Commuting to South Bay, torment or minor annoyance?

[jbunniii]

Originally Posted by cardinal2007

If I were you I would consider moving, likely save a lot in rent...

Or spend a lot more in rent, if the OP is currently in a rent-controlled place. This wasn't mentioned one way or the other. My rent spiked when I moved out of San Francisco for this reason. But it was still worth it because the commute was pretty exhausting.

[peninsular]

By South Bay I mean North San Jose (just north of the airport), Sunnyvale (east of Moffett Field) and Mountain View (half a mile from Caltrain). Moving south is not a good option for several reasons, mostly non-financial.

Thank you all for your perspective. I think I kind of forgot how much sitting in traffic can impact your daily life. I used to commute to RWC, so I have an idea of what 280 is like, but I stopped about 2 years ago. It does sound like I should be asking for 2x salary and a helicopter.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

If the option to move is off the table, I say don't do it.

Being a parent who works full time is exhausting enough. Being a parent who also commutes 2 hours a day several times a week, is like adding another part-time job to your current schedule. Beyond exhaustion.

And what happens when the school calls with a problem at school, or your kid is sick, etc., and you're so far away.

No amount of money is worth the extra stress and exhaustion, and lower quality time with your child. How can you pay attention to their stories when you're utterly exhausted? Picture the time it takes to get ready to get your child to school, now what do you do when you have to drop him/her off an hour earlier? Pick him/her up an hour later? What if you get stuck in traffic?

I was a single working mom, and I bought a house 45 minutes away from my work because that's what I could afford, dropping my daughter off at day care on the way, and picking her up on the way home. After a year, I rented the house out and moved to a rental in town where my job was. The commute wasn't worth it.

Anyway, that's my vote. Stay put. Sounds like you have a good situation. Maybe you can find another job/opportunity closer to home.

[bentobox34]

Originally Posted by cardinal2007

Honestly traffic tends to be pretty bad during commute hours, even getting up to 8pm. 101 N north of 85 tends to be slow in the evenings going north maybe up to close to 8.

My bike commute crosses under 101 near San Tomas Expressway. A few nights ago I stayed late at work and was passing by around 7:45. It was stop and go - looked about the same as the usual times I pass by between 5:30 to 6:30.

Having commuted from Oakland, I have to say I enjoy my 30 minute bike ride a lot more than 1:30+ torture.

[neutrino78x]

Original poster, don't know why you're talking about driving to the south bay when you have a caltrain station in sf and your candidate workplaces are also close to cal train.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by neutrino78x

Original poster, don't know why you're talking about driving to the south bay when you have a caltrain station in sf and your candidate workplaces are also close to cal train.

Getting to Caltrain isn't particularly easy from many neighborhoods in SF. And it doesn't sound like most of the job options are particularly close to to Caltrain.

[jbunniii]

Originally Posted by neutrino78x

Original poster, don't know why you're talking about driving to the south bay when you have a caltrain station in sf and your candidate workplaces are also close to cal train.

I would agree if the OP lived near the Caltrain station, but getting there from the Inner Sunset (via the N-Judah presumably) takes forever. Taking a bus to the Glen Park BART station and transferring to Caltrain at Millbrae is no better. Driving to a Caltrain station that has parking is an option, but I still found that it took significantly longer than just driving.

And if the OP's office is in office park hell several miles from a Caltrain station, then there's the problem of what to do at that end...

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by neutrino78x

Original poster, don't know why you're talking about driving to the south bay when you have a caltrain station in sf and your candidate workplaces are also close to cal train.

It is probably faster to drive to the South Bay from Inner Sunset than it is to take SF Muni to Caltrain in SF!

[jade408]

Originally Posted by capoeira

It is probably faster to drive to the South Bay from Inner Sunset than it is to take SF Muni to Caltrain in SF!

In traffic even :P