Working in Salem, living in/close to Portland--is it possible?

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

I am referring to the Acela Amtrak Cascades, not the Coast Starlighter.

Amtrak Cascades
Amtrak Cascades - Shedules

Also although I am not a commuter, I did some math.

Take the cost of a new car, fuel, interest, insurance, tires, oil, maintenance, and in some case parking.

Now take the price of public transportation and throw in Taxi to off route locations, or Taxi for the whole trip, for anyone other than Soccer Mom's or Salesmen. Interesting numbers

I was thinking about both. Do you think the Acela would be any more reliable on a daily basis? I would still be a bit nervous about that one as well.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by Minervah

I was thinking about both. Do you think the Acela would be any more reliable on a daily basis? I would still be a bit nervous about that one as well.

The legislators use it and they keep it on time unless they run someone over.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

The legislators use it and they keep it on time unless they run someone over.

Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense.

[NWGirl74]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Is there some reason you don't want to live in Salem? .

I have one friend who commutes to Salem 5 days a week from downtown and it takes about 45 minutes each way. He just joined a van pool (not a state employee either). When I first met him, he was living in Salem and spending the weekends up here with relatives before ultimately moving up here. He's a 32 year old single guy and Salem didn't offer the same social life as Portland does. I have another friend in Salem, 38 year old single woman and she hates living there for the same reason.

[Leisesturm]

Originally Posted by NWGirl74

I have one friend who commutes to Salem 5 days a week from downtown and it takes about 45 minutes each way. He just joined a van pool (not a state employee either). When I first met him, he was living in Salem and spending the weekends up here with relatives before ultimately moving up here. He's a 32 year old single guy and Salem didn't offer the same social life as Portland does. I have another friend in Salem, 38 year old single woman and she hates living there for the same reason.

I'm not implying that your friiend is anything less than a true Child of God but... 45 minutes from Downtown to Salem is not possible without breaking some ODOT statutes. I just Googled that trip and I get "1 hour and 6 minutes at current road conditions", two hours after rush hour. Totally overlooked whenever these commute threads occur is: a commute is more than the time it takes. I have a hard time imagining that you can just climb into someone's van and they drive you the better part of 54 miles (one way!) everyday for free. What is the cost of "vanpooling" daily, weekly, monthly, etc.? How much is the salary being earned at the other end of the commute? What is the ratio of commute cost to salary earned? The answers are none of my business. I'm just facilitating investigation into the underlying numbers. I'm a numbers guy. More accurately, I'm a data guy. I have no innate facility for computation but I am geeked for acquiring information with which to make conclusions.

If one is working 9 - 5 (or 8 - 4) five days a week. How much of a social butterfly can one be? Is/are the (possibly) increased scope of adult entertainment offerings in Portland worth the higher price of living there? I mean... couldn't one simply go to Portland on the days when one had free time? I spent nearly my whole life in NYC with NY'ers who didn't do much more than punch a clock. Myself I never, ever, ever, set foot in the Empire State Building (WTC many times though), Tavern on the Green, Elaine's, NBC Tonight Show, NBC Saturday Night Live, FAO Schwartz... you get the idea. Big towns with a plethora of attractions are way overrated. The average American gets way too little sleep as it is. Not nearly enough vacation time and the desire to be in and around big entertainment is usually wasted on the vast majority of those who crave it.

Singles in big metro areas with abundant dating opportunities have no more or less success in becoming coupled than singles in anonymous podunks with 1/8 the population density. I'm biased (obviously) but IMO it just doesn't make sense to try and live your life across two different time zones. The financial costs are considerable but all the more insidious because they are so incremental. One day it suddenly hits you that you would be $60K ahead on your retirement nest egg if you hadn't been commuting 100 miles every workday for the last 6 years.

H

[danwilsonbsee]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

I'm not implying that your friiend is anything less than a true Child of God but... 45 minutes from Downtown to Salem is not possible without breaking some ODOT statutes. I just Googled that trip and I get "1 hour and 6 minutes at current road conditions", two hours after rush hour. Totally overlooked whenever these commute threads occur is: a commute is more than the time it takes. I have a hard time imagining that you can just climb into someone's van and they drive you the better part of 54 miles (one way!) everyday for free. What is the cost of "vanpooling" daily, weekly, monthly, etc.? How much is the salary being earned at the other end of the commute? What is the ratio of commute cost to salary earned? The answers are none of my business. I'm just facilitating investigation into the underlying numbers. I'm a numbers guy. More accurately, I'm a data guy. I have no innate facility for computation but I am geeked for acquiring information with which to make conclusions.

If one is working 9 - 5 (or 8 - 4) five days a week. How much of a social butterfly can one be? Is/are the (possibly) increased scope of adult entertainment offerings in Portland worth the higher price of living there? I mean... couldn't one simply go to Portland on the days when one had free time? I spent nearly my whole life in NYC with NY'ers who didn't do much more than punch a clock. Myself I never, ever, ever, set foot in the Empire State Building (WTC many times though), Tavern on the Green, Elaine's, NBC Tonight Show, NBC Saturday Night Live, FAO Schwartz... you get the idea. Big towns with a plethora of attractions are way overrated. The average American gets way too little sleep as it is. Not nearly enough vacation time and the desire to be in and around big entertainment is usually wasted on the vast majority of those who crave it.

Singles in big metro areas with abundant dating opportunities have no more or less success in becoming coupled than singles in anonymous podunks with 1/8 the population density. I'm biased (obviously) but IMO it just doesn't make sense to try and live your life across two different time zones. The financial costs are considerable but all the more insidious because they are so incremental. One day it suddenly hits you that you would be $60K ahead on your retirement nest egg if you hadn't been commuting 100 miles every workday for the last 6 years.

H

Hate to tell you this but you're wrong. I live in downtown and make it to Salem in ~45m by getting on 5th Ave entrance-> 475-> I5 and a constant 5mph over on cruise control. M-F @ 7am. It's absolutely doable. Traffic in the curves on the way home sometimes adds 5/10m. I work a traditional schedule and find time to stay out late and have an extremely active social life (in my 30's as well). Portland as compared to Salem is well worth it if you're not a shut-in.

[NWGirl74]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

I'm not implying that your friiend is anything less than a true Child of God but... 45 minutes from Downtown to Salem is not possible without breaking some ODOT statutes. I just Googled that trip and I get "1 hour and 6 minutes at current road conditions", two hours after rush hour. Totally overlooked whenever these commute threads occur is: a commute is more than the time it takes. I have a hard time imagining that you can just climb into someone's van and they drive you the better part of 54 miles (one way!) everyday for free. What is the cost of "vanpooling" daily, weekly, monthly, etc.? How much is the salary being earned at the other end of the commute? What is the ratio of commute cost to salary earned? The answers are none of my business. I'm just facilitating investigation into the underlying numbers. I'm a numbers guy. More accurately, I'm a data guy. I have no innate facility for computation but I am geeked for acquiring information with which to make conclusions.

If one is working 9 - 5 (or 8 - 4) five days a week. How much of a social butterfly can one be? Is/are the (possibly) increased scope of adult entertainment offerings in Portland worth the higher price of living there? I mean... couldn't one simply go to Portland on the days when one had free time? I spent nearly my whole life in NYC with NY'ers who didn't do much more than punch a clock.

This is also historically one of the busiest travel days of the year. According to Google, it would take me a hour and 23 minutes from my house in NE Vancouver (just south of Brush Prairie) to his place of employment. Your time above of an hour 6 is what it took me to get from Vancouver to the Pearl yesterday leaving my house around 4:30. I would say about 75% of the time, it takes me an hour or more to get downtown after work but it doesn't deter me from doing so if there's something I want to do or someone I want to see.

For him, yes, an active social life definitely outweighs the cost of commuting. He's also much happier now that he's living up here than he was living in Salem. One with traditional hours can have as much or as little of a social life as they please, and not necessarily focused on dating or trying to get coupled up. I get off work at 4:00. That gives me plenty of time to go out and do something after work and still get to bed at a reasonable hour. Not doing something after work just because it's a work night would make for a very boring life!