Portland to Salem Commute

[notoriouskelly]

Don't even consider the West side: Beaverton etc- that steep, curvy and clogged route rivals L.A. traffic for frustration.

What you can't tell on Google maps is the stretch of I-5 from downtown toward Salem is a curvy, hilly and dangerous drive I'd also not imagine driving regularly.

Look at Tualatin or elsewhere South of downtown.

[khyron]

Originally Posted by notoriouskelly

What you can't tell on Google maps is the stretch of I-5 from downtown toward Salem is a curvy, hilly and dangerous drive I'd also not imagine driving regularly.

Just to add a contrary opinion to this feedback, that section of road is perfectly fine and not "unsafe" in any way...especially if you've lived elsewhere in the country and have some perspective. I've driven between Portland and the Salem area dozens of times, and my wife has done it hundreds of times. If that segment of the interstate is "curvy and dangerous" then oh-em-gee you better never ever ever try to access the west hills in any way whatsoever, lol.

[psichick]

Originally Posted by PB&J&A

@oldtintype, she is great and such a dynamic speaker! And I agree, @EnricoV. In an effort to avoid turning this into a comment section of a Yahoo "news" article, I'll be brief. My hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. I would be home even before 6, so at the very least, minimize the neglect Our current "social life" consists of spoiling our 3 shelter dogs. This is another reason the SW area is appealing. Large yards and more space. You know those 3 Chihuahuas (with their collective 20 pounds of body weight) need a lot of room to run around!

I just wanted to say....those are awesome hours, especially for the commute. I take it back, you probably won't have much more than the hour then.

Also, I wanted to add....I hope I didn't come off as saying the children will be neglected, because I don't think they would be, because one parent is home. My point was more for you, the driver, and not being able to see your child as much as you would like....and interacting with them in a fun way, versus a "get it done" way.



For EnricoV, it was more that I see my gf and her long commute. She get's probably 30-60 mins of quality time with the kids. Y'know, time where she's not reprimanding them or telling them to do something (or not do something). And my friend feels absolutely awful about it.

In the end. She made her husband move down the street from her work. Her commute is now 10 minutes with traffic. Because of the move and another important item....she now gets a minimum of 2 hours of quality time with her kids.

No, the kids weren't suffering. They didn't know the difference. However, SHE knew the difference and it broke her heart since she felt she was missing a good portion of her kids lives because of her commute. My friend isn't the only one either, I've talked about this with other women, and men too. And so, I always suggest people try and keep their commute to a minimum if they have children.

[PB&J&A]

@psichick, I assure you, I didn't take offense to anything you've posted and appreciate your responses. I'm not THAT sensitive (most days, ha ha). I have been tracking the commute to Hawthorne where our temporary rental is located (for when I'm training in Portland) and you're absolutely correct, it would be too long, even with the earlier work hours. The Multnomah area has quickly jumped to the top of our list for areas to investigate (thanks, @oldtintype!) In fact, the Portland office I have the potential to transfer to is quite close to that area and would be a QUICK commute. Seems like a win-win, particularly if the wife decides to pursue something local once she gets lonely working from home. Although our 3 fur babies might keep her busy...We're able to come up for a little visit this weekend and are pretty excited to check out some of the great suggestions you've all given. If anything particularly exciting/interesting/strange is happening this weekend, be sure to let me know!

[Sherwoody]

Portland Events shows 143 results for this weekend. You may need to plug your own dates in to see an accurate event list. Have fun!

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[oldtintype]

I-5 is dangerous to do a daily commute? Well, maybe driving a semi in high winds but in a car to Salem? Besides if she did the west side commute and got on 5 off Capitol then most of the curves are totally avoided. Silly argument.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

... ...
In today's world, the neglect I see from parents seems more to come when their social lives seem to take precedence over their family lives.

Sad but true. It's become a "ME" world.