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Extreme Commuter: Across two boroughs

By Marlene Naanes | mnaanes@am-ny.com

April 28, 2008

Sei Yoshioka both lives and works in New York City, yet his work commute can add up to four hours a day round trip and stretch about 40 miles total.

The 30-year-old college counselor at Kingsborough Community College in Manhattan Beach has been walking, taking the train and busing it across the length of two boroughs for about two years. His family and friends constantly question his decision to live in Inwood, located at the northern tip of Manhattan, yet work in southeastern Brooklyn.

"They all tell me to move," Yoshioka said.

Yoshioka said he loves being able to live in Manhattan for $900 a month, and it doesn't hurt that his apartment is near a park, cafes and one of his favorite museums, The Cloisters. He said he also enjoys the time his commute gives him to read, grade papers or nap.

"Since I work as a counselor and I work with people all the time -- and I like what I do, don't get me wrong -- this time on the subway and bus is like my alone time for the day," he said. "It's time for me."

Yoshioka leaves his home at about 7 a.m., walks to the 207th Street subway stop, and takes the A train to Columbus Circle, where he transfers to the B. From there, he takes the B to Sheepshead Bay, the second to last stop, hops on a bus and hoofs it for another 15 minutes.

The commute either goes swiftly in one hour and 40 minutes, or the wait for the bus and train extends it to two hours, Yoshioka said. In the winter, even the lightest dusting of snow can slow the outdoor trek on the B train, doubling the time it usually takes.

But the trip to work isn't Yoshioka's longest regular commute. For the past year, he's been going back and forth to Los Angeles every other weekend to visit his partner. Yoshioka said he is moving to West Hollywood in June, where another extreme commute will be in store for him, as he plans on taking public transportation in mass transit-poor Los Angeles because he's not a good driver.

"I'm doing the people of L.A. a favor by taking mass transit," he said.

Tell us about your extreme commute. E-mail mnaanes@am-ny.com