"A former intern commuting from southern Jersey to New York City for seven months I felt all hope of handling a commuting lifestyle had perished... then I came to DC"
Sweat trickles down your face as you race down the stairs. Engulfed in a grey whirlwind of concrete and cinder, you find yourself racing the clock as chaos ensues around the New Jersey Transit loading platform of Penn Station. I had just put in my eight hour work day, raced six blocks from mid-Soho to the most direct uptown subway, and felt my heart pound as the clock read 5:18 and I had five minutes to spare. I often would compare the loading platforms of Penn Station to what I envisioned the gates of hell to look like. Dark corridors, eerie smells, and panic stricken expressions all around... the last place in the world you want to find yourself.
A former Marketing intern, I commuted from southern Jersey to New York City two days a week for the duration of seven months. Leaving each morning from Skillman, New Jersey and driving 30 minutes to central Jersey, 50 minute train haul, 10 minute subway ride, AND a six block walk later I would find myself in the fashion central neighborhoods of Soho. Every morning this two hour+ trek involved battling the war zone of mid-town and a commuter mentality of, "move out of my way or perish at my feet." After navigating the public transit systems of NYC I thought I could never hack the commuter lifestyle, and then I came to DC.
The commuting culture of DC is first off a more clean but strictly regulated environment. If you buy an all day pass, you can't use it to board the metro until after 9:30 A.M. Also, if you are attempting to park in a public lot make sure you do so on a weekday before 8 A.M. Any parking efforts after this time will fail because all public garages will be filled. There are two strategies to cope with this problem and they are the following:
1. First and foremost, bring copious amounts of quarters because you will find yourself parking at an hourly meter unless you plan to walk blocks to the station.
2. Secondly, illegal parking is a viable option according to the random passerby I met while parking. This strategy I don't recommend because who knows what DC parking tickets are like.. but feel free to take the chance if you so prefer.
Aside from these unexpected complications, commuting into DC is actually a relatively pleasant experience. The metro is clean and not nearly as crowded as a New York City subway. Another nice attribute of Washington D.C. is you can walk the streets without the fear of getting plowed over! This experience revamped my view on living the lifestyle of a big city commuter. Every major city is different and unique in its own way, it's all just about finding the place that's the right match for you...
New Jersey commuters navigating the threshold of New York City subways on a mission to go out.
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