July 4, 2009
Extreme Commuter: From LI's North Shore to Midtown
Allan Press has endured hefty commutes to work for years, but his latest -- a whopping 4.5 hours a day -- is the most grueling.
"It's exhausting," said Press, 41, a supervisor for a Manhattan financial firm. "I've been doing it [commuting] for about 14 years, and it's slowly getting longer and longer to get to work the farther I move away."
Press used to weather commutes from Queens and Nassau County that hovered at a mere hour and 15 minutes, but his move a year ago to Miller Place in Suffolk County nearly doubled the time to about two hours and 15 minutes each way. He rises at 5:15 a.m. everyday in order to have enough time to drive, take the Long Island Rail Road and ride the subway to get to his job on 6th Avenue and 52nd Street by 8 a.m.
"I'm tired a lot," he said. "I have two little kids so I don't get much sleep on the weekends either."
Press' 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter are the reasons he's trekking across Long Island and into the city every day. He and his wife decided they needed more room after the youngest was born, so they moved from their 1,300 square-foot home in Nassau and headed to a 2,600 square-foot house near Suffolk's North Shore. The timely and costly trek is worth the piece of mind brought by a safe neighborhood and good schools for his children, Press said.
"As you go farther out, you're getting more, but your commute suffers," he said.
However, there are other drawbacks besides the commute. Press said he has a handful of friends in the city who have not visited his home in eight years because they do not have cars or refuse to hop on the LIRR.
Press thinks he can keep up the commute until he retires, but he's hoping his stamina won't be tested.
"If I had the chance, and I could make the same living out on Long Island, I would take it in a heartbeat," he said.
If you know someone with an extreme commute, let us know at mnaanes@am-ny.com.
The monthly cost of Press' commute:
-$350: LIRR pass and MetroCard.
-$80: Gas to and from the LIRR station.
-$40: Parking at the train station.
-$470: Total
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