: F...commuting
 

[QUOTE=onlydarksets;453807]I've heard there are rules for passengers, like "don't speak until spoken to". Is that true?[/QUOTE]

Slugging ain't boot camp or basic training or whatever else. :)

You can speak if you want to, just don't speak about politics and sports and stuff to someone that you don't know. Imagine this, the Redskins just get done blowing out the Cowboys AGAIN! You go to the slug lot on Monday morning still very very happy and you start talking about Redskins ruling the Cowboys and that Roy Williams is your favorite player and so on! But the driver is a Cowboys fan.................thats why they say to be silent.

With that being said, sometimes you got to speak! This one dude had the Kane show on...............keep in mind I've been slugging it in for quite a while and I didn't know Kane did this..............Anyways, he had the Kane show on and Kane does this thing called "War of the Roses". Its when a woman thinks her dude is cheating on her so he calls up the dude and says something like, "Congratulations! You just won a sweepstakes! You've won two dozen [I]romantic[/I] roses and you're in the final drawing for a vacation to the Bahamas...................so who do you want to send these roses to." Lets say his Girlfriend's name is Christy. Once that dude says Jennifer, ALL HELL BREAKS LOSE! You have to talk about that while you're laughing your ass off!

Re: F...commuting
 

[quote=Miller101;453926]Slugging ain't boot camp or basic training or whatever else. :)

You can speak if you want to, just don't speak about politics and sports and stuff to someone that you don't know. Imagine this, the Redskins just get done blowing out the Cowboys AGAIN! You go to the slug lot on Monday morning still very very happy and you start talking about Redskins ruling the Cowboys and that Roy Williams is your favorite player and so on! But the driver is a Cowboys fan.................thats why they say to be silent.

With that being said, sometimes you got to speak! This one dude had the Kane show on...............keep in mind I've been slugging it in for quite a while and I didn't know Kane did this..............Anyways, he had the [B]Kane show on [/B]and Kane does this thing called "War of the Roses". Its when a woman thinks her dude is cheating on her so he calls up the dude and says something like, "Congratulations! You just won a sweepstakes! You've won two dozen [I]romantic[/I] roses and you're in the final drawing for a vacation to the Bahamas...................so who do you want to send these roses to." Lets say his Girlfriend's name is Christy. Once that dude says Jennifer, ALL HELL BREAKS LOSE! You have to talk about that while you're laughing your ass off![/quote]

Ugh, I hate the Kane show. If someone had that on, I'd probably be listening to my ipod the entire way to work.

I miss the Hot Morning Mess. :P

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[quote=Sheriff Gonna Getcha;453768]10 minutes each way. It's nice to live in a town with a "metro" area population of about 400K. My friends back in D.C. average about 40 minutes each way. That would kill me.[/quote]

Mine is also 10 Min each way and I do travel 495. The difference is that I miss rush hour both ways. The early bird gets to work quickly and misses traffic.

Re: F...commuting
 

[quote=Angry;454071]Mine is also 10 Min each way and I do travel 495. The difference is that I miss rush hour both ways. The early bird gets to work quickly and misses traffic.[/quote]

This leads me to a question.

Starting in August I have a class that starts at 10am. I'm not used to driving (okay, lets be serious; or even being awake) that early.. So I have no idea how traffic is on I-495 (towards Bethesda/Rockville) and on I-270N (Towards Frederick) that early.

Ergo... What time would you guys guesstimate I should leave from DC to make it by 10?

I was thinking around 8-8:30am should be enough time... But then again, maybe I'm not factoring in rush hour traffic...?

Re: F...commuting
 

[QUOTE=DynamiteRave;454094]Starting in August I have a class that starts at 10am. I'm not used to driving (okay, lets be serious; or even being awake) that early.. So I have no idea how traffic is on I-495 (towards Bethesda/Rockville) and on I-270N (Towards Frederick) that early.

Ergo... What time would you guys guesstimate I should leave from DC to make it by 10?[/QUOTE]
You'll be going against traffic on 270, so it'll take you about 30 minutes to get from the Beltway into Frederick. Not sure how far on the Beltway you have to travel, but traffic from the Legion Bridge to 270 that time of morning isn't bad at all. I'd leave no later than 830 to be sitting down in class by 10.