whatever

I'm curious.......
Is it longer/shorter than your old commute in Britain?
Is it more or less stressful? - More or less expensive?

What about available transport (rail, buses), or do you just drive?

Jxab12

I swapped a 90+ minute drive from Cambridge to London for a boat ride across the Long Island Sound from NY to CT. More expensive sure, but less stressful and more fun!

Manc

40 min ride in England from Sale to Ashton-u-Lyne.
20 min drive here to do the same distance.

NC Penguin

In my last job in London, my commute was 40 mins door to door (each way) for a distance of about 8 miles (lived in Zone 2, worked in Zone 1).

I live and work in Durham, NC and the distance is the same. I have to drive to work and that takes 20 mins (one way).

In terms of stress, I think it's a little more stressful to drive, despite being quicker than riding the Tube.

It's also cheaper to drive to work but I would much prefer to use public transport if there were a more direct way to do so.

Driving to work means I have a much more sedentary lifestyle than before and thus is less healthy.



NC Penguin (I can definitely walk faster than a penguin )

ScarlettHill

I take the DART bus practically door to door from my home to the college where I work. On my way home I take the DART rail to my kids' school, where they go to afterschool club, and we have a short walk and catch the bus home.

No problem except in the height of summer when any walking is a pain. Of course it's a consolation that we can leap in the pool when we get back to the apartment!

Regards
-=-
Scarlett

PrincessofWales

The tube is enough to put me off ever returning to London again to work. I used to get the Northern Line from Colliers Wood to the centre and felt like I needed a shower once I got to the other end. Not only that but if you blow your nose after getting off that line - it's BLACK!

I much prefer my easy going 15 commute in the luxury of an air-conditioned car. I can't tell you what a transition that was, its the difference between getting the cattle truck and traveling first class.

London transport should be ashamed!

nathan barley

England: 60 minute+ two bus journey to work for a mere 3 miles! Monthly cost: $84 in restricted daily fare tickets.

New York: 55 minute bus & subway commute from Queens to Grand Central in Manhattan, about 15 miles and far more ritzy. Monthly cost: $70 for unlimited monthly bus/subway pass.

elfman

I swapped a 25 minute drive + five minute walk in the London suburbs (both directions) for a half hour drive through the Jersey suburbs (in the morning) followed by a homeward drive that can take almost two hours if the traffic is misbehaving. In London I would sometimes swap the car for a half hour Thameslink train ride if I was going to go for beer after work, but here I basically have no practical alternative to driving.

As for the actual driving, I don't find NJ drivers to be that much worse than Londoners (though they could improve their lane discipline) but I do wish I could find a decent radio station for my commute. I'm amazed at the paucity of stations in the NY/NJ area and I've found myself missing Radio 1 it's that bad.

Patrick

Surely this is very subjective?

I once lived in flat just behind where I worked and it took me 30 seconds to walk to work. When we worked in Cambridge (where we moved here from) we moved from a flat which was .5 of mile from work to Soham which is 20 miles outside Cambridge, moving our commute from 2 minutes to 40. Here we chose to live 20 miles away from the town we wanted to work in so that we could be by the sea, we chose a commute so we could live by the sea.

Having said that we live the same distance away from Wilmington as we did Cambridge and the commute takes about half the time. Mostly because we don't have to deal with the A14 or A10, another reason is when we have to get to work by 9 we don't have to contest with the school run.

I much prefer the morning commute here over Cambridge, mainly because I can pick up a Dunkin Donuts Coffee and have cup holders!

Patrick

Yorkieabroad

England (a few years back) 30 minute walk to the station (10 minute drive if it was raining), 40 minutes on rather civilised BR express, 5 minute walk the other end. season ticket was about 3 grand I seem to remember. Stress free on a good day - knock a year off your life on a bad day

Singapore 10-15 minute drive. 7-8 miles worth of petrol, £50000 car (honda civic!). "exciting" traffic

Houston - 20 seconds (10 yards along the landing to sons room)
no charge. stress level dependent on whether he tries to do his own nappy befoe I get there....

dunroving

Britain: 20-30 minute drive from outskirts of Glasgow through beautiful countryside to Blanefield.

US: Right turn out the door, left at the end of the road, straight across Charles Boulevard, across the campus parking lot to my office. 4-minute walk (unless there are cars on Charles, then it's 5 minutes). About 1,000 steps (no, I'm not anal, I wear a pedometer as part of my job).

On reflection, my UK commute was best. By the time I got home I was completely not thinking about work. But I can't really complain about my 4-minute walk either. Unless it's raining (which is almost never).

Jabba1

Black nasal muculage can't be good.

whatever

Houston - 20 seconds (10 yards along the landing to sons room)
no charge. stress level dependent on whether he tries to do his own nappy befoe I get there.... [/QUOTE]

LMAO!!! I remember that commute!!!

whatever

I was blowing that stuff out of my nose twice a day, between 5 and 7 days a week for 14 years - courtesy of the Victoria Line! I really hope it was purely a black boogas and nothing long term!

JerseyBoy

Depending on your taste - 100.3 Z100, (Radio 1 type stuff) 106.7 Lite FM - obviously lighter... or 104.1 - Light Rock stuff. I've always found the airwaves packed to be honest - and was only enjoying the view from Frank Sinatra park the other day.