- Jeff Strabone commutes from Brooklyn to Connecticut College by train for his professor job.
- Strabone prefers public transportation, avoids driving, and uses train time for work tasks.
- His weekly commute costs $110, but he values the productivity and low stress of train travel.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jeff Strabone, an English professor who commutes from Brooklyn, New York, to New London, Connecticut, for work. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
My family has lived continuously in New York City for over 100 years. I’ve never lived anywhere else, and I’m planning to die here. I’ve lived in the same Brooklyn apartment, which I own, for the past 20 years.
There’s so much I love about this city, from the museums to the restaurants and the public transportation. I don’t have a driver’s license and will never get one. I ride my bike, walk, or take the subway everywhere I need to go.
Things got complicated in 2010 when I took a job as a professor at Connecticut College. It was the best position available at the time that was still within commuting distance.
Since then, I’ve gone to campus in person two or three days a week and do non-classroom work (like faculty meetings) over Zoom from my apartment.
The distance from my apartment in Cobble Hill to the campus is about 130 miles. While driving there could take two and a half to three hours, I take the train instead. The supercommute from Penn Station to campus and back takes about five hours each day, and it’s seven when you include the subway and taxi.
I love my job. Even though that seems like a long ride, I don’t mind.
I bike, train, and taxi to get to work
My schedule clusters all of my classes on the same two days, so I only have to go to the college two or three times a week, depending on additional in-person meetings or events.
I leave my apartment at 7:30 a.m. and walk to the subway station. I take two subway lines to Penn Station and have time to spare before my 8:30 a.m. train to New London. The ride is usually two and a half hours, and I get to New London around 11:10 a.m.
I call ahead for a taxi and get to campus by 11:40 a.m. I have lunch, do some more work, and teach my first class at 1:15 p.m. My classes are back-to-back and end at 4 p.m.
At the end of the day I walk about two miles to the train station in New London because I like to avoid car travel whenever possible. Then I take the train back to Penn Station. Sometimes, I see friends or go out in the city that night rather than go straight home.
Amtrak is my office on wheels
I try to get a seat in the café car, so I’m at a booth with a table. I spread out with my laptop and books. On the way to New London, I refine my lesson plan and remarks for class. On the way home, I check emails and grade.
I don’t like to waste time on the train, so I have less work at home. If I drove to work, the commute would be dead time, but being on the train is equivalent to the time I’d be sitting at a desk in my office.
I don’t listen to podcasts, and I rarely talk to other passengers on the train. It seems like an imposition, so I mind my own business and do my work.
Amtrak doesn’t have the best food options. I usually eat before or after my ride and occasionally get a cookie or, less often, a bag of popcorn on the train.
My commute costs me an average of $110 round-trip a week
A one-way ticket from Penn Station to New London usually costs $20 to $40, and the reverse ride usually costs $20 to $30. Purchased in advance, the ticket can cost as little as $8.
The one-way taxi ride in the morning from the New London train station to campus plus tip costs $10. My round-trip subway fare is $5.80. While my daily commute varies, it’s around $110 a week.
My job doesn’t provide a travel stipend, but I don’t mind. I’m not doing this job for the money. I’m still paying less than I would if I owned a car and had to pay for gasoline, insurance, repair costs, and the car itself.
I don’t find the commute to be challenging or stressful
I’m glad to have a job as a professor, and if it means taking trains to work, that’s fine with me. Many of my colleagues also commute long distances.
I don’t view the commute as a hassle; I view it as my time to work. It would be nice to have a job down the street, but academics don’t have as many job options as people in other careers, especially when they have tenure, which I have.
Plus, I don’t have to worry about road rage, construction, traffic jams, or dangerous drivers on the way to work. My stress level is very low when riding the train. Sometimes the train is delayed, but that’s the worst of it.
People driving have it much worse: they’re stuck in pods and must focus on the road. Even if cars produced zero pollution, I wouldn’t want to drive one.
Being a long-distance commuter is doable if you don’t have to get behind the wheel
If you’re considering a job opportunity that seems far away but potentially doable, look into public transportation options. The freedom you’ll have if you don’t have to get behind the wheel can make the entire experience relaxing and productive.
Plus, not driving makes me sharper, more alert, and more energized once I get to my job. It lets me get so much done that at the end of the commute, I can shut down my computer when I get home and live my life in the greatest city in the world.
Want to share your supercommuting story? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com.
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