@BrentToderian Like most people I harbour dreams of how happy I'd be out an acreage somewhere. But unlike most people i know it's a delusion that would probably ultimately cause me to get divorced.

@BrentToderian Great in theory. Reality makes it a lot tougher, at least in the NYC area.

@BrentToderian
And what if it's not a short walk, but like the trek (10km, through the snow and uphill both ways) my parents had to do each day to get to school back in the day?

@BrentToderian I wonder if the same is true for shipping, entertainment, and other "going out" activities.

@BrentToderian @mpesce
Alt text: happy people walking on the sidewalk, one has a doggie; across the intersection there are shops and trees

@BrentToderian So if you can't find a women you just need move next to your work to be happy?

@BrentToderian
The idea of commuting is actively militating against my getting another job. I'm on the verge of retiring; this might yet push me over the edge.

@BrentToderian My commute in San Francisco is a 3 min slow bike ride down a bike lane. You couldn’t pay me any amount of money to go back to a 2h one way commute

@BrentToderian IOW, get a short walking commute and you'll fall in love with it.

@BrentToderian Meanwhile, someone with a bicycle commute is happy no matter how long it takes. #yegbike

@BrentToderian image description (you may be able to update your post): people walking and standing at a crosswalk intersection on sunny day. There are also two people crouching to pet dogs or adjust bags of groceries.

@BrentToderian @asymco Cool! Now I just need to find a walkable city in the US that I can raise my family in that isn’t economically oppressive.

@BrentToderian Neat, if there weren't rent and public transport.
Rent without a commute whould be double for the same flat/apartment, but the cost for transport whould be the same or nothing. But it's already lower than renting a place near the work place.

@BrentToderian I’ve been walking to the next room for a couple of decades. It’s true, it makes me quite happy! 👍

@BrentToderian fuck me this is crazy

@BrentToderian That's because without the commute they actually have that door open. The commute makes having a personal life much harder.

@BrentToderian I'd be pretty happy too if I could afford a $5 million property close to the centre of the city.

@BrentToderian @asymco Good, but what does that have to do with family happiness? Bringing up kids in a city difficult in US (easier in Europe), so the city worker has to find their own happiness however they can if they want a house + lawn + good schools. No I don’t know the answer, but you’re correct that commuting to a city is painful & maybe with better trains it would be easier 🙁

@BrentToderian @AmyZenunim cursed

@BrentToderian always a yeah but…. Out there. Early/mid 90s I had a one hour, 60 mile each way commute. Sometimes it was a real drag, but most days it was a nice relaxing drive through a nice country landscape. Lots of miles piled up on the car, but those two hours gave me lots of time to sort through the day. (My memory of that time is probably enhanced by the job I took right after, a mile from my home, which turned into a nightmarish hellscape for me.)

@BrentToderian I totally believe this.