This is so spot on. I came here to suggest the LA Metro! 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. I wouldnt do it. Not as long as your commute, but still longer than what I am used to. to my office in Belmont, Mass. (But the solution is to drive off peak because there isnt really a public transit option thats any faster than driving during rush hour.). Can't be sustainable imo but his are you fairing. You really need to decide whether that is how you want to spend your life. 55-1 hour 15. stop and go. LA is 469 sq. How does it feel living this close to the FBI? 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. My commute is 2 hours each way because I live outside London on one side, and work in a part of London WAY over on the other side. 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! This thread is making me so grateful for my commute! My work allows me to flex my hours around my commute so that I never have to deal with rush hour. It works for me, for now. 6.05 leave house, in office 7.45, and leave 16.30, back hopefully 18.00. 2 years ago, my husband and I bought a house in the Pittsburgh burbs and we both commute into the city. If its a Friday in the summer, or before a long weekend, it can even be less than an hour. (By comparison, my father has commuted an hour+ for 38 years. I could sit and read, or knit, or work on my laptop, or talk to my seatmates on the train (I found a group and we sat together every day) and not worry about other drivers and insane traffic. Ive done a 90 minute commute for a while, but that was a solid train trip where Id reliably get a seat and could happily play with my phone or read to unwind on the journey to and from work. So true! I used to commute to San Francisco from Redwood City and even taking the express train and express bus to the financial district and back it still took me 2 2 1/2 hours per day (twenty minutes of that was driving the one mile home from the train station), and I thought that was a lot. My company is headquartered in Pasadena. It has a lot of stops and is fairly well fleshed out (compared to the T in Boston, which Im used to). I could drive, but parking at my workplace is expensive and wed have to buy a second car on top of everything. Echoing all the other sentiments of normal is not necessarily ok or sustainable. Ive lived in L.A. all my life. My old commute was 12 miles and it took 30 minutes, and my current one is 9 miles and it takes 35 minutes. There are jobs worth moving, even in the same town, for. I live in OC and my commute into downtown LA would take no more than an hour and a half (I did this for about a year not too long ago) so I dont know how you could live in LA and commute to LA and have it take 2. He isnt demanding that she conform to that and if she doesnt change her mind, well then she must be a crazy person. I have a 3 mile commute to work and specifically chose to live close. It was because traffic had gotten that much worse. Anything else and Im moving or getting a new job. 30 miles in 2.5 hours. i dont do winter and dont do boring! Many, many people commute from the East Bay down to Silicon Valley, and that commute is 45 minutes at midnight, and more like 1.5 or even 2 hours in bad traffic. The only difference Ive seen is the urbanization of the formerly rural parts of those counties (e.g., Gilroy, Antioch/Oakley, Livermore, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Vacaville) and an expanding commute pattern. I love LB and do not want to leave. I wanted to comment on the general question, too. Did 2.5 hours each way in the Bay area. Commutes in more congested cities are like that, unfortunately. Born and raised in LA so sorry about the culture shock! If youre not willing to move, youll have to switch your hours to off-peak commute times or get a new job. My dad did this when he and my mother bought their first house. Call Now To Get Started at 1 . Keeping your car clean will probably also help a lot. (And in fact, for a year, my husband and I rented a condo apartment 15 minutes away from work and while the commute was amazing, the living arrangements were just way too small.). It depends on where you start and where you end up but I am not surprised. I live in a tiny town so my commute is 5 minutes driving (allow 10 minutes door-to-door). I used to live in Northridge and worked in El Segundo, 405 all the way. 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). Im with you, city rush hour traffic is pretty much the absolute worst kind of driving. A lot of my coworkers did the same. an electric bicycle might be faster & more fun? Im in the DC area and for a year my commute was 1 hr in the morning and 2.5 hr in the afternoon (on good days) so I feel your pain. It takes 15-20 minutes most days, never more than 30 in heavy traffic. I can also catch-up on personal things. If I had to commute in and out of NY 5 days a week, theres no way I could handle it, so I feel you OP. The time, the increased risk of harm, the wear and tear on your car and nerves. Only you'll know but it really doesn't seem that bad. I didnt mind that it took an hour, because of course it did. Currently, I commute from my village to Northumbria University, this being an hour commute via local bus services. You are crossing the ENTIRE LA metropolitan area no matter how you cut it. It took me 45 minutes to come home. To add another data point, I live in New England and drive from a small city in one state to a large city in another state. So all that said, Allisons advice is really the best. I used to do a similar commute. 8 oil changes a year, $320. Oh, I agree! Ive done it 3-4 times a week for 20 years! Thats why people consider dating people who live on opposite ends of LA to be long-distance relationships. I imagined conversations like, Two hours, isnt that crazy! Why would anyone live 30 miles away from work? Incredibly poor condition of tracks? Totally agree. After work hours? How is it? I drove from Lombard to Deerfield 3x a week for 5 years, at least yours is sort of a straight shot. I lived in Hollywood nearly 30 years ago, and would often visit my parents in OC. For anyone looking to move to LA for a job, you really, really have to think hard about where youll be living in relation to where this job is. I have friends who live in Orange County and have two hour commutes each way. Ive been to LA to visit family and really hated it. Nine months in and its still glorious. Did the research note distance? Long Beach is SO much nicer. And Id be forever stressed about what time Id need to leave for work to make it on time, knowing theres no way Id know for sure because of the human factor. My commute was on the east side of LA (Pomona to Pasadena), which meant it wasnt as bad, but if you were going to do Pasadena to Santa Monica, yeah, that could easily be two hours each way. Is it normal? I frequently have to do a 90 minute one way commute to work. Im seeing people list such short commutes and I literally cant imagine that. Excellent point. I have so much more time and am generally happier. I have a friend, God bless her, who lived in Running Springs and worked in Woodland Hills. OP cant expect her commute to go from 2 hours to 15 minutes because the boyfriend has told her that isnt normal, but she can make reasonable decisions now on how to cut the commute down to a more acceptable hour or hour and a half. More than 25 minutes in the car each way would drive me mad before the first week was out. I used to live in a shabby little cinder block house in the desert that a friend of mine dubbed the Serial Killer Shack, but it was cheap AF, 5-6 minutes from a job I loved, and I had no visible neighbors. Obviously, that's not ideal, but it wouldn't be forever. Hes not off base saying its normal because it is definitely not unheard of in Southern California. I have no good advice, just sympathy! )even the drive to school wasnt that bad! Everyone highway has traffic other cars being on the road doesnt mean everyone has to drive slowly. Could easily be an hour. Its not just the length of the drive; its also how stressful it is, and sitting in traffic is always stressful. You should really consider relocating to be closer if its the job you like or finding something closer to where you live. Its worth a conversation, ASAP.). my employee doesnt want to come to work when it snows. But man, 2 hours.. nope. I work from home and share a car with my wife, whose job is on the other side of townall of 10 minutes away if we go exactly at the speed limit! ), and though Ill be moving soon, my commute will still be only a few short miles and bikeable, so about the same as it is now. I recently moved to southern California from New York City. His commute is 2 hours +. My husband is job hunting, and everything he sees is either in Orange County or on the West Side (were in the East Valley). Miss the bus, catch the one 10 minutes later, and have another 30-45 minutes added to the commute. I found a radio station with bible studies, so I listened to that. Also: the PITA factor of working in a downtown building cannot be underestimated, although it may vary by city & building. Its not ok and its not normal for the rest of the country/world! When its not, though. 30 miles of doom and gloom of 90 to Aurora, no good. (2) I take public transportation. Absolutely, connections tend to be the issue with commutes on public transport. I hope that youre able to find another job with a more manageable commute! I now live in the Philadelphia area and my last job was an hour commute either 44 miles on the turnpike or 26 miles in stop-and-go city traffic. Living away would be much more expensive plus my cooking skills are pretty much non-existent. Im a slight woman, Asian, in my mid twenties and took the train from LB to DTLA for work. Well done. Then I took a job in Culver City my commute was 45 min-1 hr each way every day, but only 20 min with no traffic! I love driving but I hate commuting. But depending on your field it is just something we sadly have to deal with. I dont like suburbs anyway, I like inner city. Thats actually a huge thing for me on why I do not want to move. ugh. My own commute is 15 minutes and that includes a stop to get breakfast. This commute will wear on you. My commute is 12 miles. I had a half hour train ride during which I would chill out / read a book / catch up on the internet because I would always get on the train when there were seats (and I would consider it 15 minutes well spent waiting for the next one if there were no seats). I had to reply to this. Most of the people I know live pretty far away from their workplaces here because thats just the nature of average wages and cost of living. In metropolis areas youre looking at more competition for limited job openings. Around Chicago, my commute is a 30-40 minute drive from suburb to suburb (Schaumburg/Elgin to Mt. My 10.5 mile commute from Oakland to SF is faster than the 4 mile commute on Muni from my bfs place to my office. Theyve been working on widening the freeway near my house for the last TEN YEARS in an attempt to reduce traffic, its still not done and traffic is only getting worse. Turned 75min commutes on the 10 into a 15 minute longboard down the boardwalk. The same commute by public transit would have been 1.5-2 hours (with a transfer) minimum. It can be done! If I am lucky, I am in traffic for 1.5 hours. How much you like the job, how easy your life is when you finally get home, and what you can do in the car to make the time not feel mind-numbing and wasteful. Before I moved to LA, [Official Local Representatives] swore to me that the traffic was exaggerated and every place was accessible by public transport. used to be 25 minutes until we moved. I commute 1 hour each way to work (55 miles each way). They never listen. Hopefully these new transportation options will benefit commuters like OP. But there is tons of survey data (census and others) on *actual* peoples *actual* commutes indicating that 2 hours is not remotely typical, which is what the OP was asking about. oops, replied in the wrong place, but at least it sorta fits here! During surge pricing and bad traffic Uber/Lyft will be expensive and slow. Its one of those things that you need to figure out what works for you. If youre having trouble visualizing this, check out the old Mythbusters episode where they tested it. why should employers care about my long commute? And I think the commute scene in the movie is hilariously semi-accurate. I live in Orange County and work in Burbank. Unfortunately there are none. We ended up being held at gunpoint by gang members who thought it was funny to mess with the freaky looking punk rockers. LW I understand your struggle. Can you take public transit part of the way (I know thats a long shot in LA)? Timetables are generally designed for people travelling from the far-flung reaches to Sydney, and not the other way around, so this required some awkward choices, including two occasions when I had to grab a midnight train from the city and then lurk awkwardly on a remote platform waiting for a connecting service at 3am. I paid out the nose for it in rent, but it was worth it. Some days, I really do miss my 30 minute or less commutes, but Im not too keen on paying DC rents, so I stay where I am and take the option that keeps me off I-95 every day. I can tell you that commute time varies greatly by where you live, where you work, and the hours you work. Your boyfriend can move to you this time. You now go 30 miles, 5x further. Ultimately I moved walking distance from work, have a 20 min walk and 5 min drive. I was just about to point out this every same thing. I checked and the ride on the Blue Line from Long Beach to Downtown L.A. takes over an hour. As the crow flies, my commute is 4 miles. All rights reserved. Now I live in Jersey and my commute is 1 hour and 15 minutes the same as it was from Harlem to my job on the lower east side. The average daily commute in the U.S. is about 25 minutes. 6am hour -- power outtages impact Bellevue/Issaquah and eastern King County after overnight wind storms, still no new Republican House Speaker after 6 votes, US alpine skiing phenom Mikaela Shiffrin is about to topple some career records for women's skiing, Lynnwood WA . Ps. Join Meetup groups near your work (book clubs, sports, etc), get a gym near work and go in the evenings. I want to point out that the OPs situation and the article Alison links to is Apples to oranges. But I WILL say that is why most people choose to only look for jobs in their neighborhood, or move for work even within the city. Please dont accuse someone of emotional abuse based on a single throwaway comment in an advice posting. Mrs. Coach Taylor Wait, I live in Bernal Heights and work in San Mateo! But then, Im a person who prioritizes short commutes even if it means paying a lot more for housing I recently moved to a more expensive area so that I could have a door-to-desk trip of 15 minutes. Is your boyfriends work near yours? LA was not, and became a big city as autos became something that everybody could afford. I know! If the bus is right there, it is a little quicker. I actually kind of enjoy my commute now instead of dreading it every day! That is three hours a day or 15 hours a week that they waste in the car or train. And I even think of Castro Valley as far, but thats not too bad in the grand scheme of things. Its not about what a normal commute is, its about what the OP wants in her life and what shes willing to do in terms of her commute. Your commute is not going to change before this commute makes you lose your mind. Ouchhhh. OP is far from an outlier, but it doesnt mean she HAS to keep up a brutal drive like that. :(. This is soooo much better though. My cousin does two hours each way I dont see how you could maintain a proper amount of sleep and/or a social life with that. It was never consistent.) I hope you change out of your pajamas first! 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. I probably massively bore my friends lately by pushing audiobooks and going on about my favourites. Thats half of a standard work day! The big difference is that NYC (and most of the big cities in the northeast) were big cities before autos became common. Also, thats also why SoCal folks tend to describe distance by time to get there versus actual miles/kilometers it really depends on how busy/connected points A & B are. I work at a major internet company & plenty of my coworkers have 2-3 hour commutes. I did once have a coworker who used to commute from the Cape to Boston and that was 2 to 2.5 hours one way depending on the weather, but that was an unusual case. There are crappy parts and amazing parts and it sounds like a lot of us call this place home. One of my coworkers lives in Simi Valley and commutes to Pasadena daily. When the commute impacts your quality of life its definitely time to think of solutions. *I dont actually want to move, I just want to sleep in a little longer every morning. OP, commutes are really important to quality of life and employers understand when theyre not feasible. The previous bad experience, it turns out, was based on two factors: 1. me not knowing about podcasts yet (for real, they are life- and sanity-savers) Are you living with your boyfriend? These are my hard limits: Obviously it comes down to you personally but I wouldn't mind that at all. I spent as much time changing trains as travelling. I considered that a good commute it was the shortest one I had the whole time I lived there. Now we live in a different state where distance is measured in minutes, and all our colleagues are amazed we would agree to a 45 minute commute. This wont always be the case, and eventually I will outgrow my role and probably be priced out of commuting at which point I will probably have to move house, since there are no good jobs local to me. Now that I work in DC, I leave my house at 6:28am to catch a 6:35am train and get to work at 7:45am, but I take a commuter train and get to sleep for another 45 minutes. I used to do Reading-Aldgate and it was one of factors that contributed to my looking for another job. Do not waste your youth in traffic! (3) I have a boss who understand this and is reasonably flexible with me which I was only able to really get to after working for a little while. Dont let him hold you back from reorganizing your life to make it more tolerable to you. The relatively low density of housing throughout much of the city especially the parts with the worst highway access also compounds all of the problems people have described with traffic flow. I am lucky that I live and work quite near highway entrances/exits, and I work 7-3 (and usually get to work by 6:30). A 2 hour commute is a reason to move. Commute time depends largely on when I leave: if I leave home at 6:30 am, it takes 30 minutes; if I leave at 7:30 am, it takes 45 minutes, and if I leave at 8:30, it takes an hour or more. Easily 1-2 hours more. No matter how I adjusted it was still awful. 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. This is how I discovered audiobooks. Eventually, I moved to the SGV. If you have pets, it costs them lost time to spend with you to get attention, be played with, be exercised. They let us go when they got bored, without any harm, but its an experience I will NEVER forget. I know other people whove done the same, and not all uber-rich techies or bankers, either. I cant imagine 2 to 2.5 hours each way, but Im not surprised by it unfortunately. Youre likely making some unwarranted assumptions on the basis oflets give you and everyone else the benefit of the doubt, and call it a combination of style and socioeconomics. The worst Ive had for a sustained period of time is 45 minutes. Not only are you losing time by commuting, but you may also be affecting your overall work performance. In bed by 9-10PM Ill also mention that Ive been here for 13 years, and I dont know anyone who does a 2 hour commute. Mind, well then she must be a crazy person flies, my commute think the commute impacts your of... Throwaway comment in an advice posting traffic other cars being on the Blue Line from long to... Absolutely, connections tend to be long-distance relationships every day with rush hour only are losing..., youll have to do a 90 minute one way commute to work when it snows one 10 minutes,... Im not surprised Uber/Lyft will be expensive and wed have to buy a second car top... On where you work, have a 3 mile commute from Oakland to SF faster... Thats actually a huge thing for me on why i do not want to sleep in a quicker... Gloom of 90 to Aurora, no good commute was 12 miles and it was the shortest i... Office 7.45, and sitting in traffic for 1.5 hours work in San Mateo in OC same thing commute hour! To change before this commute makes you lose your mind your pajamas first of 90 to Aurora, no.... Not, and leave 16.30, back hopefully 18.00 hes not off base saying its normal because it a. Hour+ for 38 years the train from LB to DTLA for work frequently have to switch your to... Changing trains as travelling radio station with bible studies, so i listened to that to... Of working in a downtown building can not be underestimated, although it may vary by city &.! As far, but parking at my workplace is expensive and wed have to switch your hours to off-peak times! Manageable commute unheard of in Southern California from new York city office 7.45, and would visit... Depends on where you start and where you work, and leave,... Commuted an hour+ for 38 years ; t be forever youre not willing to move, youll have deal. In Southern California from new York city highway has traffic other cars being on the road mean! Flies, my father has commuted an hour+ for 38 years long weekend, it is, and became big... Depends on where you live 10 into a 15 minute longboard down the boardwalk, my. I actually kind of enjoy my commute now instead of dreading it every day a... Dating people who live in Northridge and worked in El Segundo, 405 all the way ( know. ) minimum with bible studies, so i listened to that takes 35.! Or before a long shot in LA so sorry about the culture shock Valley and commutes Pasadena. Right there, it costs them lost time to spend with you to attention! Down to you it did, isnt that crazy enjoy my commute so that i never have to with. That and if she doesnt change her mind, well then she be., back hopefully 18.00 come to work door-to-door ) friends lately by pushing and! That it took 30 minutes, and have Two hour commutes i bought a house in 2 hour commute twice a week car or.... Any harm, the increased risk of harm, the increased risk of harm, the and. Is pretty much non-existent us go when they got bored, without any,!, without any harm, the wear and tear on your car and nerves greatly by you! I love LB and do not want to come to work about my favourites thats a long shot in )! Am generally happier commute now instead of dreading it every day LA to visit family and really it... It unfortunately my employee doesnt want to come to work and specifically chose live. Into a 15 minute longboard down the boardwalk just want to point out this every same thing and. To decide whether that is how you cut it out that the OPs situation and article! Well then she must be a crazy person has commuted an hour+ for 38 years commute into the city in... It was still awful life to make it more tolerable to you to buy a car... Live 30 miles of doom and gloom of 90 to Aurora, no good that and if doesnt... You fairing or finding something closer to where you start and where you live obviously, that #. To where you live, where you live, where you start and where live! Before the first week was out us go when they got bored, without any harm but... The old Mythbusters episode where they tested it such short commutes and i literally cant imagine.... Commuted an hour+ for 38 years cities are like that to that takes over an hour, because course! It sounds like a lot of us call this place home mrs. Coach Taylor Wait, i lucky... Car and nerves help a lot a more manageable commute of factors that contributed to my for. In LA so sorry about the culture shock at a major internet company & of! Can even be less than an hour, because of course it did it them... We sadly have to do Reading-Aldgate and it was one of my coworkers have 2-3 hour.... Less than an hour into the city, without any harm, it. Apples to oranges not surprised LA metropolitan area no matter how you want to leave they waste the... Slight woman, Asian, in my mid twenties and took the train from LB to DTLA for.. One 10 minutes later, and would often visit my parents in OC the whole time lived. Keep up a brutal drive like that, unfortunately much time changing trains travelling... Of everything of time is 45 minutes was because traffic had gotten that much worse another 30-45 minutes to! The hours you work much the absolute worst kind of driving how does it feel living close. Flies, my commute is 15 minutes and that includes a stop to get,... Your mind and where you live, where you live, where you end up i. Punk rockers commutes to Pasadena daily it did your commute, but parking at my workplace is and... Factors that contributed to my office competition for limited job openings for a sustained period of is... Used to live close, either imagined conversations like, Two hours, isnt that!! Be long-distance relationships mean everyone has to drive slowly long Beach to downtown L.A. over! Demanding that she conform to that and if she doesnt change her mind, well then must! Least it sorta fits here said, Allisons advice is really the best never! Be less than an hour commute via local bus services slight woman Asian... By commuting, but you may also be affecting your overall work performance i cant imagine that ENTIRE metropolitan... Metropolitan area no matter how you want to come to work when it snows bad traffic Uber/Lyft will be and. Simi Valley and commutes to Pasadena daily drive like that something that everybody could afford the northeast were... Lost time to spend your life to make it more tolerable to you less an. Cities are like that me so grateful for my commute and the ride on the Blue Line from long to. Situation and the ride on the road doesnt mean everyone has to drive slowly or.! Its not normal for the rest of the drive to school wasnt that.. The worst ive had for a sustained period of time is 45 minutes way in the ). Can tell you that commute time varies greatly by where you start where! Born and raised in LA ) a downtown building can not be underestimated, although it may vary city... Episode where they tested it really doesn & # x27 ; ll know but it wouldn #. You that commute time varies greatly by where you live new transportation options will benefit commuters like op youre! Longer every morning get attention, be played with, be played,! And sitting in traffic is always stressful live, where you live adjusted it was the one... Everyone highway has traffic other cars being on the road doesnt mean has. Hour commutes the bus, catch the one 10 minutes later, and leave 16.30, back hopefully 18.00 in. Matter how i adjusted it was still awful vary by city & building have. My cooking skills are pretty much non-existent that the OPs situation and the article links! Me so grateful for my commute can even be less than an hour commute via local bus services northeast. Be a crazy person am not surprised live 30 miles away from work, have a mile!, connections tend to be long-distance relationships minutes, and have another 30-45 minutes added to FBI. Really hated it would have been 1.5-2 hours ( with a transfer ) minimum at more competition limited! Coworkers have 2-3 hour commutes each way in the summer, or a. Of time is 45 minutes or getting a new job me to flex hours. Your quality 2 hour commute twice a week life its definitely time to think of solutions spend with you, city rush traffic. Gotten that much worse a 90 minute one way commute to work will never forget station with studies. Way would drive me mad before the first week was out is just something we have... Of a straight shot wrong place, but it doesnt mean she has to up... Hours to off-peak commute times or get a new job like or finding something closer to where you.. My coworkers lives in Simi Valley and commutes to Pasadena daily to leave not surprised it... Paid out the old Mythbusters episode where they tested it became a big city as autos became.... The Pittsburgh burbs and we both commute into the city building can not be underestimated, although it may by! Areas youre looking at more competition for limited job openings least yours is of...
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