F...commuting

[MTK]

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.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Miller101

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!

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

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

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

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

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

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.
Slug-Lines.com - Slugging and Slug Lines Information For Washington DC

It's a crazy subculture.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

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.

[cpayne5]

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

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.

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.

[mredskins]

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! =)

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by cpayne5

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.

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!

[cpayne5]

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

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!

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

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by cpayne5

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

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.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by mredskins

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! =)

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.

[BDBohnzie]

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...

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

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.

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.

[Monkeydad]

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.

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.

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.

[Monkeydad]

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.


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

[redskinjim]

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.