Miss Cellane
3-26-11, 2:08pm
I just got a new job, after two long, long years of unemployment. I'm very happy.
However, getting to the job is now an issue. I live 6 miles from the office. It's a 10-15 minute drive, depending on traffic.
But I live just outside Boston, which has pretty good public transportation. When I moved here, jobless as I was, I deliberately chose an apartment close to public transport--it's a two minute walk to three bus lines and a 10 minute walk to the subway station. The new office has a subway station right across the street. I don't like driving in the traffic around here, so my preference is always to walk or take the T.
The problem? You can't get there from here, at least not easily, not on the T. Boston public transportation is designed to get people from outside the city to the center of town. It is not designed to get people on the outskirts to other places on the outskirts. In order to get to the new office, I have to go all the way into the center of town on one subway line and transfer to another one to get out to the office. Or I can take a relay of three different bus lines.
The subway route takes 1 hour and 10 minutes one way, assuming everything's running on time and all connections are made. The bus route takes 1 hour and 39 minutes, again assuming everything's running on time. The subway and bus both cost $4.50 one way, although I could get a transit pass for $69/month (and I think that after working there for 3 months, the company will pay for the T pass).
I'm not sure about parking. There's no on-street parking, and no visible free parking lot. There's the parking garage at the subway station, for $7/day (the same cost as taking public transport), but there is also a monthly parking pass for $105. There's also an underground parking garage for the office building I'll be working in, but I don't know if I'll be able to park there or if you have to pay to park there.
So it is a bit cheaper to take the T, but in terms of my time the cost is much greater. At most, in high rush hour, I think driving would take 20 minutes, vs, on a good day, 1 hour and 10 minutes on the subway. Riding a bike would be, for me, dangerous on the roads I would need to take, unless I can find some back roads that have less heavy traffic. But I simply cannot see myself biking through some of the large, complicated intersections that I would need to get through. And in some places, there really is no shoulder on the road.
So, committed as I am to using public transportation, I am really hoping that there is free parking for employees in that underground parking lot, because I don't want to spend over two hours a day to travel 12 miles round trip.
I am feeling like a complete sell-out.
However, getting to the job is now an issue. I live 6 miles from the office. It's a 10-15 minute drive, depending on traffic.
But I live just outside Boston, which has pretty good public transportation. When I moved here, jobless as I was, I deliberately chose an apartment close to public transport--it's a two minute walk to three bus lines and a 10 minute walk to the subway station. The new office has a subway station right across the street. I don't like driving in the traffic around here, so my preference is always to walk or take the T.
The problem? You can't get there from here, at least not easily, not on the T. Boston public transportation is designed to get people from outside the city to the center of town. It is not designed to get people on the outskirts to other places on the outskirts. In order to get to the new office, I have to go all the way into the center of town on one subway line and transfer to another one to get out to the office. Or I can take a relay of three different bus lines.
The subway route takes 1 hour and 10 minutes one way, assuming everything's running on time and all connections are made. The bus route takes 1 hour and 39 minutes, again assuming everything's running on time. The subway and bus both cost $4.50 one way, although I could get a transit pass for $69/month (and I think that after working there for 3 months, the company will pay for the T pass).
I'm not sure about parking. There's no on-street parking, and no visible free parking lot. There's the parking garage at the subway station, for $7/day (the same cost as taking public transport), but there is also a monthly parking pass for $105. There's also an underground parking garage for the office building I'll be working in, but I don't know if I'll be able to park there or if you have to pay to park there.
So it is a bit cheaper to take the T, but in terms of my time the cost is much greater. At most, in high rush hour, I think driving would take 20 minutes, vs, on a good day, 1 hour and 10 minutes on the subway. Riding a bike would be, for me, dangerous on the roads I would need to take, unless I can find some back roads that have less heavy traffic. But I simply cannot see myself biking through some of the large, complicated intersections that I would need to get through. And in some places, there really is no shoulder on the road.
So, committed as I am to using public transportation, I am really hoping that there is free parking for employees in that underground parking lot, because I don't want to spend over two hours a day to travel 12 miles round trip.
I am feeling like a complete sell-out.