Reflections on Commuting
made at the termination of a four-year affair with the Long Island Railroad
In four years of commuting, I have
—Traveled approximately 52,703.2 miles on the LIRR. See calculations.
—Lost my monthly ticket once, on the 28th of the month, on the 12:35a train
from Penn Sta., having left it displayed on the windowsill and falling asleep,
forgetting to take it with me at my Babylon transfer.
—Missed my stop once, having gotten engaged in a conversation with a fellow
'mooter about the service delay.
—Learned to embrace the sprawling grandeur of the Ronkonkoma Station, even
as a South-Shore Commuter, for its more regular and late-night service. Though
taken only a handful of times from Fall '98 - Fall '00, I used it approximately
25% of trips in Fall '01 - '02.
—Following the above, I returned home to the wrong station only once, arriving
at Sayville and realizing my car was parked at Ronkonkoma. Though an inconvenience
to walk home from Sayville, it was far better than the alternative of being
stranded at Ronkonkoma without the $10 cab fare home.
—Engaged in no more than 10 conversations of any significant duration with
fellow passengers, nearly always sparked by service delays, though sometimes
sparked by noticing what I was reading, (Les Liaisons dangereuses, Mother),
and once when I offered unsolicited advice on a NY Times crossword that I was
reading over someone's shoulder (rejected).
—Had car ('88 Taurus) broken into twice. First unsuccessfully, with driver's
window broken, then successfully and stereo/CD player stolen. The CD in the
player at the time was Elvis Costello's "best of" album, which I subsequently
replaced by "stealing" the MP3s and burning a new CD. The stereo thief
has since died of a drug overdose. Had scooter, 1998 Honda Elite 80, stolen
from North parking lot, within two months of purchase. Police report filed,
as grand theft, investigation never pursued by 5th precinct.
Jillian Murray
Calculations:
From 3 semesters of a 4-day week, 3 semesters of a 5-day week, and 1 semester of a 3-day week, (plus Sp '01 when I lived in Manhattan), plus 2 years of philosophy meetings on alternate Sundays. Missed commuting days (from absence or driving) have been assumed to be replaced by additional days of library study and other school concerns. This uses a 15-week semester plus a finals week. Leisure trips have been excluded.
The longest commuting semester was thus:
Fall 1999, a 5-day week plus alternate Sundays, with 88 round-trips at 51.6 miles each direction, all from Sayville. Totalling 9,081.6 miles that semester.
The shortest commuting semester was thus:
Fall 2000, a 3-day week schedule with no additional trips, with 48 round-trips. 75% of these are estimated from Sayville, at 51.6 mi each direction, and the remainder from Ronkonkoma at 50.3 mi each direction, totalling 4,922.4 miles that semester.