Coffee cruise


GG's pics of her commute to work reminded me of my commutes to work over the years.

And that I havent had one since the year 2000. (Homes and client locations dont count as commutes as theyre more assignments than jobs...)

Wowser.

And I honestly dont miss them, even as I miss the steady and large paychecks.

So a form of Friday Five, with my own questions that occured to me:

Do/did you drive or take public transportation?

Do cabs count as public transportation? Include that, and.. well, yeah. Duh.

I lived in NYC, and since the authorities and I are still disputing decade-old speeding tickets (Uhh, yeah I sped, no doubt - but what the hell is THIS added-on "out-of-state-driver" charge of EIGHT HUNDRED BUCKS, Morris County, NJ?? I did the crime, but I aint payin' that, dammit.) Ive had to rely on the System.

So yeah, buses, cabs and trains and me make three.

How is THAT gonna work in LA?? Apparently those things dont exist there and are considered figments of someone's imagination and are so obviously movie props.

But Ive seen 'em.


What was your longest regular commute?

Definitely the ones in Jacksonville, no question.

By land area, it is the largest city in the lower 48 states. Which means going to the Other Side of Town is a haul. Add a centralized and lassez faire bus system (a train system raises fears of poor folk infiltrating the "quiet" areas, hence it aint gonna happen in the South in our lifetime), and it meant a LOT of standing and waiting and walking.

Measured in time, that usually meant going to work before the break of dawn, and watching the sunset on the ride home.

Which ones were the most action-packed?

Hoo hoo.

The New York Subway system baybeee!!!

Love it, hate it or smell it - the Electric Sewer will pack a life's experience into a 45 minute commute.

And it will do this EVERY DAY.


We LAUGH at being stuck on the freeway. You get to sip your coffee, munch a bagel in your own-climate controlled vehicle and walk to your door?

Commuter, please.

You havent become a hardened commuter until youve done the two-stair a step drill, the metrocard swipe curse, the diving into closing doors, the coming-close-to-your-fellow-man's breath, armpit and backpack, the wait while the police "investigate an incident" (sometimes there are bets as to what the incidents might be), the dumb-ass sidestep as people wont let you off and then the crowded fire drill stampede out of the tunnels into whatever dimension youre entering to actually start your work day.

Every day.

Ah yes. Not to be missed in your lifetime.

They should sell tickets. Oh wait, they do.

The most picturesque?

Amazingly, Going to an office in NY's Soho.

Actuallai, since the destination was a 3rd floor loft at the corner of West Broadway and Canal Street by Sixth Avenue AND blocks from the West Side Highway (go to that spot and you'll understand), this was a nexus of different worlds you had to pass through, which were wildly different experiences depending on what direction and mode you were in.

Chinatown, Tribeca and Soho all meet at that point, and if it doesnt kill you, is an amazing ........ words fail me...........

In my personal opinion, the pictures I took just going to and from there are still the most amazing Ive ever taken.


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But now, the only time I want to hear 'commute', is the one from my kitchen to my workspace, my plane ticket or the one involving an RV rental...