Recent comments in /f/providence

Big_Red_Tango t1_j5tg5nd wrote

Reply to Commute to Boston commuter rail by Annual_Account9238

Did it for two years, PVD to South Station. Would not recommend. Sometimes, it was comforting to find myself on the train on a winter morning, but overall, I would recommend telecommuting or finding a job closer to home. I personally would take 20% pay cut to eliminate commuting that distance. It might make sense if you're just starting your career or a baby boomer with a work till you die ethic, but imho it's not worth the additional time being sedentary, schedule constraints, and unnecessary interaction with crowds. The added leg of the redline to South Boston is the miserable cherry on top. If you said it was to the other side of Boston like Cambridge or Longwood, I would laugh at you and disparage your miserable existence. Don't even get me started on taking the bus. If your employer has parking, I would say driving is best because at least you have some control. If you can't afford to live in boston, why are you working in boston?

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nodumbunny t1_j5sg7lq wrote

Reply to comment by sobercalifornia in Commute to Boston commuter rail by Annual_Account9238

I've worked from home since 2019 and I honestly don't now how I went to Cambridge five days a week. Those five years started in 2009 and I work in the building trades as a designer, so there were no jobs in RI architecture firms. Everyone had been laid off the previous year.

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nodumbunny t1_j5rajka wrote

Reply to Commute to Boston commuter rail by Annual_Account9238

I commuted to Cambridge from Providence for five years, five days a week. It was terrible. Having to jump on the red line from South Station - or do the reverse later - really felt like a second commute on top of the commuter rail. Of course it was only 20 more minutes, but it just made the whole thing feel much worse. When I was job searching I did not look at anything that was not walking distance from South Station, Back Bay or Ruggles.

On the "home" side of the commute, I would not look in East Providence anywhere south of Rumford. That way you can cross the Seekonk River to the train without using 195/Washington bridge. The traffic on that stretch of 195 is terrible in both directions both morning and evening rush hours.

As others have said you can take the Red Line right from Quincy to South Boston and avoid South Station all together. But I would still avoid 195/Washington Bridge at all costs.

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