Working moms - commute?

Erika&Brian · August 2010

How long is your commute and are you OK with it?

I am considering a change that would take my commute from under 10 mins (3.5 miles I-10/Bunker Hill) to about 30+ mins (14 miles to downtown). I am excited about the opportunity, commute is my only concern.

CindyandScott · August 2010

On the days I go into the office it takes me about an hour to and sometimes longer coming home. I'm driving form Cypress to Galleria.

Since they expanded I-10 I hear it's not that bad.

Katieraye09 · August 2010

I carpool and it takes me 45 minutes in the morning and about an hour at night. I used to drive myself and it was torture but once I started carpooling (about 4 years ago) it made it a lot better. I wasn't okay with my commute when I was by myself but it's actually kind of nice having some "fun, gripe, get rid of the day" time with my friends on the way home. Good luck with your decision!

melissa0312 · August 2010

30 minutes with traffic and i'm totally ok with it. dh's is about the same but traffic can make him take up to an hour sometimes to get home.

weemodin · August 2010

About 10 minutes door to door (Heights to Downtown), and half of that's in an elevator

I cannot STAND a long commute, so we've sacrificed living in a large house so I can get more time with my kids.

chrisbride04 · August 2010

My commute is 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. I do not like driving that far and have tried to get on with a school closer to home. Part of the issue in the past has been DS commuting with me, fussing, etc all during the ride. This year he'll be at a daycare close to home, and I don't think I'll mind the commute as much since it will be quieter and give me a chance to unwind before getting home.

lilycat · August 2010

I did the 45 minutes to NASA for 5 years. It was tough for me to be far from the kiddos during the day.

Can you consider moving daycare closer to your work? Would that help you at all?

Do you know anything about the flexibility of the new position? Close but inflexible vs. being farther with great flexibility might level the playing field for me.

Can you carpool in and use the HOV on I-10? Is that faster? If you get the kids in a facility closer to work, you have built in HOV occupants...just a thought.

I know these are all questions. These are the things I would ask.

Mrs.T2006 · August 2010

I commute to the med center - it's about 35-45 min.

DH and I are able to stagger our hours so he drops off and I pick up.

sad5781 · August 2010

I think max I could handle every day is 30 minutes.

I do 1hour + on the days I go in to the office and its not fun... I lose two hours that I could be with my baby and its hard.

lilycat · August 2010

Come to think of it, 14 miles is totally within reason for me. That's child's play.

Plus, it matters what the area between point A and point B includes. If you can stop off along the way or take alternate routes to run errands between the two points, it is better by far. The I-10 corridor offers a lot of opportunities for these kinds of things.

Being close to downtown with your kiddos can be nice. We've picked up our kids early and gone to the science museum via the train. We can also hit the LiveStock show after work. We can picnic at Discovery Green after work for dinner. Would your husband be co-located downtown? Having your whole family downtown every day affords some spontaneous outings every once and awhile.

Just thought I'd share a few more thoughts. Good luck with your decision.

Erika&Brian · August 2010

lilycat:

Come to think of it, 14 miles is totally within reason for me. That's child's play.

Plus, it matters what the area between point A and point B includes. If you can stop off along the way or take alternate routes to run errands between the two points, it is better by far. The I-10 corridor offers a lot of opportunities for these kinds of things.

Being close to downtown with your kiddos can be nice. We've picked up our kids early and gone to the science museum via the train. We can also hit the LiveStock show after work. We can picnic at Discovery Green after work for dinner. Would your husband be co-located downtown? Having your whole family downtown every day affords some spontaneous outings every once and awhile.

Just thought I'd share a few more thoughts. Good luck with your decision.

Thank you for all of the advice. We actually moved to our current location a few years ago to be by my current job - my husband works in Rosenberg (35 miles but only takes like 35 mins since no traffic). The one good thing is my husband goes in early and usually picks up the kids around 4:30, so if I could go in a little later, they wouldn't have too terribly long of a day. I'm just so spoiled with my commute right now, and being about 3 mins from their daycare. Just not sure what pricetag/opportunity value to put on that. Definitely wouldn't make sense for us to move them downtown as it would be impossible if I ever had to travel or something.

sunset814 · August 2010

My commute is normally 50-75 minutes, sigh. I don't like spending all that time in the car, but I'm used to it. It doesn't really bother me unless there is a wreck and it takes even longer than usual. 30 minutes seems like a reasonable amount of time, I think. Especially if you would like the job.

TexasHarmony · August 2010

The Shepherd entrance on I-10 to Highway 6 is normally 30ish minutes for me if I go that route.

MrsMGR · August 2010

It's about 15 minutes in the morning and about 25-30 going home at night (around 5:30). I am fine with it.

Suzi-G- · August 2010

I live near you, just inside the Beltway on I-10, and would LOVE a commute to downtown. I currently commute about 15 miles to the Rice Village area and the I-10 portion of my commute is a breeze. It's the North-South segment that's a killer. My commute takes between 45 min and an hour depending on time and route, not counting dropping off and picking up Cooper. Good luck with your decision.

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