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Extreme Commuter: From Maybrook to Midtown

By Marlene Naanes | mnaanes@am-ny.com

May 12, 2008

Jennifer Rodriguez often has to cut her nighttime activities short to catch the last bus to her upstate New York home, a two-hour ride that gets her in well after midnight.

Rodriguez, 26, editor in chief for Latino University magazine, has left movies she was screening for work before they ended and has darted out of happy hour with co-workers because the last bus to Maybrook, NY, leaves exactly at 10:45 p.m.

"I always tell my friends I turn into a pumpkin at 10:45," said Rodriguez, whose office is in midtown. "I can't even enjoy being in my 20s because I have a bus to catch. I live my life according to the bus."

Rodriguez spends about two hours commuting each way to and from work -- or a total of a bout 20 hours a week -- for the past four years. After college, Rodriguez decided to live with her parents and grandparents to save money for a place in the city and to pay down her school loans. She admits that she spends a chunk of money -- about $400 a month -- on bus tickets, subway fares and taxis around the city.

Each morning, Rodriguez rises at 5:30 a.m., gets a ride to the bus station and hops on a 7:15 a.m. bus to the city. She arrives at the Port Authority between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., depending on traffic, and walks six blocks to work. The way home gets longer the later she stays in the city because the bus turns from express to local.

By the time Saturday rolls around, Rodriguez said she's exhausted and often sleeps well into the afternoon.

Rodriguez said her co-workers often make fun of her. "They think I'm crazy they don't know why I haven't moved yet," she said.

Although Rodriguez said she would miss the serenity and natural beauty of her town, located a half-hour drive from Woodbury Commons, she's tired of rushing home everyday.

"I'm ready," she said. "I want to move."

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