[miketoronto]

Well it is the last week of school, and I have been taking the longer way to school.

Untill last week, I was taking an express bus via the highway, that got me from my house to my school in Downtown, in approx 45min. I really only live 20-30min from downtown Toronto by car. But in rush hour traffic it is never that fast.

Public Transit does take longer from my area of the city.

Anyway since it is the last week of school and our start times are all over the place. I did not get my EXPRESS sticker to ride the express bus.

So I have been using the local way. And I have to say. I like my ride.

My transit travel time now takes 60min from my house to my school.

However I enjoy my ride. I was thinking about it the other day. It is a long ride for many.

But I find it very realaxing most of the time. The highlight for me, is the last part of the trip into school in the morning, when I ride the 504 Streetcar, down Broadview Ave. As the streetcar goes down Broadview, I get a whole view of the downtown skyline, and the Don Valley.

I sip my hot chocolate, listen to music, and people watch, on my long commute to school

The ride is very realaxing, as I pass through East Chinatown, Trendy Riverdale, the ever improving East Downtown, and then arrive at my school.

It is a nice change from the express bus, which just jams in traffic on the highway. Although the highway ride is nice to, as you go through the Don Valley.

But riding the 504 is really nice, passing through all the different districts of the east end.

Most people find commuting hard, and tiring, etc. But I enjoy my ride.


So does anyone else enjoy their commute to work or school? Even if it is takes longer then average.

This is the kind of view I get from the streetcar. Just not as high up. You can see a streetcar in the first pic.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/rmydark/Across_valley.JPG

http://www3.sympatico.ca/rmydark/Valley_pan.JPG

[bigcubfan]

Man if my commute looked like that I'd like too. I've spent a couple of vacs in Toronto. Great city.

[Steely Dan]

my commute is a half hour from wrigleyville up to my job in evanston, so it may not be as long as some others, but i do really enjoy it because chicago's L system is elevated up above the city (there are some subway portions and expressway median portions of the system, but not on my route), so you get wonderful urban vistas from the train windows. it's great meditation each morning to put my head phones on and just zone out gazing upon the city from above as it whizzes by at 50 mph.

i have always loved trains, and i am really glad about the fact that i get to ride a train twice every day. it's just cool.

yeah, i'm a dork, so what.

[Jazzman]

Well I ride the bus and my commute takes a good 45-50 minutes. I don't care for it myself, I know if I drove I could get there in 25-30 minutes. I know every back road and shortcut and alternate route in this city.

[mystad]

Steely, that's not dorky at all. I used to commute from Lakeview to State/Lake everyday. The only problem is that I usually had to stand until about Fullerton.

[dimondpark]

My commute is 2.5 hrs-3 hrs. typically when Im going into DT San Francisco(115 miles from my house), which is now 3 times a week. I go through 5 counties, various choke points on the freeway, I cross 2 very busy toll bridges and leave one Metropolitan Area and cross into another(CMSA to CMSA)

and I dont really find it that overwhelming anymore-maybe Im geting numb.

[Jasonhouse]

That was one of the things I noticed about Chicago... That the long commutes can be enjoyable. I took the Orange line and the Red lines to thier terminus and back. I would be totally willing to ride those for 30 minutes no problem. I would never get tired of the view, and I could work on schoolwork, or play SC4 on my laptop. That sure as hell beats any form of driving IMO.

[wolkenkrabber]

lol :'( i can not cummute to mu school it is just 1 block and a park away :P

[Steely Dan]

Steely, that's not dorky at all. I used to commute from Lakeview to State/Lake everyday. The only problem is that I usually had to stand until about Fullerton.

well, i'm not saying that the fact that i commute by train makes me a dork, just the fact that i enjoy it so much. i am a HUGE train geek, and i get a big kick out of the fact that i get to ride trains everyday of my life. most normal people really wouldn't care to notice, but like i said, i'm a dork and riding trains is a big deal to me.

dimondpark, i would honestly shoot myself if i had to spend that much time in a car on the expressway all the time like that. so round trip you're spending 5-6 hours in the car 3 days a week, good god that's insane.

[Jazzman]

My commute is 2.5 hrs-3 hrs. typically when Im going into DT San Francisco(115 miles from my house), which is now 3 times a week. I go through 5 counties, various choke points on the freeway, I cross 2 very busy toll bridges and leave one Metropolitan Area and cross into another(CMSA to CMSA)

and I dont really find it that overwhelming anymore-maybe Im geting numb.


Damn, dimondpark! How far away do you live from SF?

I drove to school today and got stuck in a bitch of a traffic jam. It took me about an hour and a half to go 13 miles to school. I thought there was accident, but I never saw signs of one, nor did I hear a report about it on the radio.

[dimondpark]

I live 115 miles from DT San Francisco.

When there is no traffic-it takes about 1.5 hrs. But when its bad-its really bad.

I just commented on the California forums that one day
last week it took me 45 minutes to drive 1.5 miles in Oakland*ugh*

[mystad]

Steely, that's not dorky at all. I used to commute from Lakeview to State/Lake everyday. The only problem is that I usually had to stand until about Fullerton.

well, i'm not saying that the fact that i commute by train makes me a dork, just the fact that i enjoy it so much. i am a HUGE train geek, and i get a big kick out of the fact that i get to ride trains everyday of my life. most normal people really wouldn't care to notice, but like i said, i'm a dork and riding trains is a big deal to me.

I know what you meant. I enjoy riding trains to a level that is dorky, too.

[Jazzman]

I live 115 miles from DT San Francisco.

When there is no traffic-it takes about 1.5 hrs. But when its bad-its really bad.

I just commented on the California forums that one day
last week it took me 45 minutes to drive 1.5 miles in Oakland*ugh*


Ugh. I could never live so far away from work that it takes me a minimum of 1 1/2 hours to get there every day. I don't particulary care for my 45 minute commute, but I can tolerate it.

You must have a really good job for you to live so far away and make up for that commute.

[Delirium]

i went on mapquest for fun to see how far my commute to work is... BRUTAL!

DIRECTIONS DISTANCE

1: Start out going Northeast on JERVIS ST toward W HASTINGS ST. 0.03 km
2: Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto W HASTINGS ST. 0.24 km

Total Estimated Time: 1 minute
Total Distance: 0.27 km

http://mq-mapgend.websys.aol.com/mqmapgend?MQMapGenRequest=FDR2dmwjDE%3byt2l%26FDJnci4Jkqj%2cMMCJ%3aHOEvq%3bw1l5r1%3a%29uax90bs%26%40%24%3a%26%40%24w%26a80%26a7w%26ESEKGF%3dTPWIK%2crw1r1l%26%3d2lluas1%40%24%3a%26%40%24%3a%26f2w9%40%3aHOHQJ%3bw1l5rz%3a%29uax902a%26%40%24%3a%26%40%24%3ahu1l%26%26FDEmvqjHqjwjg%7c%14D%13%13%17OHM%26w1l5f2%3a%29uax908l%260%24x%266%24n%26%3d8%3a10%24%2el%40y

:D i'm spoiled.

[MayDay]

"My commute is 2.5 hrs-3 hrs."

If my commute was 2.5 to 3 hours, I would literally have a job in Pittsburgh or Columbus - that's right, Pittsburgh or Columbus. dimondpark, with all due respect, that's beyond insane.

Thankfully my commute is 5 to 7 minutes by bus (3 to 5 by car). If I'm staying with the S.O. in the 'burbs, it's 20 to 30 minutes - and that's my limit. Any more time than that, I go nuts. I like leisure driving on weekends, but I hate commuting to work.

[dimondpark]

Jazzman,
Im thinking about getting a helicopter. But I dont know if I really need it.:???:

Let alone flying it-which I certainly do NOT know how to do.

[pip]

Steely Dan,

I enjoy my train ride everyday too and I prefer a window seat looking east on both the Brown and Red lines. On the Brown Line approaching downtown the view is spectacular. I too have become a geek about the view and train thing too. Oh well, at least I haven't become a geek about a car that has payments of $400 dollars a month before other costs of ownership.

My local 'el' stop:
http://www.philipmalenfant.com/chi54

[dimondpark]

Mayday,
hahaha

My family thinks Im insane too-but really I dont feel as sorry for myself as much as I do the tens of thousands of people who also make the same journey I do because they cant find anything cheaper "closer in".

I do it cause Im just insane.:nuts:

Plus I felt like leaving my comfort zone and trying something new.

And its not everyday-just 3 times a week.

[eomaha]

So tell me at least... that homes are as cheap as the rest of the nation... 2 1/2 to 3 hours away from San Francisco???

[Steely Dan]

@ pip:

yep, i'm quite familiar with the belmont stop as well. i do the backtrack thing on the red line everymorning from addison down to belmont so that i can catch a purple line express up to evanston.

[dimondpark]

eomaha,
the areas in question are still about 30-40% above the national average in terms of costs.

its funny cause in breakrooms across the bay area, you find just as many people sleeping as there are those eating.

[The Chemist]

I thankfully have a short commute to work - on a good traffic day it's about 15 minutes, a total of 10km each way from my house.

However, on occasion after a snowfall it has taken me over an hour to travel the same distance. :mad:

[giovanni sasso]

i miss commuting.

[MJPhilly]

Here's mine.

http://www.skyscrapersunset.com/junk/commute.gif

I do the reverse commute (I.E. live in the city and work in the suburbs). The river shown on the left half separates PA from NJ. A -> B -> A, five times a week when I'm not traveling for work (so about 70 % of the time).

It's about 10 miles, 30 minutes, $3 on the way back.

I'll post some pics tonight probably. It's a pretty good view on the way back into the city (which is now at night).

[Dampyre]

My commute is 2.5 hrs-3 hrs. typically when Im going into DT San Francisco(115 miles from my house), which is now 3 times a week. I go through 5 counties, various choke points on the freeway, I cross 2 very busy toll bridges and leave one Metropolitan Area and cross into another(CMSA to CMSA)

and I dont really find it that overwhelming anymore-maybe Im geting numb.

A 330 mile round-trip commute?!?? That's far beyond sad. You folks out in California really are crazy. I have to drive 35 miles to Lombard, Il and I hate it. It takes about 40 minutes each way.

[pollo feliz]

Here in Montréal I take 30-35mins ow for my commute !10-15mins walk and 20mins in the subway. Since it's with the Metro system, I can't see anything on the surface ! Longer commut?! no thaks :D

if I like my commute? tI think so !!!

[Jazzman]

My commute is 2.5 hrs-3 hrs. typically when Im going into DT San Francisco(115 miles from my house), which is now 3 times a week. I go through 5 counties, various choke points on the freeway, I cross 2 very busy toll bridges and leave one Metropolitan Area and cross into another(CMSA to CMSA)

and I dont really find it that overwhelming anymore-maybe Im geting numb.

A 330 mile round-trip commute?!?? That's far beyond sad. You folks out in California really are crazy. I have to drive 35 miles to Lombard, Il and I hate it. It takes about 40 minutes each way.



Yeah dimondpark what kind of car do you drive, I'm curious? If I were you I'd get a hybrid car like the Honda Insight or the Toyota Prius and use it as a work car, because that must cost you $$$$$ in gas money alone.

The one good thing about your situation is that you don't do it every day, you said you do it three times a week. That's still kind of crazy though, man.


P.S. I looked at your profile which says that you live in Granite Bay, California. So I went on Mapquest and looked it up. Dude, you live on the other side of f*cking Sacramento and you drive to SF three times a week, you must be insane! :)

[Blitz]

I like mine, it's a 20 minute drive pretty much all along the river where I have great views of Detroit's skyline.

[Chicago Shawn]

While attending school, I catch a bus in Gladstone Park and take that to the Blue Line in Jefferson park, which i then take dirrectly to UIC. I enjoy it, because i am a total train geek as well, but also enjoy flying past all of the drivers stuck in the Kennedy Expressway traffic when the train runs through the median.:D

When not in school, I stay with my mother 20 miles northwest of Rockford. She just moved there this past summer, however I work in north suburban Gurnee most of the year, so for a while I was doing a two hour commute through rural Illinois complete with farm equipment, deer and small town cops. It really didn't bother me that much because I like to drive, (infact last night I drove to Portage Indiana for absolutley no reason besides the fact I love seeing industrial grit) and the landscape west of Rockford is actually quite scenic. I know where your comming from dimondpark, everyone I know was calling me insane too.;)

[dimondpark]

Yeah dimondpark what kind of car do you drive, I'm curious?

I started using this last week because its been sitting in the garage for 3 months( since my nephew went to college, it hasnt been used) and Ive decided to use it as my commuter car cause it gets more mileage than my usual commuter car.

2003 BMW M3, not as much of a gas hog as you might think.
http://drs.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=BMW+M3/v=2/l=IVI/*-http://www.car-buying-strategies.com/2002-photos/2002-bmw-m3-convertible.jpg

[Jazzman]

Well, at least you'll be looking good for those 4 to 5 hours a day you'll be sitting in traffic.

If you're going to spend half your life in your car, it might as well be in a car that looks good and drives fast.

[dimondpark]

I only go into the city to meet clients, otherwise Im in my backyard potting plants or something Martha Stewart would do(except insider trading of course*winks*).

But if all goes according to plan, soon I'll be able to telecommute and meet with clients via teleconference from home....:D

Then my commute will be from my bedroom upstairs to my office downstairs...that would be ideal.

Well, at least you'll be looking good for those 4 to 5 hours a day you'll be sitting in traffic.

I like it but its just a car, a moving box that takes me from point A to point B-if anything, I make the car look good...what with my unbelievable good looks and all:D

[bigcubfan]

Steely Dan,

I enjoy my train ride everyday too and I prefer a window seat looking east on both the Brown and Red lines. On the Brown Line approaching downtown the view is spectacular. I too have become a geek about the view and train thing too. Oh well, at least I haven't become a geek about a car that has payments of $400 dollars a month before other costs of ownership.

My local 'el' stop:
http://www.philipmalenfant.com/chi54 Ahh yes...I believe I can see the light towers of Wrigley poking up on the left. What a heart warming sight on this cold December day.