Is commuting from Palm Beach To Miami too far? (Boca Raton: how much, home)

[SeminoleTom]

Hi there,

I was wondering if anyone can tell me if they know anyone that commutes daily from the Palm Beach area to downtown Miami. The reason I ask is we might be moving down to south Florida and I generally like the Palm Beach area better than Broward or Miami... Just wondering if you all know anyone that does it or is it generally unheard of---considered too far?

Thanks

[planetsurf]

I guess it depends on from where to where.
I used to commute from Coral Gables up to Deerfield Beach. It was against traffic until I got to Ft Lauderdale so that helped, but it was a HIKE 2x a day. I think you're almost better off being in traffic for an hour vs driving "hard" for an hour every day -- you really have to pay attention when going fast.

Maybe if you could do TriRail a couple of days a week or carpool a couple of days that would help break things up. But I've got to think it's a bit too far to do long term.

And if you did do it, get a REALLY good commuter car. Yaris, Mini, Matrix. That will help with gas.

[nkotb]

The distance is probably not the issue. Its the traffic, if you work 9 to 5 then your in trouble, if you work 3 to 11 then not so bad. I would still think about living closer !!

[flgrammie]

I'd think about looking for a job closer to your home. That's an awful commute.

[heydade]

not feasible...I would not do it. No way. WAAAY too far...your taking 2 hours each way depending on where in Miami.

[5FLgirls]

My husband did the commute for two years for grad school. He went once a week and it wasn't during high traffic times. The mileage on the car sucked. He actually enjoyed the drive time because he made calls and listened to music. I think the drive will burn you out very quickly.

[worthk34]

Its about an 1 1/2 each- its a pretty far hike and the traffic can be brutal (especially entering into Miami). The best option, as already mentioned, would be the tri-rail. You can park and ride. It might even be easier to move closer to Miami- like Westin or around there. I wouldn't want to make that commute- its a real pain sometimes.

[compelled to reply]

What does Palm Beach have that you are looking for that you can not find in Dade or Broward? That could help people recommend maybe an "exceptional" that is closer to work. That is one hell of a commute, dodging all of the crazy drivers until you get to the Golden Glades, when the traffic stops dead for about 2 hours. You could be pushing minimum 3 hours just from even Boca Raton, depending on how far south in Miami.

[danh600]

Commuting that far on I-95 wouldn't be much fun.

It would be a long commute but the other thing is being there on time. I have a meeting in Lake Worth on Thursday. I come from out west and don't hit much traffic. The guys that come from the Miami area leave at the same time everyday. Sometimes they make it on time but I would say about 20% of the time they get delayed by traffic.

You would have to live early every morning if you had a job that required you to be there at a certain time. I bet you would get a traffic delay at least once a week.

[Tungsten_Udder]

Obviously what counts as "too far" is subjective. You have to think about:

* Just how much do you like driving? Personally, I love it. Aside from problems with family members because you're away so much, I probably would have enjoyed being a truck driver, as long as I could have traveled long distances. But lots of people do not like it so much.

* How much time do you want to spend in the car every day? Your commute would probably take about 80 minutes to 2 hours each way.

* Can you afford/do you mind having to spend a lot of money on gas? I'm sure you already know what gas prices are like in the US, and Palm Beach County tends to have some of the higher prices around. You also have to think about the depreciation on your vehicle, and it's important that you have a reliable vehicle, a service provider like AAA just in case of problems, etc.

* Do you mind driving in heavy traffic, with lots of ridiculously impatient drivers? As others have mentioned, traffic on both 95 and the Turnpike can be very heavy during rush hours, and South Florida has a lot of drivers who like to tailgate and weave in and out of traffic--drivers who seem to think that "95" is the speed limit, not the Interstate number.

As much as I like driving, given the gas prices, and depending on what my working hours would be like, I probably wouldn't want to do a daily Palm Beach County to Miami commute. If gas were cheaper and I only had to be Miami for 7 or 8 hours max, then I might consider it. But I wouldn't want to be burning even a hundred dollars a week just to get back and forth to work, and I wouldn't want to have to be out of the door by 7:00 a.m. at the latest and not get home until 8:00 p.m. or later every day just to work. Maybe if I were making a ton of money at the job, but in that case, I could afford nice places in or near Miami instead.