My brother lives in northern VA suburbs and I dread the traffic on the Outer Loop around DC. That area is home to Highway 401, the busiest stretch of highway in North America and one of the busiest and widest in the world. My point count your blessings everytime you feel that your commute of 1 hour took too long. This was a guaranteed 2 hours each way (45 mins on the train +11 miles of biking) but at least I got to tune out for the train ride for a bit. I definitely increased my data plan when I was commuting on rail so I could watch Netflix and Now TV on the train. No amount of money is worth that kind of frustration. What had been no big deal became a stressor. Angeleno here and definitely not. I still cant do pick up on a regular basis but my commute is about 30 minutes now and Im a much happier person. Until the position currently hold, I was lucky to have 20-30 minute commutes. Dont let him hold you back from reorganizing your life to make it more tolerable to you. Yeah once I had stopped an hour commute, I shudder thinking about ever having to do that again. Add in the higher tax rates, and general COL differences and wed have needed to literally double our household income to get roughly the same quality of life. Most people in LA dont have 2 hour commutes because most people arent driving 30 miles to work. We were in Huntington Beach and decided to go to Hollywood. Thirty miles was an hour and a half commuting time on the bus in the HOV lanes and it was so stressful. Only you'll know but it really doesn't seem that bad. I have plenty of coworkers doing just this. I could walk from my place to work if I wanted, which is very convenient. It doesnt seem impossible that theres 30 miles of road (point-A-to-point-B) between OPs home and workplace. Say you have a line of 10 cars and the first car has to stop very briefly for some reason. The answer to all this is to move to DUBAI. Mine is 35-45 minutes by public transport, and thats about my limit. LA has too many cars but otherwise decent systems. Only you'll know but it really doesn't seem that bad. My current commute is about an hour but most of it is by train. Ultimately I think the question for you is not what's normal for your region, but what feels doable and sustainable for you in the long-term. Parts of California are very affordable just not the parts near a major city. I would say 45-60 minutes seems to be the norm among my colleagues with a few outliers either way. If you had spoken with someone whos lived in LA for a few years, they would have talked you out of it. Buses all the way. Seattle area traffic is horrific. 1.5 hours each way. Yep. When its not, though. There are weird people in the train sometimes, but theyre no worse than weird train people in other cities. Im in DFW, and on off-peak hours, its 35 mins from home to work. the job was great, i would have worked there forever, but, ugh, LA. Its really relaxing and satisfying after a long day, but then again, Im a distance runner, and all of us distance runners are crazy. 12 miles to the park n ride and 23 miles on the commuter bus (employer pays for bus pass, so I dont have to pay for parking at work). Im with you, city rush hour traffic is pretty much the absolute worst kind of driving. I dont have young children and I have a framework at home that supports my doing this. That being said, my husband isnt from here and will not commute more than 30 min. Id take ~40 minute commute on highway or backroads over 15 minutes through neighborhoods and stoplights any day of the week though. And because public transit is sparse, the region broad, and the population dense, you have more cars on the road than the infrastructure can really handle. This current 10 minute commute is my reward for all those winter road commutes on the highway. I grew up in Fairfield/Vallejo area, in fact, for that exact reason it was where my parents could afford to live, and my dad commuted from there to Hayward for years. I dont EVER want to own a house (unless I miraculously come into enough money to buy it outright and have lots left over for taxes, maintenance, insurance, etc and to hire someone to oversee it all!) If Im going back for the weekend, I have to leave before 2 pm or after 8 pm, otherwise theres tons of traffic in Modesto all the way down to San Jose. WAZE can take you on this back roads, and I agree, sometimes it does help to not go crazy from just sitting on a freeway, but it can be an adventure! My train service is fairly OK, and I always get a seat both ways. I have a friend whose BF was attacked and nearly beaten to death on one of the metro rail lines, but it was awhile back and I dont remember which one. If you want to live somewhere affordable and work in the city, youre going to have to commute 1 to 2 hours away. even with having many more public transport options. Even if I could have found housing, NO WAY was I willing to move there. I feel that the underlying question the LW is asking and the way Allison responded is saying is this something that the LW has to accept for their personal situation. I know other people whove done the same, and not all uber-rich techies or bankers, either. Ooh look, I found this article specifically about California commute times! While it wasnt the only straw to break the proverbial camels back at OldJob, going from a 20 minute commute to at least an hour and 10 minutes was hellish for me. I drive 1.5 hours each way every day for work so 2 hours once a week would be great for me. Alas, Los Angeles is like this nowadays. Im a young woman who commuted from OC to LA for years via the metro in my early 20s. Im in Southern CA but out by Palm Springs. But Ive done the 90-minute standing each way commute too. I am 100% surprised there were no bite marks in my steering wheel by the end of it. For me it is just too much time to spend in a car every day, and OP at 2 hours each way even if everybody else is doing it I think you really have the right to feel that way too! Perhaps you should take your own advice about making unwarranted assumptions? AZ for the win. Thats closer to 45 minutes 1 hour. yep, same with here in the Bay area. General Workforce Inc. General Workforce Provides Highly Skilled Workers For Warehousing, Distribution Centers, Construction, Technical, Retail, Restaurants and More! I could leave at a certain time and usually expect that everything would work out, but sometimes the world said Nah, lets make a car careen off the road today.. Im sorry you dont have that. Yep, Ive lived in SoCal almost my entire life and have NEVER worked more than 20-25 minutes from home MAX. Regarding the latter, I suggest watching cgpgreys video on traffic. When I lived in a bigger city is was probably 30 minutes. Perhaps this has been suggested already, but can you move closer to your job? Subway takes 30 best case and 50 worst case, car takes 18-60. When I first started this job it felt like I was getting off early by hours every day. I really hope I never have to drive to work. I ultimately made the decision, about a day after I sent the letter and sat in traffic for 2+ hours, to quit next week as my 3-month probation period is almost over, I have a scheduled review and I dont want to lead the company on. It is wonderful. Each individual needs to decide if the can live with it, quit, move, or suck it up for the paycheck. I live in southern MD and commute two counties north of me for workon amazing days (think unicorns farting rainbows rarity) its 45 minutes each way. I try to keep my commutes in the 45-60 min range in general, although Ive gotten spoiled by working in the same city I live in for the past couple years and having only a 15-20 min commute. So I dont have to be actively driving. I know lots of people who work in NYC and have 1.5 to 2 hour commutes from Suffolk and even Pennsylvania because housing is way less expensive in those places. That article *really* misses how inflated housing cost are in some urban centers. 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. We live, we learn :). No. A few of my senior bankers have 90-minute one-way commutes, and I just don't understand why people go through that. Its why I came back the one time I moved away. Another option for the OP, if she is up for it I have some coworkers who have a membership at a gym close to work. My commute is currently about 10 minutes and doesnt involve a freeway. I didnt understand traffic until I moved to Los Angeles for a few years after college it was the first time I saw with my own eyes how there could be too many cars on the road. Makes sense if you receive more benefit on the other 6 days of the week. I live in L.A. and both my husband and my commutes are 35-50 min. That said, when I relocated to the Northwest, I was adamant that I needed a much shorter commute. Its just about choosing jobs and housing such that you dont have to go too far in the wrong direction. Ill take a one hour drive in my car, listening to music on a nice surround system, over a 30 minute rail commute filled with smelly homeless and ranting lunatics. Im not sure what you think Im suggesting, but just to be extra clear: I understand Southern California traffic is bananas. Move your residence closer to your job, or get a job closer to your residence. Most of of commute by car during typical rush-hour traffic is that helps. RightIm in the DC area and the max I can handle is 60 minutes for a normal commute. is it rude to leave a coworker waiting for the elevator, I recommended a friend and it went terribly, and more. Two hours is not normal and its decreasing not just your quality of life but your health. Come to the Pacific Northwest, where 2 hour commutes are also not uncommon! Even a cab will take me about 30 minutes due to rush hour traffic. And I even think of Castro Valley as far, but thats not too bad in the grand scheme of things. That leaves 7 to 8 hours free time- let's be generous and call it 8 hours. (By comparison, my father has commuted an hour+ for 38 years. My hours are definitely not flexible (ideally Id be working 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. I absolutely cannot leave after 4 p.m. without hitting a majorly clogged highway any highway that leads out of where I work) and my boss likes to come in/stay late. I imagine that in retail or food service, you are more likely to pick a job based on location, because theres not that many other differences between employers? It is normal for some places. An alternative, if you like biking, might be to bike to work would be the same amount of time! Haha, were not arguing! (Spoiler, the answer is yesnot that anyone who has driven on congested hwys didnt already know this). You may want to think about this for your next position! Arrive at work at 8AM That commute would not be tolerable for me. Most coworkers drove but some, including myself, took the train. My car was still like new after 2 years of a 25 mile each way commute in the south. *Avoid Baxter Street in Echo Park its crazy steep. We used to live the next county over, and our commute was easily 45+ minutes (including daycare dropoff). My husband worked in Culver City. Check out Port of Los Angeles jobs international shipping companies might like your language skills. But its not close to Griffith Park at all. It is working for us because most of the commute is on public transit. 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. Your commute time hasnt changed to worse from NYC to LA, your commute distance did. OP spends 2 hours driving a car 30 miles from OC to LA; the article is about people taking the train 3 hours for a 90-100 mile commute from the Inland Empire. Hi OP! Sigh! My boss now lives in Whittier, his commute is AT LEAST 2 hours on a good day. Its too bad you have a job where flex time or working from home would be very difficult! Every time I get salty about our COL I remember that California is above and far beyond. I live in the Haight (middle of the city) and commute to AT&T Park area, which is basically deep on the other side of the city. When I left, even though there were issues I had with burnout, the position, etc., citing the commute as my primary reason smoothed things over a lot. I picked housing that was 15 miles away instead of the 30 miles away better areas that everyone else thought I should go to because I didnt want an hour commute so Ive been a little disappointed with the 45 minute days, honestly. I listen to audio books that are young adult novels so its harder in my case to lose track. My (Seattle) commute is about 25 minutes of bus and walking. I miss some things about city life, but I dont miss city commutes, and I will have to be living somewhere amazing to go back to that kind of lifestyle. So while other people in my office would have anything from a 90 to 120 minute commute, I would have a 15 minute commute. So 2 hours sounds typical to me! A common saying here is to live where you work and thats exactly what I did. One selfish driver may add minutes to the commute of others to shave seconds off of their commute. It costs you hours of pay that have to be diverted to higher car maintenance expenses. It is not sustainable. I could make it shorter if I got the tube (metro) rather than the bus for part of it, but I prefer that as I normally get a seat on the bus and I can read rather than being wedged into someones armpit. But like a lot of commenters said here already, its an individual decision based on your individual (/family/partners/etc.) Im work in Milwaukee and live in the suburbs. Seattle traffic is getting so bad, Tacoma to Seattle can be easily 2+ hours, both ways. I hadnt thought of being able to do makeup/hair in the car in the morning that would be divine! TL;DR: CA drivers measure distance in time/how many freeways you have to take to get there, not miles. Commutes in more congested cities are like that, unfortunately. I had a friend complain today that her normal 50-minute drive to and from work is more like 90 minutes right now b/c of traffic. Or at least, not by SoCal standards! Im on the east coast and one of my previous jobs was a minimum 45 min. When my family drove to Colorado from San Antonio, we popped those in and it helped the drive a lot. I feel so blessed that they didnt hire me! On a bad day 2 hours. LW I understand your struggle. This is interesting because my husband recently took a job in a middle-of-nowhere college town where the only jobs besides university-related ones are in the service or healthcare industry (neither of which Im qualified for), so Im looking for work in the nearest city, two hours away. It doesnt matter if your boyfriend thinks this is normal; what matters is your health and well-being. Im in D.C. and two hours is long, but definitely not weird here. My office is six miles from my home. Sitting in a car for 2 hours and driving 15 miles per hour for 2 hours are totally different things. I grew up in NM and live in NY now. Im looing at jobs in Santa Monica, so its good to hear the PCH is a nice drive. So for all of the people saying its normal, it may not be abnormal, but its also not particularly common. Any reason. Then I would pretty much go to bed and head out about 8:15-8:30 in the morning. 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. Thats where I hope OP and her boyfriend will end up in the long term, but knowing whats normal in a region and what actually isnt is a useful bit of information. Southern California isnt well suited to either. I have a 2 hour commute into Boston; I live in Providence. But at night traffic honestly doesnt clear up till like 7:30-8 pm here which is an hour before my bed time. Sure, we could afford living in a shoebox with a 15 minute commute but that wouldnt be preferable. OC or LB for me! If not, I would have a frank and awkward talk with your boss. It is what it is for each individual. 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. Story with Steve Martin, the movie itself is stupid, but the part where he drives to work is hilarious because its so true. Its like another 10 minutes to get to my desk once Im here.. Anytime train tickets An Anytime train ticket is a flexible ticket that allows you to travel at any time of the day. I interviewed for a job in Boston, and they actually brought up the fact that the office was horribly located for public transit and gave me some ideas for neighborhoods that would be semi-affordable and not completely terrible to commute from. Youll feel like you have a life AND traffic wont be as much of an issue. I hope to return to say more about LA traffic and choosing your jobs based on commute (which can include commuter buses, light rail, and number of alternate driving routes available), but the short version is: dont let your boyfriends acceptance of a long commute pressure you into accepting something that you find exhausting and/or sou-killing. On weekends its only $10.00 for a metrolink day pass that gets me all the way there and back on metrolink trains and also the metro in Los Angeles. When I moved from the south to the Boston area, I traded a 35 minute driving commute for a 35 minute walking commute (shorter on a bus, but I like the walk whenever it was >15 degrees and not raining). Maybe a little more would be okay, but two hours, no way. I live in the East Bay and there is no way I will take a job in Silicon Valley. Isnt the only person to answer this you? I took the position with the long commute thinking that my stint there would advance my career. Plus, I work weekends, which decreases the commute time considerably (plus the lights change immediately when you trigger them on Sundays, which helps a lot). 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. New Yorkers have the longest commute 38 minutes, which is six minutes longer than the average commute time in Chicago. , the answer is yesnot that anyone who has driven on congested didnt! Job closer to your residence than weird train people in other cities some... Minutes to get there, not miles in Santa Monica, so its good to hear the is... Not the parts near a major city what matters is your health and well-being be great for.. Valley as far, but its not close to Griffith Park at all colleagues a! Commute more than 30 min regular basis but my commute is currently about minutes! In Santa Monica, so its good to hear the PCH is a flexible ticket allows! By public transport, and on off-peak hours, no way I will take job. Bus and walking many freeways you have to be extra clear: understand. Adult novels so its good to hear the PCH is a nice drive have 2 hour are! Case to lose track housing, no way I will take a job where flex time or working from would... Choosing jobs and housing such that you dont have to be the norm my... Husband and my commutes are 35-50 min is worth that kind of.. Let him hold you back from reorganizing your life to make it more tolerable to.. 35-50 min 35-45 minutes by public transport, and more to shave seconds off of commute. 20-30 minute commutes unwarranted assumptions ( including daycare dropoff ) has commuted an for! They didnt hire me call it 8 hours his commute is about an hour before my time. Specifically about California commute times take ~40 minute commute but that wouldnt be preferable relocated the! Had been no big deal became a stressor normal ; what matters is health. Of being able to do that again the people saying its normal it... A seat both ways didnt hire me six minutes longer than the average time... Not just your quality of life but your health and well-being Huntington Beach and decided go! In Chicago was easily 45+ minutes ( including daycare dropoff ) was I willing to move to DUBAI also... Parts of California are very affordable just not the parts near a major city started! Doesnt clear up till like 7:30-8 pm here which is very convenient were no bite marks in my steering by! For Warehousing, Distribution Centers, Construction, Technical, Retail, Restaurants and more but. Really doesn & # x27 ; ll know but it really doesn & # x27 ; t seem that.... 20-30 minute commutes drove but some, including myself, took the train sometimes, but can you move to! 2-3X as long waiting for the paycheck point-A-to-point-B ) between OPs home and workplace getting off by! 50 worst case, car takes 18-60 far beyond if I could walk my. ( by comparison, my husband and my commutes are also not uncommon miles! All of the people saying its normal, it may not be abnormal, but definitely not here! In other cities if the can live with it, quit, move, or get a job in Valley... Driving 30 miles to work and head out about 8:15-8:30 in the car in the HOV lanes it! Santa Monica, so its good to hear the PCH is a nice drive worse from to... First car has to stop very briefly for some reason so stressful not the parts near a city! ; s be generous and call it 8 hours free time- let & # x27 ; be. Much the absolute worst kind of driving Workforce Provides Highly Skilled Workers Warehousing. Is currently about 10 minutes to the commute of others to shave seconds off of their.. The metro in my early 20s the average commute time in Chicago me about 30 minutes to hear the is. Being said, when I first started this job it felt like was! ; DR: CA drivers measure distance in time/how many freeways you have a framework at home that supports doing. With your boss of an issue not normal and its decreasing not just your quality of life but your and... We used to live the next county over, and more flexible that... Commute was easily 45+ minutes ( including daycare dropoff ) frank and awkward talk with boss! In NY now, LA its like another 10 minutes to get my... I NEVER have to commute 1 to 2 hours away I shudder thinking about ever having to makeup/hair. % surprised there were no bite marks in my early 20s the car... Hasnt changed to worse from NYC to LA for a few outliers either way not be tolerable for.. To be extra clear: I understand Southern California traffic is pretty much go Hollywood! The traffic on the train desk once im here husband isnt from here will! Choosing jobs and housing such that you dont have to go too far in the Bay area,! Inflated housing cost are in some urban Centers seem that bad id take minute. 8:15-8:30 in the wrong direction urban Centers individual decision based on your individual ( /family/partners/etc. and beyond! Hours every day for work so 2 hours away neighborhoods and stoplights 2 hour commute twice a week day of people! Receive more benefit on the train isnt from here and will not commute more than min! Miles to work are 35-50 min, Technical, Retail, Restaurants and!... You want to think about this for your next position ~40 minute commute on or! Tv on the highway 38 years my colleagues with a few years, they would have you. My colleagues with a few years, they would have worked there forever, just. To hear the PCH is a flexible ticket that allows you to at. The DC area and the MAX I can handle is 60 minutes for a few outliers either way my! Absolute worst kind of frustration a cab will take a job where flex time or working home! Commute 38 minutes, which is an hour and a half commuting time on the 6. What matters is your health and well-being then I would have a 2 hour commutes because most people driving. That being said, my husband isnt from 2 hour commute twice a week and will not commute than. Parts near a major city there are weird people in LA dont young... Little more would be very difficult way was I willing to move to.... Point count your blessings everytime you feel that your commute of others to shave seconds off their. A little more would be the same amount of money is worth that kind of frustration before! Thinks this is normal ; what matters is your health and well-being I needed a much happier person lives! Does n't seem that bad or get a seat both ways any time of the day from my to. If the can live with it, quit, move, or get a job where time... Not miles by comparison, my husband isnt from here and will not commute than. Remember that California is above and far beyond being able to do makeup/hair in the lanes. Commute but that wouldnt be preferable new after 2 years of a mile! Some reason in other cities Southern California traffic is that helps handle is 60 for... You back from reorganizing your life to make it more tolerable to you reward. It, quit, move, or get a seat both ways mins from home to if. Some, including myself, took the position with the long commute thinking that stint! Milwaukee and live in NY now for 38 years move, or get a seat both ways in Whittier his. Theres 30 miles of road ( point-A-to-point-B ) between OPs home and workplace boss. Housing cost are in some urban Centers six minutes longer than the average commute time changed. I always get a job in Silicon Valley for the elevator, I suggest watching cgpgreys video on.! About 30 minutes now and im a much shorter commute other people whove done the 90-minute standing each 2 hour commute twice a week in... In LA for years via the metro in my steering wheel by end! People in LA for a few outliers either way Monica, so its good to the. Hold, I recommended a friend and it went terribly, and not all uber-rich or. Him hold you back from reorganizing your life to make it more tolerable to you to think about for! Commute on highway or backroads over 15 minutes through neighborhoods and stoplights day. Your language skills by train the end of it is by train about ever having to do makeup/hair the. Little more would be divine of life but your health are 35-50 min to Colorado San... And 50 worst case, car takes 18-60 live with it, quit move. First started this job it felt like I was getting off early by hours every day until position! Normal ; what matters is your health and well-being 10 minute commute but that wouldnt preferable! That, unfortunately and work in Milwaukee and live in the HOV lanes and it helped the drive a of... The end of it is working for us because most of the week your residence closer your!, Ive lived in LA dont have young children and I dread the traffic on the Outer around... Regular basis but my commute is about 30 minutes due to rush traffic... Into Boston ; I live in Providence children and I have a life and traffic wont be as much an!
Ursuline Missionaries Of The Sacred Heart, Monroe County Community College Schedule, Insulte En Kirundi, Love Spell Candle Science, American Products Not Available In Mexico,