New Bedford --> Boston commute? (Lowell, Cambridge: living, vs, bus)

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by jan0105

I worked in Cambridge (Fresh Pond area) with a guy who commuted from Westport. He spent four hours a day in his car.

I had a discussion with somebody who wanted to hire me in Waltham by Totten Pond. 68 miles each way dealing with Route 24 and 128 every day. I told him I'd be willing to do two 12-hour 7am to 7pm days and telecommute the rest. There's no way in the world I'd do that drive every day. I worked at Fresh Pond Circle commuting from metro-West a bit outside the 495 belt for 90 days in the late-1980's. It was bad enough then to push me out the door. I can't imagine doing it now.

[lrfox]

I managed to work from home on Fridays which made the commute more tolerable. Honestly, reading, watching movies and relaxing on the bus wasn't bad at all. Sometimes it was enjoyable. The worst part was knowing that I had to plan on not being able to do anything at home before 7pm on a weeknight.

[el_greco]

I'd prostitute myself with the rest of the girls walking on acushnet ave before commuting to Boston from new Bedford for a job. Just me though...

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by lrfox

I managed to work from home on Fridays which made the commute more tolerable. Honestly, reading, watching movies and relaxing on the bus wasn't bad at all. Sometimes it was enjoyable. The worst part was knowing that I had to plan on not being able to do anything at home before 7pm on a weeknight.

Ok, by only doing it 4 days a week you made the commute 20% more tolerable. What time were you leaving your house in the morning? What time were you leaving your job in the afternoon?

Not everyone has the luxury of working from home one day a week.

[lrfox]

Out the door by 6:45-7ish, left the office between 5 and 5:15.

[leafchime]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Out the door by 6:45-7ish, left the office between 5 and 5:15.

This is pretty much what I'm looking at, also 4 days/week. To those of you who said driving is a nightmare - I agree. I would be taking the bus. Possibly the train or a vanpool, but the bus would be the most convenient because I'd be living downtown and could walk to the bus station.

I'm going to try it. I found a more or less rent-free situation that doesn't involve any kind of commitment, so if it doesn't work out, I can bail and move back to Boston. I'll let you know how it goes. Don't hold your breath though, I'm not moving until May.

In the meantime, I'm looking at 1.25-2 hour commute on a city bus between Waltham and Cambridge all winter. Someone please tell me how that's better?

[el_greco]

You'll be doing about double that Nb to Boston. Good idea with the no commitment renting situation though I have a feeling that will come in handy

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by el_greco

I'd prostitute myself with the rest of the girls walking on acushnet ave before commuting to Boston from new Bedford for a job. Just me though...

I thought you were a guy?

Originally Posted by leafchime

This is pretty much what I'm looking at, also 4 days/week. To those of you who said driving is a nightmare - I agree. I would be taking the bus. Possibly the train or a vanpool, but the bus would be the most convenient because I'd be living downtown and could walk to the bus station.

I'm going to try it. I found a more or less rent-free situation that doesn't involve any kind of commitment, so if it doesn't work out, I can bail and move back to Boston. I'll let you know how it goes. Don't hold your breath though, I'm not moving until May.

In the meantime, I'm looking at 1.25-2 hour commute on a city bus between Waltham and Cambridge all winter. Someone please tell me how that's better?

That sounds horrible. People can make it to Cambridge in under 1.5 hours on the commuter rail living 30 miles outside the city, like dm84 for example. I'm curious why it takes so long. Are you doing multiple bus transfers?

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by leafchime

This is pretty much what I'm looking at, also 4 days/week. To those of you who said driving is a nightmare - I agree. I would be taking the bus. Possibly the train or a vanpool, but the bus would be the most convenient because I'd be living downtown and could walk to the bus station.

I'm going to try it. I found a more or less rent-free situation that doesn't involve any kind of commitment, so if it doesn't work out, I can bail and move back to Boston. I'll let you know how it goes. Don't hold your breath though, I'm not moving until May.

In the meantime, I'm looking at 1.25-2 hour commute on a city bus between Waltham and Cambridge all winter. Someone please tell me how that's better?

If you work within a 5-10 minute walk of South Station, your total commute by bus/walking will be 1.5 hours each way on a good day. On a normal day, plan on 2. On a bad day (i.e. snow, heavy rain, wreck on 24, etc) 2.5-3 isn't out of the question. My worst was a 7:15 bus last year got in at nearly 11 after one of the big snowstorms last winter. If I were driving myself, I would have turned around and gone home.

One thing worth pointing out is that you really need to have a flexible employer. Since you're coming from so far outside of the city, you're subject to more traffic incidents than most other vehicles. You could take a 7am bus Mon-Friday aiming to be there by 9 and be 1/2 hour early some of the days and 1/2 hour late on others. I was lucky enough to have an employer who was understanding and flexible enough to allow me to work from home and not bug me about tardiness. I never scheduled meetings before 10am which isn't always convenient for everyone else.

You're determined to give it a shot and you've got a good setup to do so, so best of luck. It really isn't as awful as people make it out to be on most days. With a family and kids I'd never do it. Single with an ipad loaded with books and shows, I enjoyed it most of the time. I also had a flexible employer which made it possible.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by lrfox

If you work within a 5-10 minute walk of South Station, your total commute by bus/walking will be 1.5 hours each way on a good day. On a normal day, plan on 2. On a bad day (i.e. snow, heavy rain, wreck on 24, etc) 2.5-3 isn't out of the question. My worst was a 7:15 bus last year got in at nearly 11 after one of the big snowstorms last winter. If I were driving myself, I would have turned around and gone home.

One thing worth pointing out is that you really need to have a flexible employer. Since you're coming from so far outside of the city, you're subject to more traffic incidents than most other vehicles. You could take a 7am bus Mon-Friday aiming to be there by 9 and be 1/2 hour early some of the days and 1/2 hour late on others. I was lucky enough to have an employer who was understanding and flexible enough to allow me to work from home and not bug me about tardiness. I never scheduled meetings before 10am which isn't always convenient for everyone else.

You're determined to give it a shot and you've got a good setup to do so, so best of luck. It really isn't as awful as people make it out to be on most days. With a family and kids I'd never do it. Single with an ipad loaded with books and shows, I enjoyed it most of the time. I also had a flexible employer which made it possible.

OP is going to Cambridge so you need to tack on a half hour to all your time estimates, probably more in the evening to make sure there's some buffer time to catch the bus. Personally I think it's insane for OP to consider it.

You said you enjoyed it. What made you stop doing the commute?