Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

How do you do it? How long is your commute? Have you been able to negotiate anything that makes it a bit easier - e.g. shorted in-office hours, working at all from home? Do you still have time with dc?

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

I commute from CSP - commute takes just over an hour from station to my desk.

I'm working from home today to avoid the heat and to make up from being out at Yankee Game with a client on Tues.

My boss is very flexible, I work from home now and then and will come in late if I have an evening work event.

I have my weekend with my DS and some nights.

Current plan is to do this for 5-7 more years and then go into consulting so I'm home more often.

edited to add we have a nanny so son is cared for at home - we don't have to worry about dropping him off or picking him up. That really helps!

Message edited 6/9/2011 2:04:41 PM.

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

For a year I commuted from Suffolk to uptown Manhattan (121st Street)...it was brutal. I drove when I could & other days I took the train. It was a long long day. As a teacher though it helped being able to leave at 3.

I actually left the job after the year.

The following year I worked in Woodside & was commuting there. It wasn't much better.

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

I could not work shorter hours or work from home.

When I was going into the city, I had to drop Ann off at daycare to make the 6:58 out of Greenlawn into Hunterspoint, and then took the 7 to 5th Ave and walked a few blocks. I was technically late every morning but it didn't really matter since my boss was in another location and the rest of the office started 30-60 mins later than I did.

I snuck out early every day (unless someone "important" was in the office) to make the 5:11 out of HP and I think I walked in the door just before 7PM.

It sucked out loud is all I can say.

Message edited 6/9/2011 3:01:04 PM.

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

I do'nt commute from Suffolk but, my commute is comparable in length (from Rockland County).

I try to take a 6:34 train in and a 5:30 train home. I get home around 6:30 and have about an hour and a half before DS goes to bed. I do this 4 days a week. Occasionally, I come in later if I have to drop DS at daycare, and occasionally I stay later if need be.

I work from home one day a week. If DS has daycare, I drop him off at the same time as to not disrupt his schedule, come home and do a few things around the house (that are easier to do without a helper) and then work from 8:30-4:30. I pick up DS shortly after and spend the rest of the evening with him.

My job is flexible in that I can move my work from home day or do a second day occasionally. I also get a good amount of vacation.

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

I work in downtown Manhattan a typical 9-5 take the Ronkonkoma branch I usually get home by 6:30 so is not as bad I have a 7 year old and a 5 month old which my mom takes care of them while we are at work my husband gets home by 4:30pm so it works out for us...I've been doing this for 5 1/2 years already.

The only times the commute drags is when there are delays and another factor is the monthly tickets with their price increasing every year.

Best of Luck

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

I go from Ronkonkoma to Manhattan and then take the subway to Union Square.

I take the 6:24 in and the 3:15 out. I usually am at daycare to pick my kids up at 5pm.

I am a teacher so my hours are different than most.

I have about 2.5 hours per night with my kids and weekends. Plus all the off time I get as a teacher. It isn't horrible.

Message edited 6/9/2011 8:17:21 PM.

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

I commute from Huntington to Brooklyn. After having kids, I took a paycut to have Fridays off and change my hours on the other days to 7am - 3pm. That made a HUGE difference. I'm home by 5. I hate the commute, but the benefits at my job are really awesome so as long as they let me keep this schedule, I'll stay there forever.

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

I dont go into Manhattan, but I am a teacher and work in a school in Queens Village coming from Shirley. I had to buy a Honda ccivic hybrid, just so i could take the HOV. When I work in the summer, the ride is about 45 mins...during the regular school year, its anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half drive....

Im on a child care leave now and will go back to work in Sept...soooo not looking foward to that commute again

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

I went from Huntington to World Financial Center/WTC area for nearly a year.

Got used to it really. Daycare was close to home and train so it was in between. It was hard at first but everyone (including AJ) fell into the routine.

Jim would drop me off at the station, take AJ to daycare then go to work (he worked in Melville so it wasn't bad) then pick AJ up and go home until I called to pick me up. Or I would go in my car to the train and he'd drop her off solo. Take the car home at night. Did that if I knew I had to work late or get off early. He really became the only person to and from daycare unless I had some room in my schedule which was next to never. it worked out.

However, its a reason I'm back in TX too. Now we all commute to daycare together or in separate cars but we ALL do drop off then we meet up and all do pick up and drive home. Home is less than 5mins from daycare.

Re: Moms who Commute from Suffolk Co. to the City

I commute from East Islip to Astoria everyday. Unfortunately, due to my hours I cannot take mass transit due to the infrequency of trains running late at night. I drive in every day. My commute door to door is about 1 hour each way, 100 miles per day- but I drive opposite the rush on off hours. It is bearable but I am perpetually exhausted from sleeping only 5 hours per night, every. single. night. But, my kids will eventually be in grammar school and then life will be a little more normal.

Message edited 6/9/2011 8:47:54 PM.