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Has anyone commuted from Milwaukee to Chicago for work? Would this miserable even at just 2 days a week?

MissKhriddleton wrote:Has anyone commuted from Milwaukee to Chicago for work? Would this miserable even at just 2 days a week?

I did two days a week to a place in the loop and took the Hiawatha both ways. It was nice.

Had I needed to drive and spend 3 hours in the car each day (at least), I would've lost my mind.

A cool media win for once!

KidA24 wrote:

MissKhriddleton wrote:Has anyone commuted from Milwaukee to Chicago for work? Would this miserable even at just 2 days a week?

I did two days a week to a place in the loop and took the Hiawatha both ways. It was nice.

Had I needed to drive and spend 3 hours in the car each day (at least), I would've lost my mind.

Whilst not Mil<->Chi, also a fellow reasonable distance (shade over 2 hours between main stations) train commuter here. I enjoy it, work about half the time and read the other half- definitely preferable (even just personally- ignoring environmental/societal/financial benefits of supporting public transport) to driving (and driving is circa .75 of the time for me).

Put my two weeks in at my current job. Moving to a fully remote role that I’m looking forward too.

I’ve handed off most the projects so now I just get to coast here until May 7th. Bitter sweet but my time has come. I tell ya though, finding a new daycare is a pain in the ass.

jschligs wrote:Put my two weeks in at my current job. Moving to a fully remote role that I’m looking forward too.

I’ve handed off most the projects so now I just get to coast here until May 7th. Bitter sweet but my time has come. I tell ya though, finding a new daycare is a pain in the ass.

How did you find the remote role?

MissKhriddleton wrote:

jschligs wrote:Put my two weeks in at my current job. Moving to a fully remote role that I’m looking forward too.

I’ve handed off most the projects so now I just get to coast here until May 7th. Bitter sweet but my time has come. I tell ya though, finding a new daycare is a pain in the ass.

How did you find the remote role?

Recruiter. This is the 3rd one a recruiter has found me for, I declined the first two but this was too good to pass up and I'm ****ing STOKED to be fully remote.

MissKhriddleton wrote:Has anyone commuted from Milwaukee to Chicago for work? Would this miserable even at just 2 days a week?

It's not that bad. about 1hr 30 minutes or so taking the amtrak. Amtrak is pretty comfy and is never really full so can 95% of the time have a row to yourself. Build it into your workday. That's what a lot of people do. Leave the station at 8 or whenever take the 3 back and you'll be home by roughly 5 most days.

TroyD92 wrote:

MissKhriddleton wrote:Has anyone commuted from Milwaukee to Chicago for work? Would this miserable even at just 2 days a week?

It's not that bad. about 1hr 30 minutes or so taking the amtrak. Amtrak is pretty comfy and is never really full so can 95% of the time have a row to yourself. Build it into your workday. That's what a lot of people do. Leave the station at 8 or whenever take the 3 back and you'll be home by roughly 5 most days.

That's the key. If you can work on the train and include commute time in your work day it works out well. But if commute time is in addition to your regular work day, that sucks.

MickeyDavis wrote:

TroyD92 wrote:

MissKhriddleton wrote:Has anyone commuted from Milwaukee to Chicago for work? Would this miserable even at just 2 days a week?

It's not that bad. about 1hr 30 minutes or so taking the amtrak. Amtrak is pretty comfy and is never really full so can 95% of the time have a row to yourself. Build it into your workday. That's what a lot of people do. Leave the station at 8 or whenever take the 3 back and you'll be home by roughly 5 most days.

That's the key. If you can work on the train and include commute time in your work day it works out well. But if commute time is in addition to your regular work day, that sucks.

Yep. My work doesnt care as I can arrive or leave whenever I want. I know not everyone has that luxury though. Might be something worth negotiation if you're at that point in the process.

TroyD92 wrote:

MickeyDavis wrote:

TroyD92 wrote:
It's not that bad. about 1hr 30 minutes or so taking the amtrak. Amtrak is pretty comfy and is never really full so can 95% of the time have a row to yourself. Build it into your workday. That's what a lot of people do. Leave the station at 8 or whenever take the 3 back and you'll be home by roughly 5 most days.

That's the key. If you can work on the train and include commute time in your work day it works out well. But if commute time is in addition to your regular work day, that sucks.

Yep. My work doesnt care as I can arrive or leave whenever I want. I know not everyone has that luxury though. Might be something worth negotiation if you're at that point in the process.

Timing to be able to leave a little early is great, where I can I'm on a train a bit after 4 and home in time to help with dinner. In my office everyone is always coming and going anyway and nobody really notices, but I am conscious of not being late when getting to the office/getting in a bit earlier just for visuals. I also book myself out in my calendar as busy at the tail end of the day and manage it well/reschedule to shorten meetings upfront if they eat into it where I can so nobody inadvertently books a meeting and it looks like I'm leaving halfway through.

Also, I leave responding to emails in the afternoon on those days until I'm doing that bit of work on the train. It took me a while to twig to it, it's good document writing time as well, but emailing does pop that "connected/working" idea in people's minds (again, I don't think anyone in my office really notices!).

stellation wrote:

TroyD92 wrote:

MickeyDavis wrote:That's the key. If you can work on the train and include commute time in your work day it works out well. But if commute time is in addition to your regular work day, that sucks.

Yep. My work doesnt care as I can arrive or leave whenever I want. I know not everyone has that luxury though. Might be something worth negotiation if you're at that point in the process.

Timing to be able to leave a little early is great, where I can I'm on a train a bit after 4 and home in time to help with dinner. In my office everyone is always coming and going anyway and nobody really notices, but I am conscious of not being late when getting to the office/getting in a bit earlier just for visuals. I also book myself out in my calendar as busy at the tail end of the day and manage it well/reschedule to shorten meetings upfront if they eat into it where I can so nobody inadvertently books a meeting and it looks like I'm leaving halfway through.

Also, I leave responding to emails in the afternoon on those days until I'm doing that bit of work on the train. It took me a while to twig to it, it's good document writing time as well, but emailing does pop that "connected/working" idea in people's minds (again, I don't think anyone in my office really notices!).

This is hilarious because i've started noticing that my team does this a lot lol. Especially on some of our meetings that tend to get out of control in terms of going over allotted time.

My manager operates much the same way in regards to getting in early for appearances. lol. I usually get in around 9:30-10 and leave around 4:30. If I'm not feeling productive i'll just leave earlier or if things are flowing and or chaotic I'll stay a bit later.

Anyone in Wisconsin use Spectrum Mobile? I don't have much reason to switch and don't need to penny pinch currently, but it's so cheap (and keeps getting shoved down my throat) that I'm wondering how horrible it is...or maybe isn't.

MikeIsGood wrote:Anyone in Wisconsin use Spectrum Mobile? I don't have much reason to switch and don't need to penny pinch currently, but it's so cheap (and keeps getting shoved down my throat) that I'm wondering how horrible it is...or maybe isn't.

I'm not in Wisconsin and not using Spectrum Mobile, and my work pays for my mobile service so I haven't had to consider the cost of a mobile for as long as I can remember, but let me give you my thoughts....

TroyD92 wrote:

stellation wrote:

TroyD92 wrote:
Yep. My work doesnt care as I can arrive or leave whenever I want. I know not everyone has that luxury though. Might be something worth negotiation if you're at that point in the process.

Timing to be able to leave a little early is great, where I can I'm on a train a bit after 4 and home in time to help with dinner. In my office everyone is always coming and going anyway and nobody really notices, but I am conscious of not being late when getting to the office/getting in a bit earlier just for visuals. I also book myself out in my calendar as busy at the tail end of the day and manage it well/reschedule to shorten meetings upfront if they eat into it where I can so nobody inadvertently books a meeting and it looks like I'm leaving halfway through.

Also, I leave responding to emails in the afternoon on those days until I'm doing that bit of work on the train. It took me a while to twig to it, it's good document writing time as well, but emailing does pop that "connected/working" idea in people's minds (again, I don't think anyone in my office really notices!).

This is hilarious because i've started noticing that my team does this a lot lol. Especially on some of our meetings that tend to get out of control in terms of going over allotted time.

My manager operates much the same way in regards to getting in early for appearances. lol. I usually get in around 9:30-10 and leave around 4:30. If I'm not feeling productive i'll just leave earlier or if things are flowing and or chaotic I'll stay a bit later.

I mean, with the meetings bit- there's a lot of people who seem incapable of using the pretty simple scheduling capabilities imbedded in calendar tools so I still need to do a lot of declining/rescheduling.

I wear my honorary Aussie-ness with pride, but I am flummoxed by the below:



I have resided in three of the top-5 drunkest metro areas in America (I have not been a Milwaukeean fwiw) and I cannot ascertain the reality of this.

Boomers: explain/atone/???

chonestown wrote:I wear my honorary Aussie-ness with pride, but I am flummoxed by the below:

Read on Twitter

I have resided in three of the top-5 drunkest metro areas in America (I have not been a Milwaukeean fwiw) and I cannot ascertain the reality of this.

Boomers: explain/atone/???

This sounds like a more complicated version of Slap the Bag.

KidA24 wrote:This sounds like a more complicated version of Slap the Bag.

NOT HELPFUL

chonestown wrote:I wear my honorary Aussie-ness with pride, but I am flummoxed by the below:

Read on Twitter

I have resided in three of the top-5 drunkest metro areas in America (I have not been a Milwaukeean fwiw) and I cannot ascertain the reality of this.

Boomers: explain/atone/???

This is real, a key feature of Bogan Youth Olympics (we’re a sporting nation).

chonestown wrote:

KidA24 wrote:This sounds like a more complicated version of Slap the Bag.

NOT HELPFUL

Well, you see, Slap the Bag is a game where you take a bag, you drink from it, then you slap it.

Then you yell, "Slap the Bag, WOOO!" and that's it. That's the game.